Jacquard Cyanotype Sensitizer Set

It works

Works very well and is easy to use. The bottles contain the chemicals in powder form, to which you need to add water. That can be a little tricky since the bottles are opaque. Be careful not to overfill. You need to shake up the bottles and let them sit for a day or so so completely dissolve (according to instructions). They say the chemicals are pretty safe, but I used rubber gloves and Im sure theyd stain if you got any on you. I used watercolor paper and a wide soft brush. The paper was pretty absorbent, so it was not easy to get even coverage. I found that making long, fast strokes worked best to keep chemical from soaking in unevenly. A harder surface paper might be better. No idea how it would work on fabric. I poured a tablespoon of each chemical into a dish, which was enough to coat 8 sheets of 8 x 11 paper. They say this kit will make around 65 8 x 10 prints and I would guess youd get at least that if not more. I used transparency film negatives printed on my laser printer, but for really solid white areas on the print I think Ill be using a commercial copy shop to make the negatives. (You can also use a sharpie to draw directly on film, but remember that what you draw will be white on a cyan background.) I made a sandwich of my negative and paper between two sheets of picture glass, held together with small binder clips. Be sure to coat and store your unexposed paper and assemble your print frame in a darkened room . It seems more sensitive to ambient light than I expected. I tried various exposure times and found 5 minutes on a sunny day to be more than adequate. Adding just a cap full or less of hydrogen peroxide to the rinse water makes it develop its deep blue color almost instantly. Be sure to rinse the prints thoroughly. Any residual chemical will continue to darken.

Did photograms in the sun on a variety of papers. Took about 20 minutes outside in direct sunlight, but probably could have used less time.

Works great! I taught an art class on cyanotypes and had so much product left over, I’ve been using it for creative gifts

So much fun! This is such an easy process and the possibilities the ‘wet’ cyanotype process present are myriad. I have just scratched the surface of using cyanotype in my artwork, but these inexpensive Jacquard materials are easy to use and the documents say they will produce 50-60 8” x 10” sheets. My experience using fabric suggests this is realistic, so lots of experimenting lies in my future. Why has this marvelous process been limited to architectural blueprints for so long? Artists, take note, this process is a new and powerful arrow to add to your quiver of techniques. And the blues which result from this process coordinate beautifully with the indigo shibori I have been dabbling in.

I adore making cyanotypes and have tried a variety of options for making them. In general there are three choices. You can buy the paper pre-made which is fairly expensive (relatively speaking). You can buy the solution mixed up like this, which generally costs a lot because now youre paying to ship mostly water to you. And you can buy the crystals and just add water which is by far the most economical. So even saying that this is much more expensive than buying crystals, its far more expensive even than other liquid-based solutions! This option here is over **three times** as much as the other solution I buy. I cant see how they justify a three times markup for cyanotype liquid - especially when this in general is already so much more expensive than the raw crystals are. It looks like price gouging to me.

Great product, thanks!

Easy to use, fun project. Instructions were easy to follow and a little goes a long way!

i have been making cyanotypes for a few years now and i do not know if what happened was that i got a defective product in this one occasion but this has been the worst experience with cyanotypes thus far. the solution is incredibly unstable and during its water bath will completely wash off despite the use of vinegar and using no agitation. after hours of preparing negatives I end up with no prints. will try this brand again but from another seller to see if it was just a dud

Worked just as described. Easy to mix solutions and it says the shelf life is long for them. Combine only the amount you will use for brushing on the paper. I mixed about 4 Tbsp of each solution together and was able to get around 10-12 9x12 papers coated. Used watercolor paper and pressed flowers. Lots of fun to do with the family while on vacation.