Trials in Cyanotype

Trials in cyanotype continue with beautiful results.

mint in cyanotype

varieties including kale, lavender, apple, nightshade, tomato, and strawberry

zebra grass in cyanotype

lavender in cyanotype

ornamental grass in cyanotype

Cyanotype Beginnings

The cyanotype process is appealing to my work because like woodblock printmaking, the final results are revealed through natural elements in collaboration with the artist’s hand.  I picked up a few new cyanotype tricks during a recent virtual workshop presented by CCP.  Since the workshop, I’ve been experimenting with best practices to understand the process and control the medium for future work.  

Cyanotypes start in a dark room with an application of ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide. When exposed to UV light, there is a reaction. Blocked exposure result variated negative space according to opacity and contact.

results from one of my first cyanotype experiments with pepper slices from my garden

Once exposure is complete, the print is rinsed in a bath. Watch video-lapse below as blueprint develops.