Cyanotypes are one of the most distinctive of the alternative processes, thanks to their striking Prussian-blue colour. The English scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel developed the technique in 1842. Despite his major contributions to photography, he mostly viewed it as a way to reproduce notes and diagrams - he had essentially made the first method of photocopying. This was the origin of the blueprint.
The process works by coating paper with a combination of two chemicals (ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide), allowing it to dry in the dark, and then exposing it to the sun with a diagram, objects, or a photo negative on top. Where the light shines onto the paper, the chemicals react and change to an insoluble blue pigment. Where the light is blocked (by drawn lines, flower petals, or dark parts of a negative) the sun cannot react with the chemicals. Once the paper is washed, the exposed areas remain blue, and the unexposed areas turn back to the original white of the paper.
Cyanotypes can also be toned, changing the blues to another colour (commonly brown or black). Once a cyanotype has been left to dry and harden for at least a day, you can bleach it slightly in a sodium carbonate (washing soda) solution, rinse it well, and then submerge it in a toning solution. Common toners include tea (green tea will give cool black tones, black tea will give warm brown/black shades), coffee (a cold blue/black), wine (a warm brown tone) and tannic acid (a true black).
Photographers
Anna Atkins
A family friend of Herschel's, Anna Atkins was also a keen scientist, which was unusual for a woman in the early 19th Century. With her familial connections, finances, and access to resources, Atkins was uniquely placed to pursue her interests in botany, which she did through the medium of photography.
Atkins realised that Herschel's method of duplicating diagrams could also be used to create "photogenic drawings" of plants - the plants simply needed to be placed onto the paper before being exposed to sunlight. She found that the resulting imprint on the paper was a perfect negative likeness of the plant, and that thinner, more translucent objects would still allow some light through. This created a range of tones between white and deep blue, with the plant's intricate details intact.
In 1843, only a year after Herschel invented the process, Atkins had self-published a book made entirely of cyanotypes of British algae. In fact, this collection is often considered the first published book with photographic images, and Atkins the first woman to create a photograph. A total of 17 copies of the book were made, and most are now held by museums, predominantly in London.
The amount of care that has gone into her work is remarkable - the pages are hand-stitched together, and even the title pages are cyanotypes. Many of Atkins' images are simple, which only enhances their beauty. In a sea of blue, your eye is drawn to the delicate tendrils of the seaweed, allowing you to appreciate the complexity and diversity of algae found in Britain. Have a look inside Atkins' first book with this video.
Wu Chi-Tsung
You don't have to use negatives or objects to make cyanotypes, as demonstrated by the immensely creative Wu Chi-Tsung. By folding and scrunching up paper, the paper itself acts as a barrier, creating shadowy hollows where the light cannot enter.
Chi-Tsung has used this technique to form some incredible landscapes. Born in Taipei and trained in many traditional art forms such as Chinese ink painting and calligraphy, he spent many years combining Eastern and Western cultures and traditional and contemporary methods to create breathtaking images. He likens the cyanotype process to ink painting and, where a landscape painter would compose scenes of dynamic mountain ranges, Chi-Tsung uses his "wrinkled texture" cyanotypes and assembles them as a collage.
It's hard to believe that these images aren't paintings, or even photographs. These are undoubtedly mountainous landscape scenes, yet they are simply made with crumpled cyanotype paper. The highly textured impressions on the paper create realistic rock faces, and the subtle gradients through the paler tones evoke a sense of mystery, as though we are watching the mist dance around the mountain peaks.
It's only when you see the true scale of these pieces that you appreciate the time and effort that has gone into making them. They are the mountain ranges - enormous, imposing, and wondrous to behold. Chi-Tsung introduces his latest body of work in the video below.
Jo Stephen
Another photographer creatively utilising the cyanotype process to connect with nature is Jo Stephen. She explores the ideas of local wildlife and landscapes and aims to create art in sustainable and ecologically responsible way. Some of Stephen's most enchanting works are her botanical wet cyanotypes, where she doesn't wait for the chemicals to dry before exposing them. Once she is satisfied with the composition of her plants, she usually adds other materials like soap suds and vinegar, before covering the print with glass and leaving it to develop. She has found that wet cyanotypes need to be exposed to sunlight for much longer than their traditional counterparts - from hours to days.
These artworks are incredible! I could spend hours looking at every minute detail formed by the soap bubbles and the chemical reactions between the cyanotype solution and vinegar. I cannot quite fathom how she achieves such a wide range of colours - is this turmeric? Oxidised iron? How on earth did she make such intricate prints inside fragile eggshells?
Jo Stephen is definitely an artist I will be closely following in the future. I'm in awe of her wet cyanotypes and how they echo the act of adding resists to form chemigrams. She has created cyanolumens - cyanotypes crossed with lumen prints, created using photographic paper instead of watercolour paper. She has even experimented with multiple exposures through cyanotypes. When researching artists for cyanotypes, I didn't expect to find someone whose work is almost a culmination of everything I have been exploring so far.
I am an amateur and know that my initial attempts at these processes are unlikely to be as special as Stephen's pieces, but this is what I aspire to create one day. I will be combing through her website and blog to learn all I can about her methods - this is linked below if you want to join me.
How-To
Cyanotypes can be as simple or as complex as you want. You can buy and mix up the chemistry yourself, or you can buy pre-coated paper. You can use negatives to create positive prints, objects to create photograms, or a number of substances to create something more abstract. Have a play around and see what you enjoy!
Have a look at my chemistry post where you can find links to purchase everything you need to make your own cyanotypes.
For the paper, you will need:
Watercolour paper or cotton - you can try other papers or fabrics, but these are easy to come by and they work well. The key is to make sure your surface is porous and will absorb the chemistry, otherwise the blue pigment is less likely to survive the wash.
Cyanotype chemistry - this comes in two separate bottles - solution A and solution B.
A container and foam brush - this is to mix and apply the chemistry.
A dark place - this could be a cupboard or a room, somewhere where the chemistry can dry without being exposed to light.
OR
Pre-coated paper - if you would just like to get stuck in or you find the idea of painting on the chemistry a bit daunting, you can buy paper that is ready to use.
For exposing your cyanotype, you will need:
An object or negative - ferns always look stunning as cyanotypes, but any flowers or other plants could work well. You can also print a negative photo onto acetate and place that on top of the paper to create a positive cyanotype.
A flat surface - you may need a flat surface to place your paper onto, especially if you're using flowers or negatives, to make sure you have a sharp, evenly-exposed print.
Glass, perspex, or a contact-printing frame - this is optional but highly recommended as a sheet of glass or perspex placed on top of the print will create a contact between the paper and the objects on top. Contact-printing frames are purpose-built for this, but quite expensive.
Sunshine - or failing that, a UV lamp. Ideally, you will be able to leave your print out in the sun for 30 minutes (or several hours!) but if the weather is unreliable, you may find it easier to use a UV lamp inside.
Water - running water, or a water bath where you replace the water periodically, is needed to stop the exposure, rinse out the unexposed chemistry, and fix your image.
You may want:
Clamps - if you want to ensure sharp edges and clear details on your cyanotype, you may want to clamp the glass down onto a board.
A scanner - there's something special about freshly-exposed, unwashed cyanotypes. You could scan the image before and after washing it, if you wanted.
Substances to put onto the cyanotype during exposure - this is similar to the resists used in chemigrams and can give unexpected results. Common substances include: vinegar, turmeric, soap bubbles, and coffee grounds.
Method:
If you are using pre-coated paper, skip to step 3. If you are mixing your own chemistry, in a darkroom/under subdued light, pour an equal amount of solution A and solution B into your container and mix together. You don't need much - 10ml of each solution is enough to coat approximately 10 A4 prints.
Using your foam brush or a paintbrush, apply the mixture evenly to the porous (bumpy) side of your watercolour paper and allow it to dry in a dark place.
Place your plants or negatives onto the paper. If you want to add other substances like soap bubbles or turmeric, you can add them now. Place the glass on top, clamping it in place if you can.
Take this outside (or switch on your UV lamp) and expose it directly under the light. Try to avoid shadows or places where your print might be disturbed.
Let it expose under the light - on a sunny day, this may be anywhere from 5-20 minutes, on an overcast day, 30-60 minutes, and under a UV lamp, approximately 30 minutes, though these are just guidelines. If you're doing a wet cyanotype, you may need to expose it for much longer. Experiment with timings - whether you expose your print for minutes or for days, there is no right or wrong, only personal preference.
Remove your paper and wash it in running water until there is no green left and the water runs clear. The unexposed areas should be white - if they are still tinted green or yellow, it needs longer in the wash.
Allow your print to dry and admire your masterpiece!
If you want to move things about during exposure, or add other substances part-way through, give it a go! I like the idea of spraying a little water on so it trickles down the paper mid-exposure. I'm looking forward to trying a few experiments with this, and I can't wait to see what you create, too!
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