#cyanotype

Starting to get more consistent results from self coating paper for cyanotype!
The process involves mixing a couple of chemicals and then painting it on to paper, specifically non-acidic watercolour paper. Of course that has to be done in a fairly dark room… There is lots of info online with regards to chemicals, paper type etc and how to calibrate exposure.
One tool that is making it easier for me is I now have a contact printing frame, made by local genius Brian Scadden.

While researching I found a contact printing frame on an Australian website, but as it has glass in it I was not keen to have it shipped to NZ. So I asked around and Brian offered to make me this one.
The design is simple but excellent – I place my negative or transparency on the glass, then a sheet of cyanotype paper, check the alignment, clamp the back shut and can then put it under UV light or the sun, and expose it.

The back opens in two halves, so its also possible to check exposure without moving the alignment…

Some experiments are less successful than others, for example this one I tried “doing a Jackson Pollock” and applied the cyanotype chemicals via splatter painting… It is underexposed, but a sharp image printed into splatter has potential, just not this time..

Self coating cyanotype paper creates far more interesting prints with deeper blues and texture from the paper contributing, as well as the option to ‘paint’ the chemicals on. I like the brush strokes, I’m using Japanese hake brushes and once I iterate a few dozen more times I should start to have a bit more control over the process…

is this an NFT?
Can I have 69$million too?

NFFT = Non Fungible Fungal Token

#portobello
#mushroom
#bluemushroom
#cyanotype

#cyanotype print of the Tenori On box design
Above was made using precoated cyanotype paper
Below is a cheat – printed using self coated paper, but it was underexposed
so I overlaid the transparency in PS on it… offset & ghosting

Need to recalibrate exposure:
pre-coated paper (as above) exposure = 15 minutes & is consistent, but….
self coated paper = an hour or two!
I love the texture of the watercolour cold pressed paper,
and the brush strokes & darker colouring…
Next step is to calibrate and then learn to tone,
with jasmine tea!

might become album art one of these days…

Love/the alpine fault will tear us apart

And an Oberheim Matrix Six with a broken tooth…

Left half is from my first attempt at printing from a negative, with 5mm acrylic between the cyanotype paper and the negative/transparency.

Right half is my second attempt, with transparency sitting directly on top of the cyanotype paper (with both clipped to the acrylic sheet for stability)

Pretty happy with both, but it is also a reminder of the creative learning process: experiment, make mistakes and decide whether the mistake is worth investigating and developing. I quite like the distortion, Especially in B&W and the softer focus for what is a sharp digital image. I’ll next try printing the same image with vintage patterned glass in the way… Distortion take 2!

Same image in B&W

#cyanotype
#altprint
#cameralessphotography

This one came out underexposed through the centre, I’m not 100% sure why… But it is a lot better than my first attempt at printing from negatives!

The sheets of prepared cyanotype I am using for this come with an acrylic sheet which is about 5mm thick and is intended for eg squashing flowers and/or protecting the cyanotype sheet from the objects above. So for my first test print from a negative, I slipped the sheet of cyanotype under the acrylic and the negative on top of the acrylic. The result was a blurry dim mess, and I started to wonder if the lines in the Nagra wireframe were too fine to register…

But after thinking about it for a while I realised the 5mm gap of the acrylic was enough for the light to scatter and blurr the image. So my next attempt I clipped the negative directly on top of the cyanotype paper (and then laid those on the acrylic sheet for stability) Exposed for 15 minutes and my theory was confirmed with a sharper print!

Mistakes and experimenting can lead to interesting unexpected results and while using the ‘incorrect’ technique I also printed a frame from an animation I am working on, and while the print was blurred and indistinct, the quality of the distortion was interesting and inherently analog in nature. Having corrected my method, I reprinted a sharp copy and comparing them is interesting – the sharp version is better and what I was aiming for, but the blurry soft focus distorted one is also interesting… I’ll post a side by side so you can see what I mean….

What kind of sonic obsessive makes #cyanotype prints of a Nagra SN!?

#cameralessphotography
#alternativephotography
#blueprint

I love the effect of objects floating above the photo paper
but if there is any wind then movement blurs the image…
Next step: build a UV light box so I can expose indoors!

cameraless longexposure cyanotype

one of my goals for 2021 is learn to print my photos
Day 1 = experimenting with cyanotypes
One minute exposure in the afternoon sun