How to make Cyanotypes.

This blog will go through the supplies you need and then explain the process of how to make Cyanotypes:

Supplies:

• Potassium Ferricyanide and Ferric Ammonium Citrate

  • You can buy cyanotype chemicals as kits or you you can buy them in bulk. An array of supplies can be bought at Jacquard such as affordable cyanotype kits and they offer a lot of information and resources on their site. Bostick & Sullivan is a great brand, they are what I used in school, and they have cyanotype chemicals in bulk and in kits, written resources, and many other cyanotype tinting supplies such as tannic powder. If you plan on buying in bulk you will need a scale to weight out the chemicals. It’s also important to note that based on the standard cyanotype formula you need more Ferric Ammonium Citrate (20gm) than Potassium Ferricyanide (8gm) to make 100cc (100mL) of each solution, so buy accordingly.

• Paintbrush (no metal)

  • The paintbrush you use has to be free of metal. The cyanotype solution will react with the metal ferrule on a paintbrush. Foam brushes are a great cheap option and hake brushes are good if you prefer a paintbrush over a foam brush.

• Glass cup or beaker (for mixing)

• Flat Wood board/ hard surface

  • Cutting boards (wood or plastic), thick piece of cardboard, or scrap wood will work.

• Sheet of glass or plexiglass

  • I like to go to Goodwill and buy cheap picture frames and use the glass from those. I can then use the picture frame to hang up pictures sans glass.

• Thick cotton printing paper

  • I use folio paper. It can be purchased from Blick, Jerry’s Artarama, and most other art stores. It’s a heavy weight, 100% cotton, acid free paper that can be soaked in water which you need for Cyanotypes.

• Tray

  • I use a bus tub instead of typical photography developing trays because I like how deep they are and for the size I wanted it was cheaper to get a bus tub. It is nice to buy photo developing trays if you plan on reusing your tinting agents because they often have a pouring lip to easily pour chemicals/tinting agents back into their containers and they are chemical resistant if you are planning on using the trays for other photographic processes.

Optional:

• UV light

  • I live in an apartment in a very cloudy region and without a UV light there is only a short window of the year I can print Cyanotypes. I have a fairly cheap light I got from amazon that works really well. The light get very hot on the backside so I stay next to the light when I am printing for safety reasons. Buying UV light setups specifically for cyanotypes/ photography is VERY expensive so I would recommend just buying a cheap light online because they all do the same thing. ====The cheaper light does mean you have to come up with a system to have it over the print. I hang my light from a cheap tripod I got online. ====

• Hydrogen peroxide

  • This will immediately darken your Cyanotype. Over time your cyanotype will darken naturally after being develop but if your print turns out a little lighter than expected because of various reasons such as a short exposure time hydrogen peroxide gives immediate darkening results. It’s very fun to use.

• Transparency sheets

  • If you want to transfer photographs onto your cyanotype you can print out negatives on transparency sheets. If you don’t have access to photoshop Jacquard has a negative generator to easily turn your pictures into negatives. ====If you have an inkjet printer make sure to buy transparency sheets for inkjet.====

Once the chemical are dissolved in water they are ready to be used. Mix a solution that is equal amount Ferric Ammonium Citrate and Potassium Ferricyanide. Once you mix the Ferric Ammonium Citrate and the Potassium Ferricyanide it needs to be used and cannot be stored for later so only prepare the amount that you need for the paper you are planing on coating that day. The chemicals should be painted on both horizontally and vertically so the paper gets an even coating. Leave the coated paper to dry in a dark/ light safe room for 24 hours if possible. Once dry you can place in a light safe bag or keep the paper in a light safe room.

Once your paper is ready put in on your wooden board/ movable flat surface. It’s time for you to place flowers, cutouts, drawings on transparencies, printed negatives, or anything else you might like on your prepared paper. You can arrange your objects on your prepare paper in indoor light but if you plan on making a complicated design that will take more than a couple of minutes to arrange you should prepare it in photo safe light. Once you have the arrangement you want on your paper you can place a piece of glass over the paper and designs to hold everything in place as you place it under your UV light or take it outside. The time will be different depending on your UV lamp or the conditions outside. I have a 60W UV light, 4 inches away from the paper takes about 8mins. When it’s nice outside the print turns from a greens color to a light silvery color, which is an indication it is developed. If it’s a sunny day this can be as quick as 3-4mins. If it’s a cloudy day it can 30+ mins. To test the development time it’s best to prepare a cyanotype, cover the print leaving a small line of the print exposed, and expose it a little more each time at a consistent rate such as 3-5minutes. You’ll end up with a striped print with the darkest color being the full exposure time and the lightest color the last area exposed. This gradient will help you chose the best exposure time for your print.

Once your print has been exposed you’ll need to rinse it with water. You’ll want to rinse the print and then place the paper in a basin to let in soak. A lot of yellow water will come off the print initially and you’ll want to keep rinsing the print until the water is clear and highlighted areas of the paper are white. I like to keep a small trickle of water running into the basin for about 3-5mins so the water is being cleared. After that you can dump out the water and refill the basin with clean water and continue to let the print soak until the white areas are cleared to your satisfaction. If you leave the paper in the water too long (2+ hours) the print can start to fade so you’ll want to take it out once it has cleared. If you are having a hard time getting your print to clear (this can be difficult especially if you are using a printed negative) you can add some vinegar to the water to help get rid of any yellow tint remaining in the paper.

If your print was underexposed or the vinegar lightened the coloring slightly hydrogen peroxide will darken your print. I notice that it makes the blue slightly more purple as well. The hydrogen peroxide will work immediately and the paper doesn’t need to be in it for very long. After you use hydrogen peroxide it is good to give your paper a final rinse with water. The final step is to let your print dry.

Cyanotypes can be toned using black tea, tannic acid, wine , and many more option. You can tone your cyanotype as is or you can bleach it first which will change the color to a pale yellow and then tone which will help remove the blue undertones to the coloring. I plan on writing a more extensive blog on hydrogen peroxide use and color toning soon!

I hope you enjoyed and that this was helpful to anyone trying to get into cyanotypes.