This printing process from the 1800s was one of the earliest photographic techniques. Using light to produce beautiful cyan blueprints, the whole family will enjoy this easy-to-use and non-toxic 2-part solar photography technique to custom print any design.
The cyanotype chemicals work on many surfaces from paper, fabric, leather, wood, cotton, linen, and silk.
Materials
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- Bearly Art Cyanotype Kit
- Watercolor paper (I used Neenah paper)
- Sponge brush (or soft bristle brush)
- Leaves & mini florals (or film negative)
- Cup & spoon – for measuring and mixing
- Water tub with cool water or sink
- Sunlight (or UV Light)
- Frame
- Gloves (optional)*Note: while the product is non-toxic, it is noted that it can be a skin irritant so gloves are recommended when handling and applying the wet liquid.
The first step is to add cool water to each bottle (Part A & Part B) up to the ridge of the bottle. Shake each bottle and let sit 24 hours before moving on to the next step. (You can keep these two bottles separate and unused at this step for up to 6 months . Once you mix part A and part B together, it will expire within 2-4 hours.)
Mix equal parts A & B in a jar. NOTE: The liquids will be lime green in color. I mixed 1/8 cup of each and still have plenty left over for my next projects. (The Amazon listing shows that the kit creates 32 (8″x 10) prints on Cyanotype paper and 25 on fabric.)
Brush the liquid onto your paper using a foam brush or soft bristle brush. Note that I did not take particular care in how I brushed because I wanted a variegated background. Some of the liquid pooled up on the paper.
Allow paper to dry completely away from sunlight (or any other UV lighting).
Once the paper has dried, head out to your yard to find leaves and small florals – anything that you can press firmly underneath the glass. NOTE: dried weeds vs fresh weeds and flowers will react differently on the paper. Experiment and have fun!
Lay your paper on a solid surface (I used a rigid cutting mat.) Next, place your objects on the paper. The manufacturer instructions shows placing a piece of picture frame glass over the paper & objects but since I did not have that, I used a clear baking dish.
Head outside and set your layered pieces on a solid surface. The process starts right away but you can leave your project in the sun for 3 – 30 minutes. (You can also use a UV light.)
I left my pieces out about 5 minutes on a very sunny day! When you lift the greenery, you will see the image remains on the paper. Remove all greenery.
Rinse with cool water to start the process of the print turning a dark blue. NOTE: other YT videos recommend that you do not run water over the print but rather gently immerse into a tub of clean water and wear gloves in this step.
It only takes a few minutes to see the transformation take place.
Once your paper has dried, you can cut the images to any size. I found this vintage-inspired vertical frame at Goodwill and thought it would make the perfect frame to feature my mini prints.
After disassembling, I cleaned the glass and taped the mini prints to the back of the glass and reinserted the backer board.
Enjoy your mini prints!
If country tin is more your style, cut your mini print to desired size and clip onto frame!
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