CYANOTYPES

June, 2022

cyanotype is a photographic printing process that results in cyan-blue prints. it uses a mixture of iron compounds, which when washed in water after being exposed to the UV or sunlight, oxidizes into this beautiful monochrome blue-white image. it's one of the earliest photographic techniques - and a lot of fun. something to enjoy on a cloudless summers day. i learned about it at a workshop at ars-imago in zurich (thanks again guys) :-)

first step is to mix the chemicals (Potassium Ferricyanide and Ferric Ammonium Citrate) and softly apply the mixture on to a paper and let it dry. keep it in the dark, because after mixing the chemicals it's sensitive to light. the way it is painted on the chosen surface gives you a lot of creative freedom to interact with the negativ you choose. the choice of paper is important for beautiful prints. my best experiences have been with thick watercolor and acrylic paper.

after drying, the negative, inverted and printed on transparent film, is placed on the paper and covered with a glass to keep it flat. and can then be placed in the sun. i mostly start with 5 minutes and then adjust the exposure time in the sun by try and error, or making a test strip.

afterwards, the print is watered and can optionally be placed in javel water to deepen the blue. further it is also possible to tone the print by putting it in water with about 15 black tea bags and leaving it until you get a nice brown color. the picture is then no longer really blue, but gets an old weathered look.

and then the prints are hung to dry.

here are some results of the last cyanotype day. the favorite picture will of course be framed and hung on a worthy wall. ;-)