Sugar paper, often used in schools, fades beautifully in sunlight, making it a quick and simple alternative to anthotypes for botanical prints. It offers even-toned, crisp results in various colours, though it may lack the detailed depth of traditional plant emulsions. Michelle Dobre shares how.
As an avid crafter and botanical print artist I’ve used various types of paper and cards to create beautiful items and gifts. One of the most commonly known papers is ‘sugar paper’ or ‘construction paper’ which is regularly used in schools and for many craft projects.
Usually made from wood pulp and recycled paper, small particles are visible on the surface. This can give it a rougher surface texture. What does this have to do with making botanical prints? Well, it just so happens that sugar paper fades beautifully in sunlight.
“If anthotypes are a passion of yours but you don’t always have time to prepare the plant emulsions, sugar paper can be a great alternative. Available in many colours, it creates a very crisp image with lovely colour contrast if exposed long enough in the sun. Here are some examples of prints I’ve made using just sugar paper, my chosen botanical pieces and sunlight.
These prints were exposed in strong sun for 2 days (approx 12-16 hours). Some sugar papers will simply fade to a lighter shade than the original colour but others, like blue for example fade to grey giving it a very clear contrast against the remaining blue image.
Right is an example of a blue sugar paper print being exposed in the sun. All of the prints shown here were made in August when the sun was very strong but if you are trying this technique during other times of the year, take into consideration that exposure times may be longer.
So what are the benefits and limitations of using sugar paper against other methods like anthotype plant emulsions? Well…
- Sugar paper gives a very even-toned print
- It looks crisp and neat
- The technique is less messy and time-consuming than traditional anthotype-making
- You have a wide range of colours to choose from which may be harder to source or recreate using plant emulsions
- The prints will all expose in a similar amount of time so no waiting weeks or even months to see the results
That said, I’ve noticed that traditional anthotypes created with plant emulsions can give more detail in subtle ways such as the transparency of petals or leaf veins. Plant emulsions seem to expose differently on many levels depending on the subject matter used. This can give more depth and natural beauty to the final print. Traditional anthotypes have a more ‘hand-made’ look about them with brush strokes and a grainy appearance from the emulsion. Sugar paper on the other hand seems to create a very uniform tone. Both techniques have variations to consider but if you are short on time (or plant emulsion), using sugar paper is a lovely way to create prints cleanly and simply.
Final thoughts on sugar paper botanical prints
We all love to display our art creations to enjoy their beauty but are sugar paper prints colourfast? Well, due to the nature of how they are created, sugar paper prints will continue to fade if left in direct light, much the same as traditional anthotypes. However, whilst some plant emulsions are more colourfast than others, sugar paper of all colours reacts to light in a similar way so being able to keep them looking bright is a bit more predictable. I’ve had one of my prints on a wall in a south-facing room (out of direct sunlight) for over a month now without any noticeable colour change. So the next time you have some spare sugar paper lying around, if the sun is shining, get out there and be creative!
Rated 9,8 - based on 224 votes
Rated 10 - based on 2 votes
World Anthotype Day
World Cyanotype Day
