Shades of Blue

Hey dolls! I hope you all had a wonderful week! So I wanted to show you guys something cool I've recently learned to do and I really wanted to share it with you. 

Cyanotypes.

 In text book terms a Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print. 

It's a really cool experiment for anyone who likes or has an interest science, photography, and/or developing pictures. You can make cyanotypes at home and make some beautiful photos with objects or photos you love. I learned this on a trip to Barry University, ever since then I've been printing negatives like crazy!

Today I'm gonna show you how to make your own cyanotypes at home.

You're gonna need:

• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Rubber Gloves 
• Tape
• 900 ml beaker ( If you don't have a beaker I converted the measurement to cups and tbsp)
• A pan about the size of a sheet of paeper and deep enough for 4 cups of water
• Tongs

(Warning:

Always be careful when handling chemicals) 

The cyanotype process is simple. It can be done easily in a few steps:

1. You're gonna wanna buy some watercolor paper because it's more durable and you're going to wet this a lot. Once you get that paper you would have to get some chemicals for the cyanotype so you brush/coat it on the paper and let it dry in the dark, the chemicals are extrenely sensitive to light so you need to this in a low lit room.

(Your paper should look a much like this)

The cyanotype is made up of two simple solutions:

• Potassium ferricyanide and Ferric ammonium citrate (green) are mixed with water separately.
• The two solutions are then blended together in equal parts.
  • Solution A: 25 grams Ferric ammonium citrate (green) and 100 ml. water.
  • Solution B: 10 grams Potassium ferricyanide and 100 ml. water.
  • You can buy the chemicals  here. (It's a bit pricy but it makes 500 prints)

Wear a face mask and rubber gloves when working with chemicals. In this case, Ammonium ferric citrate and Potassium ferricyanide. Two separate solutions are made and then equal quantities of each solution is mixed together in a third container.

2. Printing the cyanotype

 

•   Now with cyanotypes you can use either negatives or an object. Negatives can be made with a nice picture, a printer, and transparency paper.
• When printing the negatives you need to uncheck the box that says 'fit picture to frame' and select 8X10, there should also be a 4th box to appear that let's you choose the type of paper, you have to choose color transparency.
• With objects you want something with a lot of detail and it needs to be able to be laid flat on the paper. 

 3. Still in a dark room you tape the negative to your cyanotype paper and when it's placed the way you want put it in a folder, magazine, or book to cover the paper for when you're ready to go outside so it doesn't develop without time and/ or sharpness. 

4. Before you go outside you need to have the developing chemicals ready which is the hydrogen peroxide and water. 

• You need a 100 ml (7 tbsp) of hydrogen peroxide and 900 (4 cups) ml of water to dilute. 
  

• You measure, pour both in the pan, and keep it close for when you need to develop your cyanotype. 
  
  
  
  

5. Now go outside with your cyanotype (still covered) and put a timer starting from 8 minutes, the time may vary depending on your picture. The best thing to do is start with 8 and if it comes out to bright you put less time, too dark you put more time. 

• Start the timer the moment you expose your cyanotype from the sun, in those 8 minutes your cyanotype is not allowed to get any shade and or move by any means or it might blur and underexpose specific places. 
  
• If you have an object you can simply arrange it on the paper the same way you would with a negative. 

If you notice in those 8 minutes your cyanotype will start turning blur, that means the chemicals are being exposed and changing. 

Processing and drying: you'll need the rubber gloves for this

6. After the 8 minutes are up you immediately take off  the negative or object from the paper (there should be an imprint on your paper) and go to a place where there's cold water on low.  

• The material is processed by simply rinsing it in water. A white print emerges on a blue background.
  

•  Make sure you rinse the picture until you see all the yellow, which will be from the chemicals, come out the most possible. The yellow comes out faster when you delicately rub the areas that clearly have. The least yellow you hvae the better so the photo does not continue to expose and fade.
  

• Dip it into your peroxide and water mix for 10 seconds, let it sit then take it out rinse it once more  in cool and low running water for the most a minute.
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
   (Take it out with tongs to further prevent any stainings to the hands, if staining does occur it's not fatal, your hands will be faded blue in some spots for a few days or less.)

7. Lastly lay it on a flat surface and let it dry in a shaded area. 

Finally you have a cyanotype and now you can admire your lab work!

As a treat for you guys if any of you are interested, you can email me a picture (my email is on my instagram) you'd want me to do for you as a cyanotype and I'll make it within the week, scan it and email it back to you along with the JPG of your negative so you can print it on transparency paper if you want. The photo needs to be bigger than 1024x768 if not it'll be a pixilated negative and awkward cyanotype.

I hope you guys enjoyed this little photography exepriment as much as I do and I hope some of you get the chance to try it.

My instagram for my email is: Lacelove_Photography

Until next time!

Sincerely and Truly yours,

Jade xo