Printmaking with Cyanotype
Printmaking with Cyanotype
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Learn how to turn your drawings and photos into handprinted cyanotypes: deep blues, a spectrum of tones, and that unmistakable analog feel.
What is this workshop about?
Most people know cyanotype as "sun prints": a leaf on paper, leaving a pale silhouette. But once you know how to control the exposure, it becomes far more expressive. Working with shades of grey, a single print can hold up to 7 distinct tones, turning cyanotype into a beautiful way to reproduce your own art. Even from a digital image, the result comes out warm, nostalgic, and unmistakably hand-made.
Who is it for?
All levels. No digital skills required: the hand-drawn method needs nothing but your hands.
How does it work?
In this workshop you'll coat your own paper with cyanotype solution, prepare an illustration/design, expose it under UV light, and rinse it to reveal your prints. Everyone leaves with their own finished pieces.
How will you create your prints?
- By hand: drawing on tracing paper with colored pencils and crayons, or layering pieces of semi-transparent paper.
- Digitally: preparing a grayscale file (Photoshop / Illustrator / Procreate), which we print onto tracing paper on the spot
What will you learn?
- How cyanotype works: its strengths and its limits
- Choosing the right papers, coating them evenly with solution, and controlling the result
- Preparing a hand-drawn negative on tracing paper
- Preparing a digital file: the right grey values, how to set it up, and how to turn a photo into a cyanotype negative
- Exposure under UV lamps, rinsing, and drying
What should you bring?
- Simple sketches or image ideas, monochromatic, with up to 7 tones
- If you want to work digitally: your own laptop or iPad
What's provided?
All materials are provided: solutions, papers, tracing papers, drawing materials, brushes, and UV lamps.
You take home your prints. Ready-to-use cyanotype kits will also be available to purchase on the day.
What language is it in?
The workshop is held in English.
Location
Kunstraum Heartspace, 10407