Cyanotype Workshop : Techniques & Projects

Cyanotype is a creative technique that produces blueprints using photosensitive paper, light and water rather than a camera. The process was discovered by the scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel in 1841; it was first used to reproduce mathematical tables and diagrams, then copies of architectural drawings, which is where the term ‘blueprint’ comes from. Herschel’s friend, the botanist Anna Atkins, used the process for book illustration, effectively producing the world’s first photographically illustrated book. Cyanotype because extremely popular in the 1850s but was soon eclipsed by camera-based photography, though the technique continued to be taught in art schools.

French author Camille Soulayrol came across this almost-forgotten craft in 2017 and, with her friend Marie Venditelli, launched the brand Invincible Été to bring cyanotype back into fashion. In their beautiful and inspirational guide, easy-to-follow instructions and gorgeous photography show you how to produce beautiful, detailed white images on a Prussian blue background using the cyanotype method.

Includes how to use sun exposure for different tones, making a herbarium (including how to dry different plants), use of different materials and papers.