Cyanotype

Cyanotype

by Christina Z Anderson
Released January 2019
Publisher(s): Focal Press
ISBN: 9780429805974

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Book description

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.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Table of Contents
  6. Preface
  7. Chapter 1 Cyanotype–History and Practice
    1. Cyanotype’s benefits
    2. Cyanotype’s detriments
    3. Singing the blues
    4. The psychology of blue
    5. Of reproduction and amateurs
    6. Where to next?
    7. A few key events in cyanotype’s history
  8. PART ONE CYANOTYPE STEP-BY-STEP
    1. Chapter 2 Setting Up the Cyanotype Dimroom
      1. Safety first!
      2. Classic cyanotype chemistry
      3. New cyanotype chemistry
      4. Toning chemistry
      5. Palladium chemistry
      6. Equipment and supplies
      7. Useful dimroom aids
      8. Solid measurements
      9. Liquid measurements
      10. Sources for supplies
      11. Sources for paper
    2. Chapter 3 Papers for Cyanotype
      1. Unbuffered papers made for alt
      2. Washi and delicate Asian papers
      3. Vellum papers
      4. Bristol papers
      5. Papers for your first foray
      6. Papers with color options
      7. And the list goes on…
      8. Pre-acidifying buffered papers
      9. Sulfamic acid pre-bath
      10. Dmax—the holy grail?
      11. Dmax chart
      12. Quick peek paper chart
    3. Chapter 4 Digital Negatives for Cyanotype
      1. Transparency film
      2. Determining exposure the low tech way
      3. Determining exposure the high tech way
      4. Curving the negative
      5. A word about ink density
      6. Monochrome digital negatives
      7. Duotone negatives from RGB
      8. Duotone negatives from CMYK
      9. Troubleshooting the digital negative
    4. Chapter 5 Classic Cyanotype
      1. Classic cyanotype formula
      2. My favorite classic cyanotype formula
      3. Bleeding
      4. Novo’s cyanotype formula
      5. Brown vs. green FAC
      6. Valenta’s cyanotype formula
      7. Ratio of FAC:PF
      8. Whitaker’s cyanotype formula
      9. Combining solutions and shelf life
      10. Classic cyanotype with oxalic acid
      11. Double coating cyanotype
      12. Mold in Solution A
      13. Adding dichromate to the formula
      14. Tips
      15. Historical formulas chart
    5. Chapter 6 New Cyanotype
      1. The benefits of new cyanotype
      2. Drawbacks to new cyanotype?
      3. Papers for new cyanotype
      4. New cyanotype formula
    6. Chapter 7 Further Formula Exploration
      1. Wang’s formula in a nutshell
      2. Quick ’n’ easy hybrid formula
      3. Wall’s formula
    7. Chapter 8 Making the Cyanotype Print
      1. Brushes to use
      2. Coating the paper
      3. Tips
      4. Drying the paper
      5. How long does coated paper last?
      6. Coating washi and tissue-thin papers
      7. Coating vellum papers
      8. Exposing cyanotype
      9. Exposure tips
      10. Ballpark UVBL exposure times
      11. Exposure scale
      12. Processing cyanotype
      13. Processing with acidified water
      14. Vinegar development for CC
      15. Citric acid development for CC
      16. Citric acid development for NC
      17. Sulfamic acid development for CC
      18. Sulfamic acid development for NC
      19. Hydrochloric acid development for NC
      20. Hydrogen peroxide use
    8. Chapter 9 Toning Cyanotype
      1. Choice of alkalis, called “bleaches”
      2. Choice of acids, called “toners”
      3. Quick and easy measurements
      4. Highlight staining
      5. Toning tips
      6. One-bath toners
      7. Trisodium phosphate toner
      8. Sodium carbonate toner
      9. Borax or ammonia toner
      10. Tea toner
      11. One-bath tannic-sodium carbonate toner
      12. Lead acetate toner
      13. Two-bath toners
      14. Generic two-bath alkali-acid toner
      15. Pyrogallic-hydrogen peroxide toner
    9. Chapter 10 Printing Cyanotype Over Palladium
      1. Supplies needed
      2. Paper choice
      3. Preshrinking paper
      4. A word about brushes
      5. Developer choice
      6. Potassium oxalate developer
      7. Ammonium citrate developer
      8. Developer tips
      9. Clear formulas
      10. Citric acid clear (acid)
      11. Di-EDTA clear (acid)
      12. Di-EDTA/citric acid clear (acid)
      13. Tetra-EDTA/sodium sulfite clear (alkaline)
      14. Coating formula
      15. Making the palladium print
      16. Exposing
      17. Processing
      18. Printing with the palladium negative
      19. Printing with RGB duotone negatives
      20. Printing with CMYK duotone negatives
      21. Troubleshooting palladium
    10. Chapter 11 Printing Cyanotype on Alternate Surfaces
      1. Cyanotype on fabric
      2. Cyanotype formula for fabric
      3. Fabric formula
      4. Coating fabric
      5. Exposing fabric
      6. Processing fabric
      7. Toning fabric if desired
      8. Laundering cyanotype fabric
      9. Tips
      10. Sources for cyanotype fabric
      11. Cyanotype on glass
      12. Purchasing the glass plate
      13. Cleaning the glass plate
      14. Subbing the glass plate
      15. Coating the glass plate with cyanotype
      16. Exposing the glass plate
      17. Processing the glass plate
      18. Printing cyanotype on OHP
      19. Printing cyanotype on wood
    11. Chapter 12 More Creative Ideas for Cyanotype
      1. Printing cyanotype over gold leaf
      2. Supplies
      3. Sources for gold leaf supplies
      4. Writing on a cyanotype print
      5. Postcards
      6. Punching a cyanotype print
      7. Handcoloring
      8. Watercolor pencils
      9. Supplies
      10. Photo oils
      11. Supplies
      12. The wet cyanotype process
      13. Combination printing
      14. More creative ideas
    12. Chapter 13 Troubleshooting Cyanotype
      1. Potential problems
      2. The FAC solution has turned blue
      3. The FAC solution is moldy
      4. FAC and PF WHEN mixed turns blue
      5. Paper turns blue while drying
      6. The exposure is extremely slow
      7. The print is underexposed
      8. The print is overexposed
      9. The cyanotype print washes off
      10. The shadows bleed into the highlights
      11. The print is too low contrast
      12. The print is too high contrast
      13. The print is grainy
      14. The highlights are fogged blue
      15. There are lavender stains in the print
      16. The highlights are yellowed
      17. The print is mottled
      18. The print is dull
      19. The prints are inconsistent
      20. There are blue spots or streaks
      21. The print is splotchy or crystallized
      22. There are round white spots in the print
      23. The shadows are solarized
      24. The image is unsharp
      25. There are blue stains
      26. The print has faded
    13. Chapter 14 Finishing, Framing, and Storing Cyanotype
      1. Keeping record of works
      2. Varnishing cyanotype prints
      3. How to best store the print
      4. Editioning work
      5. Matting and framing
  9. PART TWO CONTEMPORARY CYANOTYPE ARTISTS
    1. Chapter 15 Contemporary Cyanotype Artists
      1. Mariana Bartolomeo
      2. Jennah Ward Bentley
      3. Laura Blacklow
      4. Jonah Calinawan
      5. Wendy Catling
      6. Kimberly Chiaris
      7. Monica Chulewicz
      8. John Dugdale
      9. Jesseca Ferguson
      10. Peter Friedrichsen
      11. Annette Golaz
      12. Jacek Gonsalves
      13. John P. Jackson
      14. Teresa James
      15. Shannon Johnstone
      16. Max Kellenberger
      17. Sandy King
      18. Tasha Lewis
      19. Galina Manikova
      20. Constanza Isaza Martinez
      21. Sehera Nawaz
      22. Zeva Oelbaum
      23. Emma Powell
      24. Meghann Riepenhoff
      25. Judy Sherrod
      26. Gerardo Stübing
      27. David Underwood
      28. Harrison D. Walker
      29. Sam Wang
      30. Mike Ware
  10. Bibliography
  11. Index

Product information

  • Title: Cyanotype
  • Author(s): Christina Z Anderson
  • Release date: January 2019
  • Publisher(s): Focal Press
  • ISBN: 9780429805974