DISTRESSED and Modified Photo PRINTS

Altered images can be a unique addition to various projects, such as collages, altered art, or journals.
And since this method is a type of freeform artistic process, you can torment your photo print any way you wish.
Only one thing to keep in mind before you get your tools ready is that through you can use an inkjet printout, most distressing techniques won’t work as well with homemade inkjet prints, and for best results you should use a photographic print that was printed in a photo lab or a high-end printing service.
You can begin modifying your photographic print by scratching lines onto the prints using an artist knife. Next, use sandpaper to get rid of the gloss appearance, bring out the color beneath the top layer of the print, and give it a truly distressed appearance.
If you feel adventurous and are brave enough, try spattering or even rubbing household bleach onto your print. Using a cotton ball or a sponge, you can pat the bleach in purposely to some areas of your print, or you might prefer to randomly squirt it on at random.
Another thing you can do is get a bleach pen and use it to write or draw on your print. If you can’t find a bleach pen, use a skewer or a tooth pick, dip it in the bleach, and use as a pen.
Note that the bleach, which starts yellow, will quickly turn into white.
If you like the yellowish appearance you will need to wash off the bleach in water just a few seconds after applying it to the print.
In addition you can randomly add acrylic paints or markers and, at last, lightly sand the print again in order to blend the paints into the print.

This process works well with color, sepia ,or black and white prints.

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So Much More than Photography
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Toning black and white prints

Toning your analog black & white prints serves two purposes: 1) Adding color such as sepia, red, or blue. 2) Increasing the life of your print and making it archival.
When toning a print one can color the whole print or selectively color different areas with different colors. Most toners increase the life span of the print by removing the silver and replacing it with a more stable chemical.
Sepia toning is a two-step toner which will produce a fixed sepia tone to any fiber or RC (resin coated) black and white print. Part one of this process is the bleach which removes the blacks in the image. Part two is the toner which immediately replaces the black areas of the photographs.
The process:
1. Soak the print in water for 1 minute to make certain of the even take up of bleach.
2. Place the print in the bleach bath until the blacks in your photographs almost disappear (try not to panic…). This takes about 2 minutes.
3. Rinse the print well for 2 – 5 minutes.
4. Place the print in the toner. It will take about 1 minute for the print to completely reconstruct.
5. Rinse the print in running water for 2 minutes for an RC print and up to 15 minutes for fiber base.
6. Place the sepia-toned print on a towel and let it completely dry.

Distressed and modified prints

Altered images can be a unique addition to various projects, such as collages, altered art, or journals.
And since this method is a type of freeform artistic process, you can torment your photo print any way you wish.
Only one thing to keep in mind before you get your tools ready is that most distressing techniques won’t work as well with homemade inkjet prints, and for best results you should use a photographic print that was printed in a photo lab or a high-end printing service.
You can begin modifying your photographic print by scratching lines onto the prints using an artist knife. Next, use sandpaper to get rid of the gloss appearance, bring out the color beneath the top layer of the print, and give it a truly distressed appearance.
If you feel adventurous and are brave enough, try spattering or even rubbing household bleach onto your print. Using a cotton ball or a sponge, you can pat the bleach in purposely to some areas of your print, or you might prefer to randomly squirt it on at random.
Another thing you can do is get a bleach pen and use it to write or draw on your print. If you can’t find a bleach pen, use a skewer or a tooth pick, dip it in the bleach, and use as a pen.
Note that the bleach, which starts yellow, will quickly turn into white.
If you like the yellowish appearance you will need to wash off the bleach in water just a few seconds after applying it to the print.
In addition you can randomly add acrylic paints or markers and, at last, lightly sand the print again in order to blend the paints into the print.

This process works well with color, sepia ,or black and white prints.