Cyanotype: Beyond Botanicals – Online

Cyanotype has always sat outside the common trope of photography as a means to produce realistic images. The combination of its specific limitations and advantages has led to a long and dynamic history, and modern developments with digital/analogue hybrids have opened up even more possibilities.

This online workshop will explore a variety of processes available to produce cyanotype prints. We will survey works by historical and contemporary artists and investigate how the choice of process affects the subject and the experience the image produces.

Each participant will be sent a kit with everything they need to make cyanotypes at home and participants are encouraged to explore a variety of different ways to block and bend light to create their own images. This workshop will result in an online exhibition in the PhotoAccess online gallery.

Session One: Silhouettes and Shadows, Tuesday July 12th, 7-8pm via Zoom

The session will provide a history of the process with a particular focus on the way it has been used to make camera-less prints such as photograms and blue prints. Using a variety of objects we will play with the way light is blocked or bent or passed through an object creating impressions of it silhouette, translucence or shadow.

Session Two: Positives and Negatives, Tuesday July 19th, 7-8pm via Zoom

Digital technologies mean it is now easy to produce transparencies from digital files. We will look at artists who use cyanotype to create hybrid works that combine modern digital techniques with this analogue process. We will also explore making positive prints from negatives and negative prints from positives.

Session Three: Blue and Beyond, Tuesday July 26th, 7-8pm via Zoom

Cyanotype is named after its blue colour; this session will look at examples of cyanotypes that directly acknowledge its colour as a part of the work. The blue of cyanotype is iconic, but the chemistry also lends itself easily to toning with common household ingredients. This session will explore a few ways you can turn your cyan prints into something more sepia.

Session Four: Drawing with Light, Tuesday August 2nd, 7-8pm via Zoom

In preparation for the Photo Access online gallery exhibition and pulling together all of the techniques and ideas presented in the previous weeks, participants will present their own ideas and examples discussing this relationship between the process and the subject and planning which works will be exhibited online.

A personalised materials kit will be sent out via mail to all participants for cyanotype print-making and ample experimentation.

Materials include:

• A pack of coated cyanotype paper
• Feathers and objects for creating photograms
• Clear perspex sheets for printing
• Syllabus
• Photographic digital negatives and tonal chart
• Sodium carbonate, instant coffee, and teabags for toning prints
• Tracing paper for creating hand drawn negatives

Enrolments for this workshop close at 5pm on Friday 8th July, 2022. PhotoAccess reserves the right to cancel the workshop if there are insufficient enrolments. If we have to cancel, you’ll receive a full refund.

PhotoAccess will happily refund or transfer workshop fees up to 7 days prior to the start date of the workshop. If less than 7 days notice is given PhotoAccess will transfer fees to another workshop but will charge a transfer fee of either 25% of the workshop cost or $50, whichever is less. No refunds or transfers can be given once a workshop has started. Please note that memberships purchased in conjunction with a workshop enrolment are non-refundable. See Terms and Conditions for further details.