30th of September was WCD 2023! We are open for entries from now until the 7th of October 2024, midnight your own timezone. By the 1st of October 109 participants from 24 countries have sent in their cyanotype. Keep them coming! Once a year – on the last Saturday in September – the cyanotype gets special attention. Since 2015 the cyanotype is celebrated on the last Saturday in September in … Read more
Ray Harris gives an overview of the cyanotype process and his interpretation of blues and shares his cyanotype process. Writer and photography / Ray Harris Anna Atkins was born on 16 March 1799 and produced the first book to include ‘photographs’ which were in fact, cyanotypes. This post goes into more detail on making cyanotypes at home. The process, in its simplest form, is to mix two chemicals to produce … Read more
Clive Pigott tries out Annette Golaz’s recipe for toning cyanotypes with avocado. The original recipe can be found in Annette Golaz’s book Cyanotype Toning alongside many other recipes. Writer and photography / Clive Pigott I was first introduced to alternative and historical printing techniques back in the early 90’s, when I was in my late 20’s. I had picked up an anniversary copy of the British Journal of Photography which … Read more
Apart from being a brilliant scientist and botanist, Anna Atkins was also an artist. She created numerous prints from plants, lace and feather arrangements. This is how you can print your own cyanotypes in Anna Atkins’ style. We have done research, but not managed to find out a lot on paper or oils used, so if you possess ANY knowledge at all in terms of which paper or oil was … Read more
by Malin Fabbri Buy the cyanotype notebook here – published by AlternativePhotography.com This notebook contains pre-defined pages with enough room to document 50 cyanotypes that will help you narrow down a universe of options to the perfect combination. $00.00 Download printable eBook (PDF) directly. Free for Supporting Members – become a member and email talk@alternativephotography.com. If you are already a member, email us and we’ll send it! $8.00 Download … Read more
For several years now, Jennifer Booher has been making double-exposure cyanotype photograms of disposable plastic shopping bags. She calls the series “Extinction” and it began after her town banned plastic bags as a tongue-in-cheek typology imagining these bags as an endangered species. Writer and photography / Jennifer Steen Booher The process is pretty straightforward – I layer a plastic bag over a sheet of cyanotype paper on a hard board, … Read more
Once you’ve explored classic cyanotype photograms, OHP negatives, UV light boxes or wet cyanotypes, you may be interested in having even more fun with wet cyanotype painting. Dennis Humphrey began his explorations between 2018 and 2020. Basically, it is spontaneous painting with liquid cyanotype emulsion, on paper, under the sun—a fun, serendipitous process. Writer and photography / Dennis Humphrey What is a wet cyanotype painting? It is painting, drawing, pouring, … Read more
This article is an excerpt from Cyanotype on glass and ceramics written by Galina Manikova with information and lots of links where one can learn more. Writer and photography / Galina Manikova This is a new trend, but nothing new about the process or the idea. There are several people claiming to have invented it, or to have a copyright on it, which is another myth. You can create wet … Read more
Cyanotype is a easily accessible process with one limitation. It’s blue. Unless you know how to create multi-coloured cyanotypes. Here is how. Writer and photography / Jo Bind with tricolour section by Sehera Nawaz It was literally out of the blue when I first saw a post by Annette Golaz on the cyanotype Facebook group in early 2021 which showed a full-colour print that she claimed was done with cyanotype … Read more
Paolo Saccheri tests different variations of citric acids, washing and printing variables for the cyanotype process and shares his results with us. Please note that this is for the advanced cyanotyper. If you are a beginner, please start with Cyanotype – the classic process. Writer and photography / Paolo Saccheri Paper white and citric acid variations for cyanotypes Normally, when you print in cyanotype (or any of the other alternative … Read more
Cyanotypes can be printed on Japanese washi paper with added textures and fine results. But washing Japanese washi paper is a fine art in itself. Adam Welch shares his method. Writer and photography / Adam Welch Any logical person might ask “But why”? And who am I to disagree? “In fact, it’s perfectly normal to wonder why someone would choose to place themselves in the way of a photographic quagmire … Read more
The ‘Blythtype’, is a variation on Cyanotypes by Jeff Blyth where a positive print is made from a positive image. It also has increased light sensitivity through the introduction of a photosensitive dye. Cyanotype experimenters are encouraged to have a go, though NOT for beginners. Writers and photographers / Jeff Blyth and Martin Richardson Abstract This paper describes a new Cyanotype system, the ‘Blythtype’, which offers a new technique resulting … Read more
Cyanotypes are those blueprints you have probably seen. It is the best way to get started and learn alternative photographic processes. The process is easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master. The cyanotype process is easy to learn, and a good starting point for anyone who want to learn more about alternative photographic processes. Here are some steps to take when you want to learn the cyanotype process: … Read more
An excerpt from Blueprint to cyanotypes: Exploring a historical alternative photographic process. Making photograms in the cyanotype process.
An excerpt from Blueprint to cyanotypes: Exploring a historical alternative photographic process. 3 different coating methods and how to dry and store the coated paper.
Malin Fabbri shows how to care for and wash your cyanotypes printed on fabric.
The process of making photographic images with ferric salts in camera by Arpan Mukherjee.
Cyanotype process – a modified extract from the book Blueprint to cyanotypes describing the classic or traditional cyanotype process.
Jackie, a very experienced quilt maker, shows how she incorporates cyanotypes, or blueprints on fabric, made from plants, into your quilts.
