Cyanotypes

A process originally used to reproduce technical documents, invented in 1842 by the British astronomer & chemist Sir John Herchel, and now a popular way to create "photograms" of natural objects and photographic prints. This process involves applying a light sensitive chemical solution to a surface, laying items on top, exposing it to UV rays, cleansing and then drying to reveal the unique cyan-blue image.

A first attempt-

"Fern From A Friend"

Diving in head first I was gathering all kinds of fun foliage from my yard and others who would let me steal their landscaping. This fern was gifted to me from a friends front yard. You can see I'm just learning here by the simplicity of it.

Learning to work with images -

"Grand Haven Pier Postcard"

As I progressed I learned how to incorporate adding images to the process. Here I used a photo I took myself and made it into a cyanotype sun kissed postcard. You can see the learning process continues since I hadn't gotten just the right exposure time, and this is a bit darker than I'd like it to be. (still cool and very mysterious looking)

Foliage and images -

"The Fairy Garden"

Combining the foliage and images together just makes the possibilities even more exciting! Layering & building anything my brain can dream up, combined with the uncertainty of how the cyanotype will produce, just adds to the fun!

Toning & Substrates-

"Red Dragon"

Red Dragon is done on a toned paper. Although I have so many that I've already toned myself and haven't shown yet. I have toned with "natural ingredients" to make this an environmentally friendly hobby and business.

Stay tuned for more with Spices, Foods, Metals, and other normally discarded items.