While conventional photography captures images via lens and film/digital sensors, cyanotype involves directly exposing sensitized material (paper, fabric) to UV light, resulting in a vibrant blue and white print.
Jeni had prepared various fabrics and paper with the chemicals in advance, so we immediately got stuck in experimenting with a huge variety of items... Everything from grasses, leaves and dead seed pods, to discarded bits of lace, Xmas decorations, beads, crystals, netting, feathers, wool curls and much more....
We layered our items onto the pre-treated fabric, covered this with a sheet of glass to hold everything down firmly and ensure close contact with the fabric.
We then placed our creations in a box or tray and exposed it to a UV light over the top for about 10 minutes.
The fabric or paper could also be placed outside in the sun, but then it would need to be left a bit longer (about 90 minutes) and it would really need to be a sunny day.
The chemicals on the fabric react with the light. The items placed on the fabric block the UV light and therefore leave a negative print. The fabric is then immediately rinsed to remove the remaining chemicals, and the print reveals itself.
After the first trials, which were already amazing, the group became increasingly experimental and the variety of designs produced was fabulous.
Sally even experimented with a drawing of a fish on a sheet of acetate and bringing in some other elements to create an "under the sea" themed print, which was very clever indeed!
We all had the most amazing fun time. Thank you Jeni for sharing some of your vast knowledge with us and giving us the chance to play. What a brilliant way to spend a cold and damp winter's day!
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