Pens and Technical Photography
This test artifact includes a selection of common writing tools: a pencil, an archival ink pen, a FlexGrip pen, a black BIC pen, a permanent marker, and an additional unidentified pen—here referred to as “Qatar”, as it was brought back from a trip to the country. Correction fluid has also been applied over both archival ink and BIC pen to evaluate its behaviour under Technical Photography.
The artifact features five hand-drawn ducks, each created using a different pen. The drawings intentionally include corrections, layered strokes, and overpainted areas where inks overlap or have been partially covered. This setup allows us to observe how each writing tool responds to various Technical Photography methods, including Reflected UV, Infrared, and Infrared Fluorescence, and to examine how corrections and additions interact with the underlying media.
This test artifact serves as a practical reference for studying the visibility and behaviour of modern writing materials in Technical Photography workflows.
CHSOS Test Artifacts – item #4
Technical Photography
UVF (Ultraviolet Fluorescence). Under UV-induced fluorescence, the correction fluid becomes immediately prominent, showing a strong and characteristic bright response that makes it easy to isolate from the surrounding inks.
UVR (Reflected UV). In UVR photo, the correction fluid also stands out clearly, appearing much darker than the surrounding marks and offering another reliable method for detecting its presence.
IRF (Infrared Fluorescence). The FlexGrip pen displays a distinct infrared fluorescence, causing its strokes to appear bright in this modality. This behaviour makes the FlexGrip ink particularly easy to differentiate from the others.
IR (Infrared). In reflected infrared, several inks—including the FlexGrip pen, the BIC pen, the permanent marker, and the Qatar pen—become largely transparent, revealing underlying marks. As expected, the pencil and archival ink remain opaque.
IRFC (Infrared False Color). Infrared false-color imaging provides a quick visual separation of the inks based on their IR behaviour. IR-transparent inks shift to a characteristic red false color, while IR-opaque media appear dark or black, allowing rapid identification across the artifact.
Scientific Art Examination – Resources:
Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) – USA
The British Museum – Scientific Research Department – UK
Scientific Research Department – The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
C2RMF (Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France) – France
Rijksmuseum – Science Department – Netherlands
