Cyanotypes Printing

Description

Cyanotype is one of the earliest photographic processes, using the iron produced by iron compounds. Cyanotypes have a strong blue colour. In 1843 Anna Atkins published the first book of photographs, using the recently discovered cyanotype, or blueprint, process.

In this workshop, you will try this technique out to produce bright blue cyanotype prints using negatives or found objects such as leaves and feathers. You will have the opportunity to mix the light-sensitive chemicals, coat the paper, expose and then develop it to give a lasting result on high-quality art paper.

Materials List

All equipment and materials will be supplied; chemicals, paper, etc, but you will need to bring objects through which to expose the paper.

The paper itself will be around A5 in size, with a slightly smaller image area. The chemicals can stain so wear old clothes; non-allergenic gloves are supplied.

Objects:

Bring a selection of objects. Ideally, they will be translucent, thin enough for light to shine through quite easily. Hold them up to the light, and if they allow some light through in some areas, and are darker in others, they will probably be fine.

Examples are flowers, leaves, feathers, drawings on tracing paper (good, solid lines and shading rather than light in tone), glassware with thick stems or patterns, cut-out shapes, and so on.

3D objects can work well, but we can only print them on a sunny day, as they will not go in the UV exposure box.

Negatives:

While it is not necessary to bring negatives, silver negatives or digital ones on transparency material can make good prints.

Negatives of either kind would ideally be full toned with good contrast, without being very dense and black, or very thin and clear.

Inkjet transparencies can be tricky to print on without overloading the ink and making them blotchy - printers vary greatly and this will need some trial and error with printer settings. I get the best results with Permajet Digital Transfer Film, it is pricey but has very good ink retention.

Invert the positive black and white image, and flip horizontally, before printing the negative.

Silver negatives are denser and can have longer printing times. The prints will be the same size as the negatives, so formats larger than 35mm are better if you can.

The tutor will bring a selection of negatives for you to use, so that you can try a range of objects and negatives regardless of what you are able to make in advance.

Fees & Further Information

Please note: All 10, and 12 week courses have a half term break in the middle. For term dates please visit our ‘Contact us’ page. We are not open on bank holiday Monday’s and any class that falls on these days will be made up at the end of term.

Fees

• You will need to have paid in full for your course or workshop to guarantee your place. We do not accept deposit or part payments. Course and workshops are becoming increasingly popular, so please book early in order to guarantee your place.
• We do offer concession rates for anyone over 65, NHS staff (blue light cards), Students or claiming the benefits listed below. As we are a self-funded organisation we receive no financial support, in order to offer these rates.
• The concessionary rate is for those whose sole source of income is from a state benefit. We accept Universal Credit, Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance. Please show a recent letter or statement stating your benefit when enrolling.

Refunds

• In the event that we have to cancel a course, we aim to inform you 2 working days before the start date, or at least 24 hours before a day workshop. If we have to cancel a course, then you will receive a full credit note or refund.
• If you wish to cancel your place you must inform us up to 14 days before the start date of your course or workshop. In this case you will receive a refund minus a 15% admin fee.
• If you give us less than 14 days notice, or your course or workshop has already started a refund will be not given.

Please see full terms and conditions for more information.

Latecomer

If a course has already started, please call the office as it may be possible to join after the start date. This may only be possible if the course is not already full, if it is not disruptive for the other students and you are aware that you have missed a percentage of the course and the tutor will not have time to catch you up. This will be at the discretion of the Folk House. We run our courses termly, so it might be best to start at the beginning of the course.

Levels

• You must be over 18 years old to attend a course or workshop at the Bristol Folk House.
• All our courses and workshops are non-accredited and will not receive a certificate for attending.
• We offer a range of courses at all levels and our tutors make every effort to accommodate your individual needs. Before choosing you may want to speak to the tutor to make sure the course is right for you. Please contact the office.
• To join all of our courses you must be able to follow written and verbal instructions and you may be invited to take part in group discussions. Please look at the rest of the course outline carefully to decide if you may benefit from any additional support to help you to take part in this class. Please contact the office if you require any further information.
• If you have a disability, learning difficulty or mental health issue which may affect your participation in your chosen course please contact the office prior to enrolling. If you will need to bring a career or support worker with you to the class, please inform the office when enrolling so we can make arrangements.

Access/ Parking

• Much as we would like to provide access for all, the Folk House has no level access or accessible facilities. This is something we are working on but it will take several years to complete - check our website for more details.
• We have no onsite car parking at the Bristol Folk House but there are many paid parking spots in the area. Please ask us for details on parking or see our website for more detail.
• We are on a busy bus route and have plenty of bike racks in our courtyard garden.