preparing the chemical solution

Blueprinting, or cyonotype,
is one of the earliest forms
of photography,
dating back to 1842.
My work begins with
plain cotton fabric
which I treat with
photosensitive chemicals
in a dark room.

I choose a subject for the print, such as a hand cut paper design or some plants or a photo negative. I lay the treated fabric on a foam board, with the subject on top, and cover it with plexiglass and clamp it all together. I expose it all to bright sunlight for 8 minutes. After a few minutes of rinsing the image is permanently printed on the fabric.




Colored fabrics make nice blueprints, too...


Some of my pieces are a rich, light brown color. These are printed on white fabric in the usual way. I place the blueprint in a solution of baking soda and water to remove the blue color. The result is a yellow and white print. I then soak the piece in ordinary black tea, and that dyes the print brown.

Contact me, Marjorie Mullany
PO Box 1064
Sandia Park, NM 87047
505-281-6095
marjmullany@yahoo.com

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