Historical context:
A huge driving force behind my desire in creating a website was to have a platform where I could explain the cyanotype process along with my acute obsession with it. Many people are unaware what cyanotype printing is when I first try to explain it to them, so hopefully the next several paragraphs alleviate some of your questions.
Cyanotype printing is a photographic printing process that was discovered in 1842 by English scientist Sir John Herschel. The blue color that is a result of this process is essentially a trademark of the process — one cannot make different colored cyanotypes, only blue cyanotypes, hence the prefix “cyan.” This method was used by engineers and architects as a cost efficient way of making drafts and plans well into the 20th century. Yes, you guessed it, this is where the term “blueprint” derived from. While it was dominantly used for blueprints, other uses were found as well, such as biological documentation of plant species (Anna Atkins) and the exploration of alternative processes by renowned photographers in the contemporary art scene (Marco Breuer).
One of several reasons why this medium drives me so ambitiously is because of its place in history. The discovery of the cyanotype process marked the birth of the first synthetic blue pigment, which we now know as Prussian Blue. This made the overpriced and unattainable blue pigment suddenly attainable by the masses, as opposed to being restricted to royals and wealthy patrons. It literally changed the course of art history. Neat stuff, huh?
The Printing Process:
Most people are confused as to how my prints are actually made. The most common question I receive is, “Is it painted?” The images I create are not sketched or painted, instead they are printed. This is something that confuses people, so here is my attempt at walking you through how cyanotype prints are created without getting too descriptive of how the chemistry works.
An actual object, such as a pressed flower, is placed on top of a UV sensitive surface, such as paper or cloth. The surface with the object laying on top of it is then exposed using UV light fixture or natural sunlight. After exposing the contact print in direct sunlight for anywhere from 5-40 minutes (depending on strength of the sunlight), the object is then removed from the surface, leaving only a silhouette of said object.
The next step is processing the print in order to wash extra iron residue from the final piece. The exposed print is removed from the light source, washed in a bath of hydrogen peroxide and water, and hung to dry.
Prep:
I am explaining out of order on purpose. Most people are satisfied with the explanation of the process and probably don’t care to read about the preparation behind the process. Most of the preparation for me is in collecting and pressing botanical specimens and mixing and coating the chemistry onto the absorbent surface.
To be continued…