“A flying fantasy beetle” by Sirpa Kärkkäinen
Country: Helsinki, Finland
Parts used: Petals
Amount: 100 grams
Extracted by: Centrifuge in a blender
Thinner: Boiled tap water, a teaspoon of glycerol and vitamin C. First mixed the flower petals and a minimum amount of the boiled tap water in a blender, then filtered the mixture with cheesecloth. Mixed a teaspoon of glycerol into the solution. In the end, mixed an effervescent vitamin C tablet into the solution and mixed well
Application: Brushing
Layers: 9
Substrate: Fabriano watercolour paper
Created with: A collage made with a paper silhoutte of a bug and two leaves as the wings
Exposure: 12 hours under UV-light and 1 hour of the sunshine, July, summer 2023
Contrast: ✿✿ (Medium)
Challenges or observations: Vitamin C abbreviates the exposure time radically. The image becomes visible in a few hours. The negative point is that images made with Vitamin C are not long lasting. This picture disappeared in two days. Happily, I made a photograph of this fresh and ready image! I think that the use of Vitamin C could be one solution for non-toxic photographic development.
Additional information: The glycerol makes the solution smoother. Because you need to put at minimum five coats to create the background colour, this helps very much. The solution of fireweed is also PH active, so you can change the colour with acids (eg. lemon juice) and alkali (eg. baking soda). The oxygen reaction makes the colour darker. This is why it is better to wait for a while after every coat and ensure drying before putting another coat: the color becomes darker meanwhile. The final image becomes resistant, if kept it in a dark place;. I haven’t noticed any colour alteration in a month.
Website: sirpaakarkkainen.wixsite.com/sirpak
Anthotypes: sirpaakarkkainen.wixsite.com/sirpak/copy-of-ymp%C3%A4rist%C3%B6taide-2
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.
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Layers: 9
Rated 9,8 - based on 224 votes
Rated 10 - based on 8 votes
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