Playing in the sun

I've wanted to try making cyanotype prints for some time, and thought it would be a nice thing to do with J; recently I read a blog post which inspired me to order a pack of prepared paper, we watched a couple of YouTube tutorials and, after lunch on Sunday, assembled our materials on the deck. There is no shortage of plant material, of course; perhaps one of the attractions was that I could see this would be another way to photograph the weeds in the garden. We looked for things with interesting, reasonably delicate shapes - black medic, herb Robert, various grasses, and simple, four-petalled rocket flowers from my running to seed salad tub. The results will follow, after hanging up to dry for twenty four hours and flattening under a pile of books. 

The process is simple: place the subject(s) on the prepared paper, which is best laid on a firm base, cover with a sheet of glass, and leave in full sun. It's best not to allow cats to join in, but Casper was determined to contribute his creative insights. The timing will require experimentation: our longest exposure seems to be the most successful, perhaps because although it was sunny, it was already fairly late in the afternoon. We simply washed and fixed in a bowl of cold water then hung the sheets to dry in the bathroom. The results were not quite what I dreamed of, but there is potential for further experimentation and improvement, and we enjoyed the process.