Follow the Sun

Sunprinting: an old technique for new ideas (and a great summer-time activity for kids!).


Did you know that one of the oldest types of photographic printing is also one of the easiest? Cyanotypes were first developed in 1842, and artists and kids are still finding ways to make these blue-colored prints look modern.

Cyanotypes are a type of sunprint. That means you don't need to be in a darkroom to make them. You just need paper that's coated with a light-sensitive chemical, a tray of water, some objects or photographic negatives to make your image with, and sunlight. (Cyanotype chemicals are relatively safe. You need to be careful to keep them away from your mouth and to wash your hands after using them, but they're suitable for young artists.)

The easiest way to make sunprints is to buy a sunprint kit. It contains small squares of pre-coated paper, and it's about $5. The kit is just the right size to carry along to the beach or on a hiking trip, and you can use it to make images of flowers, shells, or whatever else you find along the way. Here are some examples of pictures made with a sunprint kit.

To make your sunprint, just place some leaves, flowers, or other objects on the paper and place it in the sun for a few minutes. Then rinse it off in a tray of water. If you don't have a photo-chemical tray, a clean, plastic take-out container works great. Watch this short video to see how much fun it is to watch your picture appear.

You can also use photographic negatives to make your picture. (Your parents probably have lots of them! Use them make new prints of old family photos.) Just place them on the paper, then put a sheet of glass on top to hold them down. (If you use a kit, it comes with a small sheet of Plexiglass for this purpose.) Your picture will be the same size as your negatives. If you have some 35 mm negatives, you can print a whole strip of them on one piece of paper.

You can even make your own negatives. Print your favorite photos, drawings, text, or collages onto clear ink-jet transparencies that you can buy from an office supply store. Clear ink-jet mailing labels make nice little negatives too.

If you get hooked on sunprinting and you want to try some more advanced techniques, you can buy a cyanotype kit from your local photography supply store or order it online from Photographers Formulary for about $20. This kit includes two chemical solutions that you mix together and apply to paper using a brush or a glass rod. (If you're a teenager and you read the directions carefully, you can do this yourself. Younger kids will need an adult's help.) Coating your own paper will let you make prints as large as you want, and you use different kinds of papers. For a traditional look, try a nice watercolor paper, or for a more experimental look, try brown paper shopping bags, cardboard or fabric.

Look what other artists have done using cyanotypes!

Cyanotype images of dresses, glassware and sea animals by artist Dan Peyton

A cyanotype quilt by New York artist Sandra Sider

Artist Bily Renkl used cyanotypes along with other techniques to make mixed-media collages.

[ This post is by Kris Vagner ].