Can I make a cyanotype digitally?

It can be done in Easel by Zaweba, a free and offline painting studio for Windows, which simulates cyanotype in the same four stages as the real process: coat the paper, mask it, expose it to the movable light, then wash. Areas you mask stay pale, and the exposed areas turn the deep blue cyanotype is known for.

Cyanotype is one of the earliest photographic printing processes, dating from the 1840s. Paper is coated with a light-sensitive iron solution, objects or a negative are laid on top, and the sheet is exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet light. Washing in water fixes the image, leaving white shapes on Prussian blue. Botanical prints of leaves and ferns are its most famous use, and it is also called sun printing or blueprinting.

The stages in Easel

Coating prepares the paper. As in the darkroom, the coating is what makes the surface respond to light.

Masking decides the picture. Anything covered during exposure stays pale. Easel has several ways to mask: masking tape for straight strips, masking fluid you paint on and rub off, and stencils, either built-in shapes or any imported SVG.

Exposure uses the movable light. In Easel the same light that shows impasto relief is used for exposure, and it has direction and height settings.

Washing completes the print, as rinsing in water does with a real cyanotype.

Making a botanical style print

Choose a paper. Cyanotypes are usually made on watercolour paper or a good cartridge paper, and Easel has both. A rough watercolour paper gives a textured blue.

Coat the paper, then lay your masks. Imported SVG stencils are a good way to bring in leaf or flower silhouettes; you can drag a stencil to move it, and change its Size and Rotation after it is down.

Expose to the light, then wash. Compare different exposures with undo, which keeps 80 steps by default.

Ideas beyond leaves

Masking tape makes geometric prints. Masking fluid lets you paint the white shapes by hand, so you can draw directly into the print. Stencils give hard edges and repeatable shapes. A combination, such as hand-painted lettering over stencilled shapes, makes a good poster or card.

You can also paint over a finished cyanotype. Watercolour, gouache or ink on top of the blue is a long-standing way to add colour, and Easel's wet media work on any surface.

Why do it digitally

Real cyanotype needs chemicals, a dark place to coat paper and sunshine or a UV lamp. It is cheap but slow and weather-dependent. Doing it in Easel lets you plan a composition, test masks and layouts, and learn the order of the process before you try it for real. It is also simply a pleasing look for digital work.

Keeping and showing the print

Save the print as a .zeasel file, which keeps the masks and palette, or export PNG, JPEG or TIFF at 1x or 2x. The time-lapse of a cyanotype session, from coating to washing, can be exported as a WebM video or web page, and it makes a nice demonstration of the process for a class or a craft group.