Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) anthotype by Patricio Ceriani

“René” by Patricio Ceriani. Villa de Merlo, province of San Luis, Argentina
Parts used: Bark
Amount: Around 4 handfuls, give or take
Thinner: Tap water
Application: Brushing with a foam brush

Layers: 2
Substrate: 5″ x 7″ Luster photographic paper, 260 gsm
Created with: Laser printed OHP negative, NOT positive. 2 copies were overlapped to increase density, and a fern leaf
Exposure: 30 hours over 6 days, mostly direct sunshine with little to no overcast in July, winter 2024
Temperature: Around 10° Celsius on average
Humidity: Around 50-60%
Contrast: ✿✿✿ (High)
Challenges or observations: I chopped and “cooked” the eucalyptus bark in 450 mL of water. Kept it boiling until the water reduced to around 50 mL. I coated two A4 and one 5″ x 7″ sheets with two layers of emulsion each.
In the “created with” item I used the word negative and not positive. That wasn’t a typo. The most interesting thing about this emulsion is that reacts the other way around compared to most of the other pigments, at least to my knowledge. Instead of bleaching or fading, the directly exposed parts darken and gain contrast. So, if you want to end up with a positive print, you should use a negative transparency, just like when printing cyanotypes.
Another suggestion to obtain good contrast could be not to “overcoat” your substrate, considering that the covered parts will maintain the original tone and the ones that are not will darken.
Instagram: @patricio.ceriani