One of the biggest drawbacks with Cyanotypes is that they need to be made as contact prints. This means that the print has to be the same size as the negative. Unless you have a large format camera handy, this is going to be a problem.The cyanotypes here are produced from normal 35mm negatives. A print has been generated in the normal way which is then scanned. The scanned image is then inverted in Photoshop to produce a "negative image". This negative image is then printed (using a laser printer) onto a sheet of A4 acetate. This method then generates a large, digital negative which can then be contact printed in the normal fashion.
The image above was produced by contact printing the acetates for about 30 minutes under the cold, overcast, English sun. The print looks a lot less exposed than the prints from a couple of days ago - maybe, it was more overcast today. Still, if you use the levels in Photoshop you can start to see what a properly exposed and developed print is going to look like.
I am also getting better at getting an even coat of sensitizer onto the paper. With a little more practice, I should be able to get a fairly even coat.
I am really impressed with results - they are a lot better than I expected given the apparent quality of the acetate negative. Worth persevering with this as a technique.....
