Cyanotype dye has been thought of as the first photography. Cyanotype prints are achieved when an object is placed on a chemically treated material and exposed to light. The shadow of the image is left with the color of the material and everything exposed to the light is a dark blue. The dark cyan-blue left by the reaction is the inspiration behind the name for the blueprints and its name.
Sir John Herschel invented cyanotype dye and its uses. It was a piece of paper covered in iron salts. He left a flower on the paper, exposed it to sunlight, and then washed it in a warm water solution. Anna Atkins used this to create the first photo book of plants.
The modern-day cyanotype dye is ferric ammonium citrate. When ferric ammonium citrate or oxalate is mixed with potassium ferricyanide, it becomes sensitive to UV light. Coating a material with this die in a dark room and letting it dry, then exposing it to the sunlight with the negative object on top, and rinsing it in water, creates a two-tone image.
Ferric ammonium citrate is a red-brown solid that is easily soluble in water. It has a faint ammonium smell and is a huge environmental threat. It's made of citric acid, which you might find in your favorite sour candies, iron, and ammonia. It is still used in blueprints as well for art.
You have to buy a kit to create some cyanotype dying on a small scale. If you want to create on a larger scale you can buy the chemicals separately. These are harmful chemicals and should 100% not be in reach of children. Children can still help you though.
Have your kid draw a picture or an object with one color and use mostly silhouettes.
After they are done, cut just the picture out of the paper. Whatever you are putting on the square is what is going to stay the color of your material. Whatever is left in the sunlight will turn dark blue.
Decide on your material. When I was younger, my mom had a bunch of light blue squares of material. She had all of our family and friends draw on paper. She copied all of them onto clear plastic and drew all the pictures with black paint. Then, she covered the material in dye and exposed it. After all the fabric was down, she sewed the squares into a quilt.
Follow the directions of your kit or of the chemical you buy.
This is a fantastic way to preserve some old drawings without having to keep boxes and boxes of the same rainbow drawing.
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