Today is World Cyanotype Day, which is an alternative photographic process that I have been contemplating, in conjunction with Platinum and Gum Bichromate printing. So perhaps that this is a fitting day to jump into this artistic pool.
I won’t be making a cyanotype print today as I just ordered most of the materials to make it happen. So on order is a 11 x 14″ contact printing frame (Photographer’s Formulary), some Arista-II 11 x 17″ OHP transparency film for making digital negatives (which I will cut down to 11 x 14″) and as a fun lark, some pre-coated Cyanotype watercolor rag, 11 x 14″ made by the Cyanotype Store. Not having a wet darkroom right now, means that I don’t really have a convent place to coat papers, so using the pre-coated Cyanotype rag will be a nice compromise while I sort out my long term process (and continuing interest).
My thinking for the 11 x 14″ paper and contact printer is to make 8 x 10″ images with the larger digital negatives that would allow the image to float on the 11 x 14″ paper, allowing some of the outside edges to act as a pseudo-mat. So I have a 12-sheet pack to play around with.
I also have some dried remnants of the plants I used for the Memory Pods and subsequent reimagined in my Anthropogenic Crisis series. That’s probably more in line with the ‘classic’ use for Cyanotypes, so that’s going to be fun as well to see what might happen.
So Happy World Cyanotype Day! Perhaps next year on this occasion, I will have some actual cyanotype artwork to share.
Cheers,
Doug
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The Flow of Light Brushes the Shadow, an artist book from Singular Images Press, Fall 2022 release, $60.00 (CA sales tax for those residing in the USA) plus shipping expenses. Message me douglas.stockdale.artist@gmail.com or singularimagespress@gmail for shipping details and PayPal invoice.
Note: The Artist Special Edition (book + extra print) is Sold Out.
Book workshop:
New Workshop dates! Southeast Center for Photography (SEC4P): Creative PhotoBook workshop, a virtual event on Zoom; February 25, 26 & March 4 & 5th 2023; from 10am – 1 pm, EST (3 hour session each day, with a week between the weekend sessions to work your book-dummy).
Southeast Center for Photography (SEC4P): Creative PhotoBook workshop (Sold Out), a virtual event on Zoom; November 5 & 6 and 12 & 13, 2022, 10am – 1pm, EST (3 hour session each day, with a week between the weekend sessions to work your book-dummy).
Singular Images 