2 Component Set for Photographic blueprints on paper and fabric
Instructions
1. Simply fill each bottle with water, shake and allow 24 hours for the powders to dissolve.
2. In subdued lighting, mix equal parts SOLUTION A and SOLUTION B to create the cyanotype sensitizer. Mix only the amount you immediately need, as the sensitizer is stable just 2-4 hours.
3. Coat paper or fabric with the sensitizer and allow to air dry in the dark. Paper may be double-coated for denser prints. Fabric may be coated or dipped in the sensitizer.
4. Make exposures in sunlight (1-30 minutes, depending on conditions) or under a UV light source, placing objects or a film negative on the coated surface to create an image. (Note: Over-exposure is almost always preferred to under-exposure.) The fabric will look bronze in color once fully exposed.
5. Process prints in a tray or bucket of cool water. Wash for at least 5 minutes, changing the water periodically, until the water runs clear. Do not use soap. With wetting, the print will change from a bronze to blue color. To instantly process prints to the final deep blue color, submerge washed prints in a dilute solution of hydrogen peroxide, then rinse.
6. Air-dry the prints on a clean clothesline or on newsprint or blotting paper. If peroxide was not used in step 6, prints will slowly oxidize to their final, deep blue color over the course of about 24 hours.
For more detailed instructions, please consult the PDF instructions above
Cyanotype is the “original” sun-printing process, one of the earliest photographic techniques. Discovered in 1842 and distinctive for producing rich, Prussian blue monochromatic prints, Cyanotype was popular well into the 20th century as an inexpensive method for reproducing photographs, documents, maps and plans (hence the enduring architectural term “blueprint”) and famously, for making impressions of biological specimens in the field (“photograms”).
Harness the power of the sun to make detailed prints from virtually any object that casts a shadow: tools, toys, plants, leaves, stones, sand, string, lace, etc. Simply place the object on the sensitized surface and expose to sunlight (UV). Use a digitally-printed photographic negative (an inverted black and white photo inkjet-printed onto a transparency*) instead of an object to create full-resolution photographs on paper or fabric. Great for photographers, mixed media artists, printmakers, quilters, kids and more, the cyanotype process is easy, forgiving, quick, magical and fun. Capture the nuance of every shadow—a fun group activity for any age!
