Visual Art and Design

CYANOTYPE  WORKSHOP

The Deadly Sista Girls from years 7,8 ,9 participated in a cyanotype workshop during reconciliation week facilitated by Ms Hawkins. Students worked with found native objects - leafs, grasses, eucalyptus blossoms and flowers and also developed drawings and designs connected to culture. Students then transferred the drawings into digital drawings, enlarged and cut stencils using the laser cutter.  Students used these stencils along with their found native objects to produce beautiful  cyanotypes. These designs have been so successful we will be cutting them into larger format acrylic pieces to feature around the school. The workshop was inspired by the work of first nations artists Sonja Carmichael and Elisa Jane Carmichael.

What is a Cyanotype?

Cyanotype is an analogue photographic printing process that produces images in a dark blue hue. The word cyan comes from the Greek word meaning ‘dark blue substance’. 

The process was pioneered by British botanist and photographer Anna Atkins in 1842 to record her botanical specimens and was then used by engineers to create copies of technical drawings, later referred to as blueprints. 

The cyanotype process requires a mixture of two iron compounds, which is used to coat a heavy paper or fabric. Objects (flowers, plants, leaves – anything that has a distinctive shape) are then placed on top of the paper in low light and exposed to UV light. The paper or fabric is then washed in water to create a blue print.