How'd You Do That?

Did you paint this? Is that tie dye? Was that hard to make? These are questions I've received at a recent show from curious browsers as they viewed my wet cyanotype printed fabric items. So, I figured I'd make a little blog post to explain a bit about it. The process is quite simple to learn, but there is some trial and error involved to get the best prints.

The cyanotype process is an old one, dating back to 1842. It is also know as sun prints or blueprints and was used as an inexpensive way to make copies of documents and plans. Sun print paper is readily available as an easy way to make prints without having to mix your own solution of Potassium Ferricyanide and Ferric Ammonium Citrate. Mixing your own solution however, gives you a broader range of applications and the solutions are available as an easy to mix kit. I've been using the cyanotype set from Jaquard Products, but Photographers Formulary also makes one.

Once I've got my solution mixed up, I'm ready to coat my fabric, paper or even wood. If you use paper, be sure it is something sturdy enough to get rinsed in water for a while - watercolor paper works nicely. When I coat fabric, I like to prewash it first and if I use wood, the surface needs to be clean and smooth. I coat my materials in a dimly lit area away from natural sunlight and allow them to dry in the dark. When my substrate is ready, I gather the items I'm using to create my composition and I prepare a flat surface to place my items on. I also have a piece of glass ready that is large enough to cover all the items to keep them pressed against the substrate to get a good print. If the objects I'm using for composition aren't flat, I skip the glass.

After preparing the composition and layering on the glass if needed, it's time to expose. If it's a nice sunny day the process can be quick. If its cloudy, it will take a bit longer. Since the weather has gotten chilly, I've started using a UV light to expose my prints indoors. Exposure times vary, but I prefer over exposed prints so I often leave the prints to expose longer than necessary (many times an hour or more).

Upon completing the desired exposure time, it's now time to rinse. This is the exciting part! I remove my glass and/or objects. The exposed area will be blue in color and the area underneath the objects will be a sort of greenish color. Now I rinse my prints, typically in cold running water in the bathtub for 5min. However, I've been known to leave prints to soak in the tub and come back to them 20-30min later. (Rinsing in the tub also serves as an ideal place to hang up prints to drip dry.) The unexposed (green) areas will wash away and become white (or the color of the fabric/wood/paper) As the prints dry the blue will darken.

That's it!... the basic process for creating a standard cyanotype print. There are several ways to alter the prints however. Some basic household ingredients like washing soda, dish soap, peroxide, vinegar, turmeric, coffee, tea or even wine can be used in various ways to add character to the final product. Adding moisture to the print while it is exposing is the "wet" cyanotype process. I've also seen artists create wet cyanotypes by making a print immediately after coating the substrate and not waiting for it to dry. Prints can also be made from digital negatives by printing a photo or drawing directly onto a piece of transparency film. Prints can be hand colored with watercolor paints, markers, colored pencils and the like. From a relatively simple process, comes lots of opportunities for creativity!

Above photo shows the process of coating, exposing and rinsing.

Completed project - wet cyanotype table runner