“Epiphany” by Archana Verma Kakar
Country: India
Plants used: Turmeric, Onion skins, and my homemade brown ink from the Arjuna tree
Parts used: Flowers
Application: Brushing
Exposure time: 5 hours
Month, season and year: August, summer 2022
Substrate: Bustro 300gsm Watercolour paper (25 percent cotton)
Contrast of final print: ** (Medium)
Amount: 2 tablespoons
Extracted using: For example: Boiling the flowers for 30 minutes and filtering to collect the resultant dark brown dye
Thinner: Filtered water
Layers: 2
Used to create image: Photogram of leaves
Challenges or observations: The dye produced a very distinct leaf pattern with details of veins showing under the leaves. This was done the first time and I was pleasantly surprised at the nice and clear print obtained in a few hours.
The theme “Hope: Whenever I am feeling a little low, I look at the sky and all the greenery around me and my mood feels uplifted; the leaves moving in the breeze give me hope and joy.
Instagram: @cyanoblustudio
Facebook: alternativephotography

Additional information:
Six months back, I saw these brown, dried flowers spread under rows and rows of trees and it made me curious. I was looking to make walnut ink and these shells gave me some idea. I brought them home, boiled and filtered the extract and started using the brown ink for my calligraphy practice. I was quite pleased and stored the leftover liquid in my refrigerator. For my World Anthotype Day submission, I used three different emulsions that gave the best results.