Chris Calohan
Well-known member
This is a Cyanotype done on an unusual "paper." This paper is called mineral paper and is made from finely ground calcium carbonate and as such is alkaline and not at all conducive to the Cyanotype process.
This print was made in several stages:
1. A finely coated piece of 9x12 Mineral paper. Patience is a virtue as it takes some work to get an even surface.
2. I did rub a minute bit of turmeric and paprika into the surface of the paper prior to coating just because this had worked nicely on other papers.
3. A normal botanical assemblage. I generally will place larger leaves but then drop whatever else I have in my collection from about 12-15 inches to create a more random arrangement, spritzed lightly with a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar, then covered with a piece of saran wrap (for texture).
4. Put in a clamp frame consisting of two pieces of 3/16" glass and clamped down with heavy-duty clamps.
5. Exposed in natural sunlight (10 am to 1 pm) though as I later discovered, ten minutes would have pretty much done the same thing. Removed from the frame leaving the arrangement stuck to the saran wrap. I leaned the print up on a wet piece of glass and gently washed off the chemicals and other stuff I added.
The image created was quite light, almost ghosted. Recognizing this was due to the alkalinity of the mineral substrate, I recoated in select areas, added some new botanical elements, added a bit more turmeric and paprika though sparingly and still mixed with a dab of vinegar water. Mind you, at this moment I am just doing my usual, "I wonder what would happen if..."
The second exposure and this was discovered purely by the chance of the weather changing rapidly, was only 10-12 minutes. I could have brought it into a dark environment and waited for the weather, but I saw just enough of a clear image to make me do another wash. While the "paper" looks quite delicate, it's not and will take quite a bit of abuse.
Then, I bleached the print for 6 minutes +/- in a strong solution of Sodium Carbonate, rinsed for ten minutes, removed from the rinse water, drained, and in a new tray poured in a green tea toner (4 bags of Uncle Lee's, steeped in 500ml water, then cooled down a bit by adding another 500ml cool water), and waited for it to get to room temperature. Pouring the solution into the new tray, I toned for about 8 minutes, rinsed for ten minutes and hung up to dry.
This is the first of many to come. I find this to be a fascinating process which will open up a plethora of fun stuff.
This print was made in several stages:
1. A finely coated piece of 9x12 Mineral paper. Patience is a virtue as it takes some work to get an even surface.
2. I did rub a minute bit of turmeric and paprika into the surface of the paper prior to coating just because this had worked nicely on other papers.
3. A normal botanical assemblage. I generally will place larger leaves but then drop whatever else I have in my collection from about 12-15 inches to create a more random arrangement, spritzed lightly with a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar, then covered with a piece of saran wrap (for texture).
4. Put in a clamp frame consisting of two pieces of 3/16" glass and clamped down with heavy-duty clamps.
5. Exposed in natural sunlight (10 am to 1 pm) though as I later discovered, ten minutes would have pretty much done the same thing. Removed from the frame leaving the arrangement stuck to the saran wrap. I leaned the print up on a wet piece of glass and gently washed off the chemicals and other stuff I added.
The image created was quite light, almost ghosted. Recognizing this was due to the alkalinity of the mineral substrate, I recoated in select areas, added some new botanical elements, added a bit more turmeric and paprika though sparingly and still mixed with a dab of vinegar water. Mind you, at this moment I am just doing my usual, "I wonder what would happen if..."
The second exposure and this was discovered purely by the chance of the weather changing rapidly, was only 10-12 minutes. I could have brought it into a dark environment and waited for the weather, but I saw just enough of a clear image to make me do another wash. While the "paper" looks quite delicate, it's not and will take quite a bit of abuse.
Then, I bleached the print for 6 minutes +/- in a strong solution of Sodium Carbonate, rinsed for ten minutes, removed from the rinse water, drained, and in a new tray poured in a green tea toner (4 bags of Uncle Lee's, steeped in 500ml water, then cooled down a bit by adding another 500ml cool water), and waited for it to get to room temperature. Pouring the solution into the new tray, I toned for about 8 minutes, rinsed for ten minutes and hung up to dry.
This is the first of many to come. I find this to be a fascinating process which will open up a plethora of fun stuff.
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