I do not consider myself an Artist. I'm a designer but I see my work as something logical, with a touch of creativity, not art. I've tried illustration and 3D but never felt that I was doing it right, and to be honest it was always frustrating and not fun at all. A few months ago, I did a cyanotype workshop. It changed my perception of my artist self. Cyanotype photographic revealing process when you use two chemical compounds and the sunlight (UV light actually) to reveal an image over the paper. You can use pictures negatives printed over transparent photographic paper or flowers and leaves (I'll make another post about this one) 

The photo

I'll explore the processes for the first image. It is a housewarming gift for a friend, a photo of a little B&B we used to go to on the beach. I have many pics from those trips but I felt like this one with the water and the house in the background would be perfect.

Making the negative

After choosing the image, it's time to make a printable negative. In photoshop you go to Image > Adjustment > Black & white, then open Image > Adjustments > Curves and set the preset to "Negative RGB"

It's essential to adjust the curves in a way to make black the areas you want to be white on the final result (more on that later).

Printing

When you print it on transparent paper using a common Inkjet Printer, the black will be black and, the white will be transparent. That is very important for the revealing process. The light will reach the paper with the chemical compound and burn it. Everything the sun reaches will turn blue. The black ink blocks the UV light, so when you wash out the paper, it will be white.

Painting

Over a good paper (I'm using a Canson 300g/m2) you paint a fine layer of the chemical compound. After that, you will need to dry it using a blow dryer.

Putting it altogether

I forgot to capture the steps for the image I'm talking about, but the process is pretty much the same. You will need a hard surface to place the paper, put the negative over it, and then a final sheet of glass. Use clips to make sure there are no gaps between the negative and the paper. Those gaps will allow UV light to go through and will lose definition. Now, it's time to let it burn in the sun for around 20 to 30 minutes.

When the magic happens

After letting it burn, the result is a little bit scary. It seems you screw it up somehow but there is one final and important step: washing it. 

Even tho you painted over the paper and, dry it with the blow dryer, the chemicals do not stick through the paper unless UV light burns it.

When you carefully wash it, you reveal the final result. The unburned chemicals will dissolve in the water, and the part of the paper that was reached by the UV light will reveal a stunning blue color.

The final result

After washing it, let it dry and the result should be something like this.

I fell for cyanotype at first sight. I love how I can use handcraft, photography, digital process, and even flowers and plants (will make a post using plants soon) to create something that will be a complete surprise in the end. I have to thank the incredible teachers I had from Cianó workshop. If you are from brazil I strongly recommend following and, if possible, doing the workshop.

Thanks for reading 💙