My penny plain contact print frame, front and rear view.
Materials needed:
A glass plate, cardboard of the same size as the glass, 4 clamps and some tape.
The cardboard is cut halfway through and reinforced on the back by some tape.
Open contact print frame for inspection of progress.
Some links to more elaborate DIY constructions:
@ Youtube
A concise handout about the process get started ( workshop on cyanotype):
cyanotype-manipulations (PDF:)
Sir John Frederick Herschel and his invention/discovery of cyanotype:
Mike Ware: John Herschel’s Cyanotype: Invention or Discovery?
International Photography Hall of Fame: Sir John Frederick William Herschel
Kshitij Nagar: Sir John Herschel: How Photography Got Its Fix
Chemistry and Light: Cyanotype process
Anna Atkins
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Anna Atkins English Photographer and Botanist
The Guardian: Blue prints: photography pioneer Anna Atkins’s hand-crafted images – in pictures
see also references in: Cyanotype – In the footsteps of Anna Atkins
Prussian blue:
Amercan Chemical Society: Molecule of the Week – Prussian blue
Alexander Kraft: On the Discovery and History of Prussian blue
John Griswold: The Accidental Color That Changed The Course Of Art
There are numerous internet sites which propose how to produce a digital negative.
Some links:
MP Photography (especially cyanotype)
Eyes On Photography (especially cyanotype)
and more.
And of course on paper see references in previous post.
A concise handout to get started ( workshop on cyanotype):
négatif-numérique (PDF)
Use adjustable coathangers and hang the sensitized paper in a coat closet protected from light .
This technique is especially usefull for sensitized textile. The lower hanger may be weighted for stretching!
An alternative is to use a paper box with an iron plate at the base. Small magnets keep the paper in place and prevent buckling (depends on number of magnets and the humidity of the paper). Be carefull not to touch the sensitized part and cover the iron plate with some plastic (e.g. plastic bag) to prevent unwanted chemical reactions.
Lace is a very interesting material to use in a photogram on cyanotype paper.
String orchestra
Debauchery,sexy leftover
see also Grape leaves, a toned cyanotype of lace in the form of grape leaves.
Sunny day today! Preparing a workshop on cyanotype printing. So out into the garden.
The idea to print plants by the cyanotype process dates back to the 19th century when Anna Atkins published the first ever book with photographic reproductions of plants (Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions).
Yesterday I sensitized some paper with the cyanotype mixture (J. M. Eder: Rezepte, Tabellen und Arbeitsvorschriften für Photographie und Reproduktionstechnik, Verlag von Wilhem Knapp, Halle (Saale), 1942, 18.-19. Auflage, p.225) and had it to dry overnight.
Today picked up some plants (there are plenty) and put them under glass to press them firmly onto the paper for good contact in order to have clear contours. Five minutes exposure were sufficient to get some results.
Next step: wash out the unused chemicals (more or less 20 minutes).
As I wasn’t happy with the colour I added some hydrogen peroxide (10% solution to the water.)
Now the very last step: let it dry.
More on cyanotype:
Chemicals:
Vendors:
Carlo Krier 