How to Cyanotype Print On Textiles with Film Negatives

my Experience “sun-printing” on Fabric

There are many factors and outcomes when creating cyanotype prints. For example, should you print on paper or fabric? Should you print physical objects such as plants, or transparency negatives? Even the choice of using UV rays from the sun vs using a UV light depends on the weather that day.

In this article, I will be focusing on the elaborate process of printing on textiles using the sun or a UV light; however, the process is almost exactly the same when making paper prints.

This will Require the following Materials:

• Jacquard Cyanotype Solution
• Foam Brush
• Natural fabric- I use muslin, but cotton and silk work as well.
• A dark place to hang your textiles (or photo paper)
• Access to cold water
• A sunny day OR UV light
• A photo printer for printing negatives
• Transparency Paper

*If you do not have your own printer, ask the local library if they would permit printing on transparency paper. Pay attention to whether the printer you’re using is an inkjet or laser printer, in order to purchase the correct transparency paper for your negatives.

Step 1: Coat Your Textiles

Mix one part solution A and one part solution B of the sensitizer. Coat your fabric using a foam brush, and hang to dry away from any sunlight (I prefer to do this at night, since UV rays can travel through glass windows). Your coated textiles should appear light green, almost yellowish, in color.

Step 2: Convert the image that you want to print into a negative.

You can do this by using Jacquard’s negative generator, but I prefer to throw my image into Photoshop.

For this example, this will be my initial photo, which is from a cyanotype project I am working on:

I “invert” the image, then go to “tone” and and turn it all the way down. This will make your image black and white, which is ideal for cyanotype printing. Turn the “contrast” up, more than you think looks right- it will help your print in the long run!

This is what your new image should look like:

Make sure you set your perimeters to the same size as the textile you will be printing on, and click the “transparent” background!

Lastly, for this step, you will need to horizontally “flip” your image. This is because when you cyanotype print with the negative, it will need to be ink-side down for the emulsion to be as close to your fabric as possible.

Step 3: Print Your Transparency Negatives

Make sure you click the “photopaper” option on your printer! I don’t cut off the extra edges on the negatives; instead, I use mine for notes about the best exposure times for that print using my UV light.

Place your negatives somewhere that the ink can fully dry before you use them on your cyanotype prints.

Step 4: Cyanotype Print Your Negatives

Using the sun, or your UV light, it is now time to print onto your textiles. Make sure not to expose the fabric until you are absolutely ready. The fabric can be exposed to light, just as long as it is not UV light such as sunlight.

This is my set-up, using a UV light so that I can have consistent results despite the weather or time of day:

I contain the UV light over the print within a bottom-less cardboard box, as UV rays are very dangerous to your eyes and skin.

With my negative laying emulsion-side down over my coated textile, I place the box over the two layers.

Setting a timer for between 2:30 and 3 minutes, I turn on the UV light.

For best results, experiment with different exposure times.

Before I got my UV light, I had only ever exposed using the sun. Because I live in the Midwest, exposure times were between 5-20 minutes. Because of this, the first time I exposed with my UV light, I did it for 20 minutes. This gave me way too dark of a print!

Step 5: Rinse Your Print

With cold water, use a tray to rinse out the cyanotype from your print. At first, the water will appear similar to Mountain Dew, but rinse until the water runs clear.

*Your print will develop to its deepest blue within 24 hours. If you want to see this happen immediately, use a splash of hydrogen peroxide when you rinse your fabric.

Hang to dry, and there you have it!

If you use any of these tips, I would love to hear about it in the comments!