Cyanotypes
These images have been done by Anna Atkins and Susan Derges. I feel that these images are very smart because it is a new way of having pictures where you don't use a camera. I find it fascinating that you can take a picture without a camera, just using sunlight. I think my favourite images from these two photographers is the images that have been done by Susan Derges because she uses reflections instead of flattening objects, which to me looks more interesting.
Cyanotypes are images that have been taken using ultra - violet light (Sunlight). To create a cyanotype you have to go outside and find an object that isn't too busy and that is in direct sunlight, use an object that is thin. Put a piece of prepared paper on top of the object and then place a piece of Perspex glass over the top of the paper, (flatten out the object you have chosen before placing paper on top) and leave for 5 - 10 minutes. Then after this process you wash the paper and leave it out to dry.
Cyanotypes are images that have been taken using ultra - violet light (Sunlight). To create a cyanotype you have to go outside and find an object that isn't too busy and that is in direct sunlight, use an object that is thin. Put a piece of prepared paper on top of the object and then place a piece of Perspex glass over the top of the paper, (flatten out the object you have chosen before placing paper on top) and leave for 5 - 10 minutes. Then after this process you wash the paper and leave it out to dry.
Anna Atkins Cyanotype Analysis
In this photograph I can see algae that have been placed on a piece of prepared paper to make it look like numerous small trees/plants. Words I would use to describe this photograph would be intricate, detailed and naturalistic. If I were to describe this image to a person who could not see it I would tell them that it looks like small versions of leafless trees and lots of individual lines placed in a circle, connected by the centre.
The process Anna Atkins has used is cyanotypes, which is where you get a piece of chemically prepared paper and a random object (preferably 2D) and place them in view of sunlight. You then place a piece of Perspex glass over the top and leave it for 5-10 minutes. After 10 minutes, you remove the Perspex glass and object and place the paper in water for a minute and then hang it up and leave it to dry. This photograph reminds me of Earth and how trees and nature are very important for us to live. The lines in this image are mainly white and are slightly jagged. However towards the edges of the outline they become different shades and tones of blue where the image has not fully developed. The pattern is very similar throughout the image. Anna has captured the play of light throughout this image because you can clearly see that towards the edges the image has started to go blue, this is because the some light managed to seep through as this part of the plant is more transparent than the centre. This picture is different from real life because it isn’t the normal colour; instead of being green it is white and blue. The thing that interests me most about this image is the texture of the shape as it looks very detailed and elegant.
The subject matter of this photograph is clearly nature because it’s a plant and it is natural. If I could interview Anna Atkins I would ask her what inspired her to create cyanotypes. I think that what the photographer is trying to say about the subject matter is that you can change any bit of natures colour with a bit of sunlight. If I compared this image with other cyanotypes that I have seen I would say that they are all very similar because I have looked at only two photographers; Anna Atkins and Susan Derges and they both use naturalistic objects and are quite interesting and delicate. They also all turn out the same colour. I have learnt from this image to pick objects that look complicated and busy because it will drag more peoples attention. The elements that have influenced me in this work are line and shape because this plant has many different shapes within itself and none of the lines are the same they all wonder off in different directions.
The process Anna Atkins has used is cyanotypes, which is where you get a piece of chemically prepared paper and a random object (preferably 2D) and place them in view of sunlight. You then place a piece of Perspex glass over the top and leave it for 5-10 minutes. After 10 minutes, you remove the Perspex glass and object and place the paper in water for a minute and then hang it up and leave it to dry. This photograph reminds me of Earth and how trees and nature are very important for us to live. The lines in this image are mainly white and are slightly jagged. However towards the edges of the outline they become different shades and tones of blue where the image has not fully developed. The pattern is very similar throughout the image. Anna has captured the play of light throughout this image because you can clearly see that towards the edges the image has started to go blue, this is because the some light managed to seep through as this part of the plant is more transparent than the centre. This picture is different from real life because it isn’t the normal colour; instead of being green it is white and blue. The thing that interests me most about this image is the texture of the shape as it looks very detailed and elegant.
The subject matter of this photograph is clearly nature because it’s a plant and it is natural. If I could interview Anna Atkins I would ask her what inspired her to create cyanotypes. I think that what the photographer is trying to say about the subject matter is that you can change any bit of natures colour with a bit of sunlight. If I compared this image with other cyanotypes that I have seen I would say that they are all very similar because I have looked at only two photographers; Anna Atkins and Susan Derges and they both use naturalistic objects and are quite interesting and delicate. They also all turn out the same colour. I have learnt from this image to pick objects that look complicated and busy because it will drag more peoples attention. The elements that have influenced me in this work are line and shape because this plant has many different shapes within itself and none of the lines are the same they all wonder off in different directions.
Susan Derges Cyanotype Analysis
In this photograph I can see a feather that has been placed on a piece of prepared paper. Words I would use to describe this photograph would be naturalistic, elegant and detailed. If I were to describe this image to a person who could not see it I would tell them that it looks a bit like very thin little bones with a thick one through the middle sort of like a spine. I would also say that the feather in the corner looks very fragile and fuzzy and is much smaller than the other two feathers.
The process Susan Derges has used is cyanotypes which I have explained how to do above. This photograph reminds me of a butterfly and what the skeleton would look like as all the miniature lines (feathers) look like bones and it also a long thick line in the middle which makes me think of a spine. This photograph also looks very delicate and fragile which is the same as butterfly. The lines in this image are mainly white but the big thick lines down the middle and the small feather in the corner is a more stronger a thicker colour of white. The pattern is very familiar throughout the image apart from the smaller feather as you cant really see any of the lines because it is so small and crisp. Susan Derges has captured the play of light throughout this image because you can see that the main two feathers in the image have got small gaps between the different lines so that part of the photograph is more blue. But when you get to the feather in the corner the lines are very close together so the light hasn't managed to get through whereas the light managed to seep through on the bigger feathers. This picture is different from real life because it isn't the normal colours; instead of being white and grey it is white and blue. The thing that interests me most about this image is that depending on the size of the feather depends on how much light can get through.
The subject matter of this photograph is nature because feathers come from animals which are natural. If I could interview Susan Derges I would ask her what made her think of using such interesting objects. I think what the photographer is trying to say about the subject matter is you can change the look of something with a little sunlight. This image compares with other cyanotypes I have seen as I have looked at Anna Atkins and Susan Derges' work and they use naturalistic objects and it looks very intricate. I have learnt from this photograph that the look of an object can be changed with sunlight and depending on how spaced out/thin the object is can defy the colour of it. The elements that have influenced me in this piece of work are line and texture because the lines look very frail but the texture looks different from the main two feathers and the smaller one in the corner.
The process Susan Derges has used is cyanotypes which I have explained how to do above. This photograph reminds me of a butterfly and what the skeleton would look like as all the miniature lines (feathers) look like bones and it also a long thick line in the middle which makes me think of a spine. This photograph also looks very delicate and fragile which is the same as butterfly. The lines in this image are mainly white but the big thick lines down the middle and the small feather in the corner is a more stronger a thicker colour of white. The pattern is very familiar throughout the image apart from the smaller feather as you cant really see any of the lines because it is so small and crisp. Susan Derges has captured the play of light throughout this image because you can see that the main two feathers in the image have got small gaps between the different lines so that part of the photograph is more blue. But when you get to the feather in the corner the lines are very close together so the light hasn't managed to get through whereas the light managed to seep through on the bigger feathers. This picture is different from real life because it isn't the normal colours; instead of being white and grey it is white and blue. The thing that interests me most about this image is that depending on the size of the feather depends on how much light can get through.
The subject matter of this photograph is nature because feathers come from animals which are natural. If I could interview Susan Derges I would ask her what made her think of using such interesting objects. I think what the photographer is trying to say about the subject matter is you can change the look of something with a little sunlight. This image compares with other cyanotypes I have seen as I have looked at Anna Atkins and Susan Derges' work and they use naturalistic objects and it looks very intricate. I have learnt from this photograph that the look of an object can be changed with sunlight and depending on how spaced out/thin the object is can defy the colour of it. The elements that have influenced me in this piece of work are line and texture because the lines look very frail but the texture looks different from the main two feathers and the smaller one in the corner.
Comparison
These two images are both cyanotypes but done by two different photographers. The top one is done by Anna Atkins and the outside of the shape is quite simple but the inside is very complicated. Anna has created this image very creatively as she has thought about the object she is using which is very detailed and complicated. Anna has also placed her object in the exact middle of the paper to create a nice effect and use the space wisely. Underneath Anna Atkins' image is a piece done by Susan Derges, this image is also thought about very clearly and has worked very effectively as there are many different lines within the object that look very clear and fragile.
My Cyanotype
My cyanotype I thought turned out very well because the object I used was quite busy and interesting. Over time some of the lines have faded but the main lines are still there. In this photograph I can see 4 different planets surrounded by some jagged lines that sort of makes it look like a galaxy. The lines in this image are very interesting as they aren't all the same shapes and seem to go off in many different directions. Explaining this photograph to someone who couldn't see it, I would say that there's a main line in the middle splitting off into four other lines which then has a ball with squiggly lines coming off. This image is naturalistic because the object used is a plant. The process used to create this image is shown at the top of the page. This photograph reminds me sort of a witch because of the jagged lines but also reminds me of a galaxy. The lines in this image are very interesting and look very sharp and strong. This picture is different from real life because the usual colour of the plant would be green and on a lighter green paper whereas now the plant is white with the background blue. The thing that interests me most about this piece of art is that its quite detailed which can drag attention to viewers. The part of the photograph that strikes me as most interesting is the little branches that come off the circles because some of them are more obvious to a viewer than others and it adds detail to the piece. In this picture it looks as if the background is a pond and the little lines are some sort of insect, like a dragonfly. I came to this idea because they are jotted around instead of all facing the same direction. I think that this photograph is about nature because it looks as if a dead plant is floating in water and that plants can die as well. This photograph seems busy, yet simple because if you look at the space around the object its quite plain but when it comes to the plant it looks quite detailed with the shape and direction of the lines. I think it would be quite interesting living in this photograph because you could explore the different parts of the image on different days and it would be quite an adventure. I think the lines in this image are effective because it sort of brings life to the plant. I think the big, bold circles don't work so well because it draws too much attention to them. From exploring this piece of art work I have learnt to pick plants/objects that also look interesting and detailed in person because it will work very well.