What's Going on in the Classroom: Hand Coloring Photographs

I'm hopeful that everyone's Thanksgiving was amazing and the break was a much-needed breather from the joys of teaching. My photography students just finished experimenting with hand coloring their photographs. We used fiber-based paper instead of RC paper and students used a rigorous washing process to make sure the chemicals completely left the fiber based paper.

After the print was developed and washed students put it in a blotting book for 24 hours and then used the hot press to remove any remaining moisture. Then they were ready to color! We practiced using water colors and colored pencils and I encouraged students to chose one area that would complement their idea or concepts with the photo that they took. Here are a couple of examples, these are black and white film prints that have been hand colored: