Alternative Processes in Photography

Cyanotype and VanDyke prints

The images presented below are limited editions of 15 prints for each image and size.  They are hand printed and hand colored with Faber-Castell Polychromos pencil and are Cyanotype or VanDyke prints.  These hand printed and hand colored editions are prized individually.  Please contact me for additional information about prices and sizes. Click the button below for a slide show of images currently available.

Both Cyanotype and VanDyke prints are historical non-camera photographic contact printing processes. Cyanotype was invented in 1842 by Sir John Herschel. VanDyke processing was patented in Germany in 1895 by Arndt and Troost and was named after Flemish painter Sir Anthony van Dyck (1750-1825) due to his use of rich brown colors in his work. 

The finished prints can be hand colored with colored pencils or watercolor. Cyanotype prints can also be toned with a variety of staining liquids prior to hand coloring.

The process for both methods is similar with the only differences being the chemicals used and the print out process. Under yellow light, the paper or other medium is coated with the solution using a foam or Japanese Hake brush with horizontal and vertical strokes, making sure the paper is covered evenly. The paper is then set aside to dry in a dark place or with the use of a hair dryer on low.

Both processes are based on UV light, using either UV light bulbs or sunshine, causing a change in a light sensitive emulsion brushed onto paper or other substrates. 

The first step is to create a negative or select items to make a contact print. The negative with the sensitized paper is placed in a contact print frame or pressed under glass and exposed to strong UV lighting, either the sun or UV lightbulbs, to expose the print.