Cyanotype is like a RPG, the more XP you get, the more complex process you will be able to perform. In the Journey of cyanotype, there’s the basic and quite simple blue monochrome, then the toned monochrome, then come the duotone and for very experimented printers, the 3 colors cyanotype. So, even if I’m not a master with monochrome, I get quite consistant result and decided to move to the 3rd level. There’s again a lot to learn on this level, new parameters to take into account and a lot of failure coming up. The first challenge is to get a picture in color. Really, I don’t really have proper color picture. Then you should choose on with not too much red.

Here’s a quick description of the process (the digital processing is done in gimp):

• Choose your image
• flip image horizontaly“
• saturation to 100%
• separate
  • colors-> components -> decompose

tip :
red is cyan
green is magenta
blue is yellow

• adjustment of the cyan (red) => then export to one file
  • color -> brightness and contrast -> brightness to 127
  • color -> exposure -> black to 0.1
  • color -> invert
  • file -> export -> image-cyan.jpg
• then adjust green and yellow before combining and export
  • select the magenta (green)
    • color -> brightness and contrast -> brightness to 127
    • color -> invert
  • select the yellow (blue)
    • color -> brightness and contrast -> brightness to 127
    • color -> invert
  • select both,
    • go to the green one and change mode to addition
    • go to the blue one and change mode to addition
    • file -> export -> image-magenta-yellow.jpg

Now we have two files, we print them on the usual transparency at the size we want to make the print.

Let’s go for the analog part:

• Size the paper in hot water
• First layer with a 10%+10% cyanotype
• Expose double time from what you are used with the monochrome process.
• Develop in tap water for 5 min.
• Oxidize with H2O2
• Then bleach in 1 table spoon of sodium carbonate in 5L of water
  • First dilute in hot water and then add more water to 5L
  • Bleach for 20 min until the blue is gone and only yellow remains.
• Toning with tonic acid (big spoon) in 2L (dilute in hot water and steer for long time.
• Then bleach again for 2 min. (I forgot that step)
• Dry.
• Second layer in 5%+5% (take 5ml of 10%A+5ml 10%B and add 10ml water)
• Cast and dry quickly (There seem to be a reaction between the cyanotype solution and the toner)
• Expose (normal time)
• Develop in tap water
• Oxidize with H2O2 (not mandatory, time will do the job)
• Dry and you’re done.

Here is a first somehow acceptable result.

Two additional pictures from this serie. This time coffee and mate toning. I hope you like the quick wander, imagine the heat and the moist and get lost there.

These film scanned, enlarged and printed in cyanotype with a toning mixed avocado stone and coffee. Could have stayed a bit longer in the toning, but I like the kind of dark blue. It goes well with the atmosphere of these pictures.

All pictures taken in Toraja, Sulawesi 2023.

I was reading about toning with avocado stones the other day ands decided to give it a go. This is quite a good material to work with. Quite some work to chop it manually, but I don’t want to use the kitchen blender for that. I’ll continue experimenting with that since there are several additives you can use to get different colors.

Since there was another hobby which uses too much time, I could not dedicate the time I wanted to photography. Finding the right balance is not always easy and can take some time. Hopefully, this balance has been found and I can enjoy the production of images again. It was never off in my mind, it was just a time issue.

And we can tell a lot of negatives thing about social media, there’s one positive part of it that I don’t want to get rid of. It is the inspiration and the motivation other enthusiasts can give us. It was a simple comment from one of cyanotype make on his process that just trigger the need to go back to the darkroom.

Here’s the result of the first session. Very pleased with the smooth texture and details.