“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.
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.
This anthotype is part of World Anthotype Day
World Anthotype Day - celebrated annually since 2022 was started by AlternativePhotography.com. Our global community of artists celebrates the anthotype process by submitting prints. These works are added to our database here and compiled into reference books. The purpose is to build a large resource where artist can learn which pigments and plants work and draw inspiration from others. The reference books can be found here:
Volume 1 is the first book in the series:
Volume 1 contains 60 unique anthotype emulsions from 103 artists taking part from 31 countries.
Volume 3 pushes the boundaries with emulsions not only from plants and pigments, but also from beans, moss and mushrooms. 135 artists shared their research.
In Volume 4 we will combine entries from both 2025 and 2026 into one beautiful double edition to include even more inspiring work, insights, and pigments to explore. The release for the combined World Anthotype Day book is planned for November 2026 – a richer, more comprehensive collection worth the wait.
Anthotype Emulsions, Volume 4 – The collective research from photographers on World Anthotype Day 2025 and 2026
If you want to learn more about making anthotypes there is also the first "how-to" book:
Make prints using plants - an environmentally safe process!
Discover how 140+ artists bring colour to traditionally monochrome processes. This book explores pigments, chemistry, layering, and experimentation through real working examples.
Combines inspiration and learning!
A fusion of moments and visions from artists working in alternative photographic processes – featuring 90+ inspirational alternative photographic processes images.
Highly creative!
Step into a world where light, chemistry, and creativity collide. 137 artists push the boundaries of alternative photography, with processes like cyanotype, gum, and platinum printing to create unique, handcrafted images. They showcase their work, insights, and inspiration.
• Open for entries in August – 31st of October 2026, midnight, your own timezone
• The mission is to find unusual emulsions
• Get published in our this year's book!
Anthotype Day is free and open to all. Volunteers work for free. So, please help us crowd-fund the event. Any donation helps.
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Amount: 2 tablespoons
Rated 9,8 - based on 224 votes
Rated 10 - based on 8 votes
World Anthotype Day
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