The Fine Art of Hand Coloring: Traditionally and Digitally

Hand coloring is as old as photography itself. In the 19th century, color tinting was applied to early black-and-white prints to make them more closely resemble reality; it was the advent of color films in the 1950s that took photographic hand-coloring techniques into the realm of interpretive artistic expression, which is where it lives today. Applied color has become a way for photographers to communicate their feelings, not just simply a means of creating another color image.

In this hands-on, online workshop, Laurie first introduces you to the history of the medium and then moves into the materials and techniques of hand-coloring black-and-white prints while inspiring you to experiment with your own creative process. You start with traditional silver-based or digitally output prints and then apply a variety of paints, pigments, pencils, and inks to extend the photographic image to produce the affects you want. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Laurie does demonstrations throughout the workshop and shows her example prints. Participants work on their hand-coloring techniques as well as have numerous one-on-one interactions with Laurie. On the third day of this workshop, guest presenter Shelley Vandegrift introduces you to her self-developed techniques for creating hand-colored images digitally using Photoshop, while the all-important last step of preserving and framing your final artwork makes this a comprehensive workshop from start to finish.

Jump into the child-like joy of hand coloring with Laurie and Shelley as your guides and creative co-conspirators.