Alternative printing

olakiril

olakiril

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I am about to embark on a new journey, the one in alternative printing. I missed my old darkroom prints and since I don't have space for a dark-room/enlarger at home anymore this is the closest I can get to wet printing.

This weekend I will try the following two techniques:

1. Anthotypes with Turmeric (I might try a chlorophyll print just for fun as well)
Fixing with Borax/Baking soda?

2. Salt printing without toners
Table salt, silver nitrate, sodium thiosulfate as fixer.

I will be using printed digital negatives on transparency paper, emulsions on thick watercolor paper, and the sun as a UV source.

Any suggestions?
 
The sun, while a good source of UV light, isn't very consistent as a whole, so be ready to make multiple prints as a whole.
I heavily suggest making a UV box so you can more easily nail time and intensity of the UV instead.
 
filmtwit said:
The sun, while a good source of UV light, isn't very consistent as a whole, so be ready to make multiple prints as a whole.
I heavily suggest making a UV box so you can more easily nail time and intensity of the UV instead.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I know I am not a fan of uncontrollable parameters. Before I go and do that though I would like to just try it with the sun. I will leave borders so I can judge the development time. This is going to be a good experience for my children as well.

As a side note: I have read in some other forums that UV from the sun could actually give better contrast. Is that true? Does UV intensity apart from the development time affect the contrast as well ? The only explanation that I had is that the sun has more parallel rays and that the resolution (local contrast) might be a bit better. I will of course try all these things out.
 
I don't know if that would be true. If so, I would think that the reason is related to the wide spectrum of IV wavelengths provided by sunlight. Artificial sources are usually more focused around a specific wavelength. The bulbs in my UV box are 460nm bulbs, so that would be the wavelength of the bulk of light being emitted.
 
rfaspen said:
I don't know if that would be true. If so, I would think that the reason is related to the wide spectrum of IV wavelengths provided by sunlight. Artificial sources are usually more focused around a specific wavelength. The bulbs in my UV box are 460nm bulbs, so that would be the wavelength of the bulk of light being emitted.
Click to expand...

Yes that could indeed be the case rfaspen!

rfaspen said:
Cyanotypes are fun for me. Making the digital negative is also a challenge....
Click to expand...
Do you have a specific curve adjustment that gives you consistent results?
 
You probably know this, but there is a sunlight sensitive paper that can be developed in plain water. I called this “pseudo-cyanotype” and children find this quite amusing (“magic” , they say). Exposure to sunlight need a few minutes and the development in tap water is quite fast. One can control it visually, and take it to dry when the image is satisfactory. No darkroom needed as long as the paper is not exposed to direct sunlight.
Some examples
Three tests with the same stripe of MF film
Cyanos by João Avelar, on Flickr

I selected one of the images (indoors, available light), Camera was an Iskra
Cyanos 1a by João Avelar, on Flickr

Regards
Joao
 
I made some contact cyanotypes from a set of 6x6 negs of my girls a few years ago. Sunlight exposure. Still sitting in a frame and in view.
 
Joao said:
You probably know this, but there is a sunlight sensitive paper that can be developed in plain water.
Click to expand...


No actually I wasn't aware of that, but unfortunately is not easy to get where I live...

Is it based on some version of cyanotype? Looks great and quite fun for children!

sojournerphoto said:
I made some contact cyanotypes from a set of 6x6 negs of my girls a few years ago. Sunlight exposure. Still sitting in a frame and in view.
Click to expand...

Good to know! Did you coat them with anything? Like beeswax and lavender oil?
 
Cyanotype:
I have an unused cyanotype kit and plenty of watercolor paper.

Could someone please explain the steps for making a 'digital negative'? I assume that a digital file has to be printed on something transparent. From then on I am ok, I could use my Focomat to precisely expose and then develop.
I have a decent A3 printer: Epson 8550
Thank you!
 
571514m3 said:
Cyanotype:
I have an unused cyanotype kit and plenty of watercolor paper.

Could someone please explain the steps for making a 'digital negative'? I assume that a digital file has to be printed on something transparent. From then on I am ok, I could use my Focomat to precisely expose and then develop.
I have a decent A3 printer: Epson 8550
Thank you!
Click to expand...

Other than printing your image on transparency slides (make sure these are inkjet transparency slides, not for photocopy/laser printers ) you have to do the following adjustments to your image before that step:

1. Convert your image to B&W as this makes it easier to predict the final exposure
2. Invert the image to make a negative that is going to be used as a mask.
3. Adjust the luminance curve to counter act the non-linearities of the printing method.

Here are the steps: https://jonahcalinawan.com/blog/cyan...ital-negative/

P.S. I will be using the same printer!
 
571514m3 said:
Cyanotype:
I have an unused cyanotype kit and plenty of watercolor paper.

Could someone please explain the steps for making a 'digital negative'? I assume that a digital file has to be printed on something transparent. From then on I am ok, I could use my Focomat to precisely expose and then develop.
I have a decent A3 printer: Epson 8550
Thank you!
Click to expand...

A relatively simple set of instructions are here:
https://jonahcalinawan.com/blog/cyanotype-digital-negative/
Pictorico Premium Inkjet OHP Transparency Film is by far the best material to print on, although others work.

Cyanotype is UV sensitive; you won’t be able to use your Focomat, which produces essentially only visible light.

Good luck.
 
I’ll see if I can find that type of film in Australia. About the negative:
I assumed that I’d print a monochrome negative. Why color?
 
571514m3 said:
I’ll see if I can find that type of film in Australia. About the negative:
I assumed that I’d print a monochrome negative. Why color?
Click to expand...

I’m in Australia too - you can get Pictorico ohp film at a number of Australian based online sellers.

Using coloured inks helps with getting enough density, which is an ongoing problem for UV contact printing.
 
To olakiril
Sorry for the late reply The Solar Paper to make pseudocianotypes is sold by AstroMediaUK ( no relation to them except as a client) Easy to find them if you google it. . The paper is affordable, they mail it to you. Great to mske photograms - and positives from 120 negatives. No chemicals to be manipulated.
Regards
Joao
 
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