cyanotypes are made from a compound of ferric ammonium and potassium ferricyanide that is coated on paper, exposed to UV, and then developed and fixed with water. it is an accessible form of photographic art—only requiring the solution, paper, and water—and can be used in highly experimental ways. every print is unique, which piqued my interest. it develops into an absolutely gorgeous prussian blue color, with a stark-white contrast (if using paper). since i have screenprinted before, i had access to a UV lamp, which is what i primarily used. i found that for dry cyanotypes, an exposure time of 40-60 minutes worked best. i haven't really figured out the sweet spot for the exposure of wet cyanotypes, but i have commonly done exposures for 2-6 hours. overall, the process and versatility is fascinating to me, and i urge anyone to give it a try due to how easy it is. i'd also be happy to answer any questions about the process.
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my first wet cyanotype, which is where you expose the cyanotype before the solution has dried. there are a lot of really cool experimental methods done with household items to achieve really neat variations. this was done with salt and dish soap.
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made from a drawing printed on transparent film
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a section of this got ruine when i was printed it, so i tore a lot of it apart to throw it away, but after placing pieces on tope of the remaining cyanotype, i decided to glue them in place and keep the print. it is now my favorite cyanotype that i've made.
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exposed on cardboard
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used a paintbrush to paint the solution instead of evenly coating the paper.
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using a five-leaf clover i had found when i was 12, lamitnated from packing tape lol.
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my absolute favorite, unfortunately the exposure faded away after drying and now only it exists in a delicate state, a drop of water disrupting the delicate solution
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the snowflakes from the first snow in December 2025
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if there's one takeaway from these, it's that i love trying out new things with leaves apparently. my first time using a "non-traditional" paper. i think the adhesive messed with the solution, which is why the leaf imprint is jsut a lighter shade of blue.
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i believe my first ever cyanotype done on fancy-schmancy watercolor paper
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the beginning of my descent into cyanotypes. done with just regular sketching paper which is partially why it has faded so much—since the solution doesn't stick to the paper, it washes away during the development process.