About cyanotypes

What it is

Cyanotype printing is an alternative photography technique, also known as sun printing. Essentially cyanotypes are handmade photos that use sunlight to expose the image.  It is an eco-friendly process that uses non-toxic, water soluble chemicals and natural sunlight. No camera needed!

How it started

Cyanotype printing was developed in 1842 by Sir John Herschel. It is the way that blueprints for construction were originally made. It was also used as a means of recording plant specimens by botanist Anna Atkins. This type of print is known as a photogram.

I make cyanotypes using the same process as was used 180 years ago. 

How it works

In a dark room, paper is coated with a photosensitive emulsion and left to dry. A 'negative' is created by arranging single or multiple layers of objects (such as leaves and flowers) on top of the paper. This must also be done away from natural light.

Leaves arranged for a cyanotype project

It is then placed in the sun to be 'exposed'. The paper is then 'developed' in water and can be toned with other solutions (such as tea, coffee or bleach) to get different colours.

The paper is then dried away from sunlight.

The process creates the beautiful blue colours that you will see in my artwork. 

The cyanotype process sounds deceptively easy, although mastering all the variables is a lifelong challenge. These include the strength of the sunlight, the time of day, the time of year (longer shadows are cast in winter), the opacity of the plant material, the type of paper, how the solution is mixed and how well the paper is coated. Exposure time can be from 20 seconds to many hours. The list goes on ... but the challenge is addictive, as is the feeling of working in and with nature to create something beautiful. I like to think of my artworks as a living memory of what the sun saw at a given moment in time. 

I love the excitement of seeing what image emerges in the water as the picture develops. You really never know what you are going to get. 

You can see how the process at work on my Instagram account at Big Blue House.