Notes from my first art workshop
Botanical Cyanotype Workshop
Hi, I’m Ellen and I’m a creative gal. Over the past year or two I have focused my art practice on making Cyanotypes. Cyanotypes are a form of alternative photography that take the simplest aspects of capturing an image, light, pretty much just light, to create a beautiful cyan blue print.
Anyway I got invited to lead a cyanotype workshop with some A-level students who were doing a project on botany. Anna Atkins, the first person to illustrate a book in the 1840s, used the cyanotype process to document the details of botanical specimens and botanical cyanotypes have been explored by various artists over time. We started with Anna Atkins and talked about the process of the light sensitive chemicals which are developed in UV light.
Then it was time to give it a go. We started outside but the wind disrupted the composition of our prints so then we headed inside to take advantage of the light box.
As part of their project, the students had already sourced lots of great dried flowers, leaves and seeds which made for a quick creative process. I also introduced water, suggesting they dribble, spray or flick some water on the light sensitive paper before developing it. Along with the seeds, the water droplets left delicate and diverse marks.
Happy making!
Ellen