Free course · 7 steps · Two sessions: coat one day, print the next
Make your first cyanotype
Mix cyanotype sensitiser, coat paper, expose it in sunlight or UV, and wash out a blue print.
For complete beginners to alternative processes. No darkroom needed.
What you need
- Ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide
- Watercolour or cotton paper
- A brush and a dim room for coating
- Objects or a negative, and a sheet of glass
Safety
Official hazard classifications for the chemicals this course uses. Read the chemicals pages for the details.
| Chemical | Hazards |
|---|---|
| Ferric ammonium citrate (green or brown)Warning | Causes skin irritation.; Causes serious eye irritation. |
| Potassium ferricyanideWarning | Causes serious eye irritation.; Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. |
Classifications from the European Chemicals Agency (official EU classification where one exists, otherwise the one agreed by REACH registrants or most often notified). Read the safety data sheet that comes with your chemicals, and dispose of them in line with local regulations.
Dispose of used chemistry according to the manufacturer's safety data sheet and your local council and water company rules.
Steps
1What cyanotype is, and staying safe
Cyanotype is a simple iron-based process that prints in blue. Traditional cyanotype is among the safer alternative processes, but its chemistry still needs respect.
Do this now
Read the guide, including its safety section and hazard table, before you buy or mix anything. Note the precautions for handling each chemical.
Checkpoint: You can now explain what cyanotype is and what precautions the chemistry needs.
2Mix the sensitiser
The sensitiser is made from two solutions that are combined just before coating. The mixed sensitiser does not keep, and one of the stock solutions can spoil.
Do this now
Wearing gloves and following the guide's safety section, make up the two stock solutions and store them in brown bottles in the dark. Label them with the date, and combine them only when you are ready to coat.
Checkpoint: You can now prepare the two stock solutions and store them properly.
3Coat and dry the paper
Coating is done in subdued light, and the paper dries in darkness. Some papers suit the chemistry better than others, so paper choice matters.
Do this now
Choose a paper the guide recommends and coat it evenly with a brush or rod in subdued tungsten light. Dry it in the dark and keep it there until you are ready to print.
Checkpoint: You can now coat paper evenly and dry it in the dark.
4Choose what to print
Cyanotype is contact printed, so whatever you print sits directly on the paper. A negative has to be the same size as the print, and a digital negative lets you make one from any image.
Do this now
Decide whether to print objects laid on the paper or a negative. If you want a negative, read the overview and prepare one.
Checkpoint: You have decided what to print and have it ready to place on the paper.
5Expose in sunlight or UV
Exposure times vary enormously with the light source, and traditional cyanotype is exposed much longer than you might expect. The print looks washed out at first and darkens in the wash.
Do this now
Place your objects or negative in firm contact with the paper under glass and expose to sunlight or a UV lamp. Judge by the look of the shadows as the guide describes, not by a fixed time.
Checkpoint: You can now expose a cyanotype and judge when it is done.
6Wash and dry
Washing removes the unexposed chemistry, and the full blue develops as the print dries. Some loss of blue in the wash is normal.
Do this now
Wash the print in gently running water until the highlights are clear of yellow, using water that is not alkaline. Dry it and wait for the blue to deepen before you judge it.
Checkpoint: You have washed and dried your first cyanotype.
7If the print is pale or patchy
A pale or patchy print usually comes down to underexposure, alkaline water or paper, or a sensitiser that is old or poorly absorbed. Each has a different tell.
Do this now
Look at the causes on the fault page and match them to what you see in your print. Change one thing and print again.
Checkpoint: You can now work out why a cyanotype came out pale and what to change.