Cyanotype: The Blueprint in Contemporary Practice is a two part book on the much admired blue print process. Part One is a comprehensive how-to on the cyanotype process for both beginner and advanced practitioners, with lots of photographs and clear, step-by-step directions and formulas. Part Two highlights contemporary artists who are using cyanotype, making work that ranges from the photographic to the abstract, from the traditional to the conceptual, with tips on their personal cyanotype methods alongside their work. These artists illustrate cyanotype’s widespread use in contemporary photography today, probably the most of any alternative process.
Book features include:
- A brief discussion of the practice of the process with some key historical points
- How to set up the cyanotype ÒdimroomÓ
- The most extensive discussion of suitable papers to date, with data from 100+ papers
- Step-by-step digital negative methods for monochrome and duotone negatives
- Chapters on classic, new, and other cyanotype formulas
- Toning to create colors from yellow to brown to violet
- Printing cyanotype over palladium, for those who want to temper cyanotype’s blue nature
- Printing cyanotype on alternate surfaces such as fabric, glass, and wood
- More creative practice ideas for cyanotype such as handcoloring and gold leafing
- Troubleshooting cyanotype, photographically illustrated
- Finishing, framing, and storing cyanotype
- Contemporary artists’ advice, techniques, and works
Cyanotype is backed with research from 120 books, journals, and magazine articles from 1843 to the present day. It is richly illustrated with 400 photographs from close to 80 artists from 14 countries. It is a guide for the practitioner, from novice to expert, providing inspiration and proof of cyanotype’s original and increasing place in historical and contemporary photography.
Author(s): Christina Z Anderson
Series: Contemporary Practices in Alternative Process Photography
Edition: 1
Publisher: Focal Press
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 320
City: Oxon
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: Cyanotype–History and Practice
Cyanotype’s benefits
Cyanotype’s detriments
Singing the blues
The psychology of blue
Of reproduction and amateurs
Where to next?
A few key events in cyanotype’s history
PART ONE: CYANOTYPE STEP-BY-STEP
Chapter 2: Setting Up the Cyanotype Dimroom
Safety first!
Classic cyanotype chemistry
New cyanotype chemistry
Toning chemistry
Palladium chemistry
Equipment and supplies
Useful dimroom aids
Solid measurements
Liquid measurements
Sources for supplies
Sources for paper
Chapter 3: Papers for Cyanotype
Unbuffered papers made for alt
Washi and delicate Asian papers
Vellum papers
Bristol papers
Papers for your first foray
Papers with color options
And the list goes on…
Pre-acidifying buffered papers
Sulfamic acid pre-bath
Dmax—the holy grail?
Dmax chart
Quick peek paper chart
Chapter 4: Digital Negatives for Cyanotype
Transparency film
Determining exposure the low tech way
Determining exposure the high tech way
Curving the negative
A word about ink density
Monochrome digital negatives
Duotone negatives from RGB
Duotone negatives from CMYK
Troubleshooting the digital negative
Chapter 5: Classic Cyanotype
Classic cyanotype formula
My favorite classic cyanotype formula
Bleeding
Novo’s cyanotype formula
Brown vs. green FAC
Valenta’s cyanotype formula
Ratio of FAC:PF
Whitaker’s cyanotype formula
Combining solutions and shelf life
Classic cyanotype with oxalic acid
Double coating cyanotype
Mold in Solution A
Adding dichromate to the formula
Tips
Historical formulas chart
Chapter 6: New Cyanotype
The benefits of new cyanotype
Drawbacks to new cyanotype?
Papers for new cyanotype
New cyanotype formula
Chapter 7: Further Formula Exploration
Wang’s formula in a nutshell
Quick ’n’ easy hybrid formula
Wall’s formula
Chapter 8: Making the Cyanotype Print
Brushes to use
Coating the paper
Tips
Drying the paper
How long does coated paper last?
Coating washi and tissue-thin papers
Coating vellum papers
Exposing cyanotype
Exposure tips
Ballpark UVBL exposure times
Exposure scale
Processing cyanotype
Processing with acidified water
Vinegar development for CC
Citric acid development for CC
Citric acid development for NC
Sulfamic acid development for CC
Sulfamic acid development for NC
Hydrochloric acid development for NC
Hydrogen peroxide use
Chapter 9: Toning Cyanotype
Choice of alkalis, called “bleaches”
Choice of acids, called “toners”
Quick and easy measurements
Highlight staining
Toning tips
One-bath toners
Trisodium phosphate toner
Sodium carbonate toner
Borax or ammonia toner
Tea toner
One-bath tannic-sodium carbonate toner
Lead acetate toner
Two-bath toners
Generic two-bath alkali-acid toner
Pyrogallic-hydrogen peroxide toner
Chapter 10: Printing Cyanotype Over Palladium
Supplies needed
Paper choice
Preshrinking paper
A word about brushes
Developer choice
Potassium oxalate developer
Ammonium citrate developer
Developer tips
Clear formulas
Citric acid clear (acid)
Di-EDTA clear (acid)
Di-EDTA/citric acid clear (acid)
Tetra-EDTA/sodium sulfite clear (alkaline)
Coating formula
Making the palladium print
Exposing
Processing
Printing with the palladium negative
Printing with RBG duotone negatives
Printing with CMYK duotone negatives
Troubleshooting palladium
Chapter 11: Printing Cyanotype on Alternate Surfaces
Cyanotype on fabric
Cyanotype formula for fabric
Fabric formula
Coating fabric
Exposing fabric
Processing fabric
Toning fabric if desired
Laundering cyanotype fabric
Tips
Sources for cyanotype fabric
Cyanotype on glass
Purchasing the glass plate
Cleaning the glass plate
Subbing the glass plate
Coating the glass plate with cyanotype
Exposing the glass plate
Processing the glass plate
Printing cyanotype on OHP
Printing cyanotype on wood
Chapter 12: More Creative Ideas for Cyanotype
Printing cyanotype over gold leaf
Supplies
Sources for gold leaf supplies
Writing on a cyanotype print
Postcards
Punching a cyanotype print
Handcoloring
Watercolor pencils
Supplies
Photo oils
Supplies
The wet cyanotype process
Combination printing
More creative ideas
Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Cyanotype
Potential problems
The FAC solution has turned blue
The FAC solution is moldy
FAC and PF when mixed turns blue
Paper turns blue while drying
The exposure is extremely slow
The print is underexposed
The print is overexposed
The cyanotype print washes off
The shadows bleed into the highlights
The print is too low contrast
The print is too high contrast
The print is grainy
The highlights are fogged blue
There are lavender stains in the print
The highlights are yellowed
The print is mottled
The print is dull
The prints are inconsistent
There are blue spots or streaks
The print is splotchy or crystallized
There are round white spots in the print
The shadows are solarized
The image is unsharp
There are blue stains
The print has faded
Chapter 14: Finishing, Framing, and Storing Cyanotype
Keeping record of works
Varnishing cyanotype prints
How to best store the print
Editioning work
Matting and framing
PART TWO: CONTEMPORARY CYANOTYPE ARTISTS
Chapter 15: Contemporary Cyanotype Artists
Mariana Bartolomeo
Jennah Ward Bentley
Laura Blacklow
Jonah Calinawan
Wendy Catling
Kimberly Chiaris
Monica Chulewicz
John Dugdale
Jesseca Ferguson
Peter Friedrichsen
Annette Golaz
Jacek Gonsalves
John P. Jackson
Teresa James
Shannon Johnstone
Max Kellenberger
Sandy King
Tasha Lewis
Galina Manikova
Constanza Isaza Martínez
Sehera Nawaz
Zeva Oelbaum
Emma Powell
Meghann Riepenhoff
Judy Sherrod
Gerardo Stübing
David Underwood
Harrison D. Walker
Sam Wang
Mike Ware
Bibliography
Index
