Experimenting with oiled paper negatives and cyanotypes.
The first couple of weeks of the Stills Alternative Processes class with Brittonie Fletcher covered the cyanotype.
My previous experiments with cyanotypes had only involved using negatives, acetates or direct prints from objects (photograms) – never oiled paper. Using a relatively thin piece of copy paper with a greyscale inkjet print the paper is covered in a light vegetable oil. The front and the back are coated with any excess oil blotted off with paper towel. Placing the ink side of the oiled paper against the cyanotype emulsion, the two were held flat by a sheet of glass and exposed to direct sunlight for about 15 minutes.
Perth Shopfront Oiled Paper Negative
Perth Shopfront Oiled Paper Cyanotype
Comparing this with the acetate print of the same image shows how much sharper the acetate is. The print fell back into a puddle of water whilst drying resulting in paler areas where the chemicals have washed out.
Perth Shopfront Acetate Negative
Perth Shopfront Acetate Cyanotype
Enlargements show the differences in sharpness between the two. The softer oiled paper version could be used to add to an atmospheric effect depending upon the subject.
Detail from oiled paper contact print
Detail from acetate contact print