how to create sun prints / cyanotypes / blue prints
For a video of how to create your sun prints see the Facebook Live video below that aired on 20th June 2020 at 11am
or if you prefer a written version then please keep reading...
Sun prints or cyanotypes are an early form of photography that use natural chemicals and the sun's UV light to produce beautiful blue prints. It's so simple to do that anyone can have a go, even children with a little bit of supervision.
Sun prints or cyanotypes are an early form of photography that use natural chemicals and the sun's UV light to produce beautiful blue prints. It's so simple to do that anyone can have a go, even children with a little bit of supervision.
Preferably wait for a sunny day. You can print if it's overcast but the exposure tie will be longer and your prints will be a lighter blue. You can't print if it's raining, sorry :(
what you'll need:
- Your sun prints!
- A clip frame no smaller than A4 size (for health and safety reasons we suggest plastic rather than glass) If you don't have a clip frame then you can use a piece of thick cardboard or MDF no smaller than A4 size and the clear part from a picture frame (for health and safety reasons we suggest plastic rather than glass
- If you're not using a clip frame then 4 x pegs or 4 x bull dog clips
- A selection of leaves, flowers, feathers, grasses that you'll use to make your design
- Scissors (optional)
- A bucket of cold tap water or access to a tap
how to make your sun prints / cyanotypes
Select your natural elements just before you create your prints. Make sure that they are completely dry
Things that work well:
Feathers - rough them up a bit
Ferns
Leaves
Flowers - bind weed flowers or light coloured petunias work very well
This part of the tutorial needs to be done in the shade or in a room with the curtains drawn.
Before taking your sun prints out of the envelope take a moment and decide on your design because when you take them out you need to work fairly quickly so that the paper doesn’t start reacting to the light. The sun prints that you have been sent are circular with a diameter of approx 20cm.
Take one sun print out of the envelope making sure to put the others back and close the flap. Place your cardboard or the back of your clip frame on a flat surface.
Arrange your natural elements on the paper.
Place your acrylic sheet on top and clip it down, making sure to make contact with everything.
Holding your sun prints horizontally, you don't want anything to move about, place them in the sun. Exposure time and colour will vary depending on the weather conditions:
Full sun = 5 minutes
Part cloud = 20 minutes
Vary cloudy = 40+ minutes
Full sun = deep indigo blue
Light cloud = denim blue
Heavy cloud = milky pale blue
If you want to check whether it's worked, carefully un-clip the acrylic and a leaf. The paper will have turned a dark muddy blue and there will be a contrast between that and the paper underneath the leaf, which will be a greeny-yellow.
After exposure take off the acrylic and shake off the leaves. Carefully submerge the print into water to wash off the unexposed chemicals or run under a gently flowing tap. This is known as fixing the print.
Leave the print to dry in the shade.
The print will develop into a deeper colour as it dries.
You can use a cool iron to flatten the print if you like.
Happy printing!
Things that work well:
Feathers - rough them up a bit
Ferns
Leaves
Flowers - bind weed flowers or light coloured petunias work very well
This part of the tutorial needs to be done in the shade or in a room with the curtains drawn.
Before taking your sun prints out of the envelope take a moment and decide on your design because when you take them out you need to work fairly quickly so that the paper doesn’t start reacting to the light. The sun prints that you have been sent are circular with a diameter of approx 20cm.
Take one sun print out of the envelope making sure to put the others back and close the flap. Place your cardboard or the back of your clip frame on a flat surface.
Arrange your natural elements on the paper.
Place your acrylic sheet on top and clip it down, making sure to make contact with everything.
Holding your sun prints horizontally, you don't want anything to move about, place them in the sun. Exposure time and colour will vary depending on the weather conditions:
Full sun = 5 minutes
Part cloud = 20 minutes
Vary cloudy = 40+ minutes
Full sun = deep indigo blue
Light cloud = denim blue
Heavy cloud = milky pale blue
If you want to check whether it's worked, carefully un-clip the acrylic and a leaf. The paper will have turned a dark muddy blue and there will be a contrast between that and the paper underneath the leaf, which will be a greeny-yellow.
After exposure take off the acrylic and shake off the leaves. Carefully submerge the print into water to wash off the unexposed chemicals or run under a gently flowing tap. This is known as fixing the print.
Leave the print to dry in the shade.
The print will develop into a deeper colour as it dries.
You can use a cool iron to flatten the print if you like.
Happy printing!
