The Process

Cyanotype printing is a printing process that leaves behind a signature blue stain. To start out, water, ferric ammonium citrate, and potassium ferricyanide are all mixed together evenly then applied with a brush on an absorbent material like canvas. After waiting for the solution to dry in a dark room, any object can be arranged on top. The print will develop in the sun or under a green house UV light. After waiting around 30 minutes, the stain will turn from lime green to a gray-teal color. Once done developing, the solution must be washed off, the remaining stain left behind will be a bright blue. What was covered will be unstained and white.

This process is typically done with film negatives and found objects, however in my process, I create handmade illustrations on card stock that I make intricate cuts into and place the paper on top of my canvas before developing with my UV light.