Jamaica flower (Hibiscus sabdariffa) anthotype by Mónica Páez Espinosa

“Earth” by Mónica Páez Espinosa
Country: Ecuador (Galápagos islands)
Parts used: Raw flowers
Amount: 3 pieces
Extracted by: Mortar
Thinner: Sugarcane Alcohol 45%
Application: Brushing

Layers: 4
Substrate: Arches Grain Satiné 300 gsm, 100% cotton
Created with: Positive on OHP paper, inkjet printer
Exposure: 8 days outdoors + 32 hours with UV lamp, July, winter 2023
Contrast: ✿✿✿ (High)
Challenges or observations: The petals have a lot of pigment when raw, and mortaring the whole flower can be a little challenging; you need just a couple of pieces instead of using only petals. I could have added more thinner to make the emulsion smoother but I wanted the texture.
Additional information: Raw flowers have a lot of material that can pass through the cloth strain and give a very thick emulsion. This material can give some texture to the substrate when applied.
In Ecuador, July is summer; however, in the Galapagos islands, it is slightly different from Ecuador’s mainland: the weather in July is closer to winter than to summer. We have but two seasons: rainy (winter) and dry (summer). The weather in the Equatorial zone is pretty confusing!
Instagram: @monicaapaezfoto
Facebook: facebook.com/monica.paez.ec
Website: monicapaezartist.com

World Anthotype Day was started by AlternativePhotography.com in 2022. In August anthotype artists all over the world celebrate the anthotype process and send in their entries. We add them here to the database and create a reference book for each year. The purpose of the day is to build a large resource where artist can learn which pigmenets and plants that work and draw inspiration from other artists' work. The reference books can be found here: