How to Make a Cyanotype Sun Print on Fabric
Source: Justine Silva • Full tutorial: www.craftingstepbystep.com/crafts/how-to-make-a-cyanotype-sun-print
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Hands-on time
- About 1 hour
- Wait time
- 4 hours
- Cost
- About $10 to $25
- Makes
- 1 printed fabric panel
Tools
- plexiglass or glass sheet
- large tub or bucket
- gloves
- cardboard box
- sewing machine (optional, for hemming)
Materials
- cyanotype kit (part A and part B)
- cotton or linen fabric
- fresh leaves or flowers
- clear packing tape
- painter's tape
- 3% hydrogen peroxide (optional)
Steps
1. Hem the Cotton Fabric Panel for the Cyanotype Print
Start with a natural fabric. Cotton, linen and silk take the cyanotype solution evenly, while synthetics give patchy results.
Tip: Pre-wash and dry the fabric so the solution soaks in evenly.
2. Mix the Cyanotype Solution and Coat the Fabric in the Dark
A cyanotype kit comes as two bottles, part A and part B. Follow the bottle directions to prepare them.
Tip: Wear gloves. The solution stains skin and counters.
3. Arrange Leaves on Plexiglass for the Sun Print
Collect leaves, fronds or flowers with interesting shapes. For a large panel, lay a sheet of plexiglass on a table and arrange the plants on it in the layout you want.
Tip: Flat, solid leaves give the crispest white shapes.
4. Keep the Treated Cyanotype Fabric Sealed From Light
Once the coated fabric is dry, keep it out of the light until the moment you print. Justine sandwiches it inside a cardboard box and seals the seams with painter's tape so no light leaks in.
Tip: Have the plate ready before you open the box. Speed matters here.
5. Lay the Plexiglass Plate Over the Cyanotype Fabric
Pick a sunny spot and set the box on a flat surface. Open it, and right away lower the plexiglass plate over the treated fabric with the leaves facing down.
Tip: Tape the plate edges to the box so wind cannot move it.
6. Expose the Cyanotype Sun Print for 15 to 20 Minutes
Leave the print in direct sun for about 15 to 20 minutes. You will see the fabric change colour as it reacts, from yellow green to a greyish blue around the leaves.
Tip: Do not move the plate during exposure or the edges will double.
7. Rinse the Cyanotype Fabric in Cold Water
When the time is up, lift off the plexiglass and get the fabric into the water straight away. The rinse stops the reaction and washes out the unexposed solution.
Tip: Change the water if it turns very yellow.
8. Reveal the White Leaf Shapes on the Blue Cyanotype
Lift the fabric out of the tub and open it up. The covered areas are now crisp white leaf shapes on deep blue.
Tip: The blue keeps deepening a little as the fabric dries.
9. Hang the Cyanotype Sun Print to Dry
Hang the panel somewhere airy to dry. Once one print is done, the rest go quickly.
Tip: Wash finished fabric in cold water with phosphate-free soap so the blue lasts.
