CyanotypesCyanotype is a process of printing that can be made without the use of a camera.This process is excellent for generating an image which shows microscopic details in objects such as flowers or leaves.It is made by coating a surface of your choice with the chemical mixture of Ammonium iron citrate and potassium Ferricyanide). The image is made by laying objects over the top of the chemical coated paper and then when the blank spaces are exposed to ultraviolet light (such as sunlight). Then the image is soaked in water to wash away the chemicals and left to dry. The image produce a dark blue colour where it has been exposed to ultra violet and white where the object was.
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Anna AtkinsThe process of creating these images was most famously used by Anna Atkins she was an botanist and photographer, she produced the first ever book to be illustrated with photographs, this was called 'Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions' . Atkins learnt the art of creating cyanotype images from a family friend named William Fox Talbot. Talbot was the inventor of this technique of placing an object on light-sensitive paper and then exposing it to the sun to produce an image. This process of image making was among the first ever to be made without the use of a camera.
I believe That Anna adopted this technique and used this process for her book because the cyanotype shows the minuscule details of the algae more than you could see if it were just a drawing, here is a quote from Atkins giving her reason for using this process. |
The difficulty of making accurate drawings of objects as minute as many of the Algae and Confera, has induced me to avail myself of Sir John Herschel’s beautiful process of Cyanotype, to obtain impressions of the plants themselves, which I have much pleasure in offering to my botanical friends.
—Anna Atkins, October 1843
My first image was made using flowers and leaves. I got the inspiration to use these objects from research I did of cyanotypes prior to the making of my images. I like the organic shapes the plants have created and the curves of the flower stems. This image would have worked a lot better had the objects been laid flat on the paper as they exposed to become more translucent than I would have hoped. When I look at this picture it reminds me of a deep ocean, the plants being seaweed and the spots from rain being air bubbles, the blueness of the paper adds to the comparison.
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My second image was more successful than my first as it is more opaque and interesting. For this image I used some strips of film, a flower and a spirally metal thing. I really like the way this image has turned out because it is interesting to look at. My favourite part would be the pictures that have come through on the strip of film, I think this adds to the overall effect of the cyanotype. To improve my work I could have chosen a better day to make the image as the sunlight was limited which meant I was sat outside for 20 minutes. There are a few white spots on the picture that were made by raindrops which I quite like as they make it look a little less posed.
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