The all-inks negative was from an Epson 3880 at a -20% ink density, custom curved using the Precision Digital Negatives CCIII system (PrecisionDigitalNegatives.com). [7] The highlight values should appear overexposed, as the water wash reduces the final print values. Anderson is Associate Professor of Photography at Montana State University. The overall contrast of the sensitizer solution can be increased with the addition of approximately 6 drops of 1% (w/v) solution potassium dichromate for every 2 ml of sensitizer solution. There have been some very large cyanotypes. When I wrote my gum books (Gum Printing and Other Amazing Contact Printing Processes and Gum Printing: A Step by Step Manual Highlighting Artists and Their Creative Practice), paper choices were simple: most 140 lb/300 gsm watercolor papers work because gum and casein mainly need good wet strength to withstand multiple water baths, and buffering does not present a problem. [12] Prior to that, the largest cyanotype was created on 26 May 2016 in Lyon, France at the IUT Lyon 1 La Doua. Natural white is, therefore, “warmer” and the bright white “cooler.” Other than this, I don’t see any difference between these two types of paper. I didn’t pull the formula out of thin air, but in my cyanotype research of 100+ formulas (there’s that 100 again) I found that the proportion of ferric ammonium citrate to potassium ferricyanide was all over the board. Because of this, I always use hot press. Over 100 papers were tested. Images are made by placing objects or photo negatives on paper that has been sensitized with irons salts, then exposing them in direct sun or ultraviolet light. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. AlternativePhotography.com - Historical photographic methods   |. You can create any design imaginable. I settled with vinegar and citric as the most user-friendly with the least staining of the highlights. Intensifying is the strengthening of the blue effect. These processes can be paper picky. Toning is the process used to change the color of the iron in the print cyanotype. All papers were tested with traditional cyanotype 10% FAC:10% PF. It is a little tricky to get consistent blues, but the colors are still very pleasing. Prints can be made from large format negatives and lithography film, digital negative or everyday objects can be used to make photograms. You can provide consent by clicking the "I Consent" button or by canceling this cookie notice. I also blog about the quest for a meaningful life using art and positivity. Subscribe to ARTnews today! UV exposition and 3 washing soaks of 1, 3 and 5 minute each. However, there are really so many papers that will work as long as they follow the guidelines I set out above. books, Asian photographers & Australasian photographers, World Cyanotype Day 2020 gallery – Interconnected, Gum Printing and Other Amazing Contact Printing Processes, Awagami Platinum Gampi, two weights (bite the bullet and buy the heavier 60 gsm), Awagami Platinum Mitsumata (I much prefer the Gampi, above), Bergger Cot 320, two weights (similar to Platine), Hahnemühle Platinum Rag (firm sizing, beautiful turquoise with the 10/10), Herschel Platinotype (for Europeans mostly; delivery time longer for U.S.), Legion Revere Platinum (USA-made; coat carefully so it doesn’t “splotch”), Arches Aquarelle (also, can pre-acidify with sulfamic acid; gorgeous deep blue), Canson Bristol Recycled (the whitest paper of all, sort of day-glo, and, Canson XL Watercolor (prints deep black-blue, better if pre-acidified, unique striated texture), Hahnemühle Cezanne (mini-bumpy, textured surface, deep, velvety blues), Hahnemühle Lanaquarelle (smooth watercolor paper good for multiple coat cyano-plati), Legion Rising Drawing Bristol (remarkably beautiful even if it is buffered), Strathmore 500 Series Bristol (for me, one of the few suitable Strathmores), Arches Text Wove (text or book weight papers are great for cyanotype), Bienfang Graphics 360 (similar to Clearprint 1020H but if I had to choose, it’d be Clearprint), Canson Mi-Teintes (if you want color, here it is in all sorts), Canson Opalux vellum (stubborn but unique; tape down when coating and iron when dry), Canson Universal Sketch (cheap and easy entry level paper), Clearprint 1020H drafting vellum (100% cotton, archival, prints beautiful blue), Fabriano Tiziano (all kinds of colors and inexpensive to boot), Legion Masa (if you want a very white masa this is it). All papers were developed in five ways: plain water, vinegar, citric, hydrochloric, and sulfamic acid. The colored paper is fully treated and ready for sun printing. Nobody told me this, but I get the sense that you’re meant to print on the smooth side. Have fun experimenting with these 25 papers; some are very inexpensive, so you won’t have to break the bank as I did. The leading source of art coverage since 1902. Cyanotypes can be printed on any surface capable of soaking up the iron solution. I can see myself using this wrong paper for future cyanotype work. There are also specialized pretreated papers, like these from SunCreations that give you blank surfaces in unconventional colors. If you’re working in cyanotype or another alternative process, what papers do you like? The most common cyanotype paper material is paper. You can create prints on silk, hemp, wood, leather, and even fabric. All you need is sun, water, and your imagination. If it’s good for platinum, it is good for cyanotype. Safety The cyanotype is perhaps the safest photo printing method. There's a problem loading this menu right now. You can do this in Photoshop too, which is the way I do mine. So it typically takes a few trial runs before you get a nicely tinted print. After exposure, developing of the picture involves the yellow unreacted iron solution being rinsed off with running water. Cyanotype makes beautiful, functional notebooks in small editions. It’s almost like a digital print because it’s too perfect: it has no grain, and it renders too much detail (is that even possible?). To see Anderson’s work, visit christinaZanderson.com. I tend to use natural white more than the cool white. If you hold the paper against the light, you will see that one side is smooth and the other side is rough. Anderson is Series Editor for Focal Press/Routledge’s newly-formed Contemporary Practices in Alternative Process Photography series.