3 blue eggs

[windrivermaiden]

cyanotype almost feels like child's play after working in albumen...but it will develop out in low UV... near darkness it seems. Good for a foggy day.

 

[terri]

Nice one! You got some decent contrast here and the tones are really lovely. The subject matter works with the process very nicely.

How large are your working negatives, Windy? I can't get into contact printing because of my negative size limits, coupled with sheer laziness to learn to print digital negs at home. I'll do it when I obtain the Tachihara 4x5 that I lust after (part of the allure of LF is to dip a toe into contact printing).

If you've answered this before, I apologize.

 

[windrivermaiden]

This is a 8 x 10 ink Jet negative. Old school, Staples brand transparency.

Get over the fear...go out and indulge in a packet of OHP and make up a monotone print...invert the image and print on transparency setting...Just to get a nice start. Once you get over the fear of messing up a piece of OHP at what ever it is 3-4 bucks an 8x10 sheet, it is addictive....pretty soon you will be wanting that huge HP printer...you know the one...48 inches across, OHP by the roll, send the kids off to boarding school in Utah and go to town. (OK, that is MY fantasy.)

One nice thing about OHP is that once the ink dries, you can get the "negative" wet, even rinse it off and it wont smear. Don't get those nice results with Store brand transparency. Which will smear and bubble if you breathe on them it seems, even when dry for months and months. But, on the other hand, you cant "lift" off OHP.

I've actually made some larger images by printing my negs on several sheets of OHP and taping them together. I would like to indulge in that some more but time has been a problem, so mostly I buy the rolls of OHP from Bostick and Sullivan (shameless plug for a company with supurb customer service) and then I can print my negs 8 inches wide and how ever long I want...Usually 12 inches.

Actually, If you are interested in diving into digital negatives, Dan Burkholder's book is a great read on the subject of inkjet negatives. I highly recommend it.

 

[terri]

You're preachin' to the choir, sweet pea! I'm very familiar with Dan Burkholder and have actually recommended his book to anyone who wants to get into contact printing, for these exact reasons. His wife Jill does lovely work with bromoil prints, and I'm on a little group list with her and other bromoil fans.

Nah, I wouldn't say I fear learning the technique - it really is more a matter of picking the project I have time for. I love to learn new things. This year has been spent more playing around with toners, and next month I'll be at a workshop for lith printmaking (instructor: Tim Rudman). So, I have really been keeping the brain clear to focus on that - I have a feeling it might be my new addiction.

Your suggestion of starting with the OHP transparencies is probably a good one.....yeah, not cheap, but I got over the minor nausea associated with tossing out expensive failures many moons ago, learning Polaroid lifts and transfers (their 5x7 sheet film ain't getting any cheaper....). :razz:

 

[windrivermaiden]

I'm so grateful to have "kindred spirits" here! Yay!

yes, it is soooo adictive. If only I could find a way to make a living at it full time. and there were like...100 hours in a day, and I'd never need sleep...Yep! I think I have a chemical dependancy.