December 27, 2018

Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 34

Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 543
 I shut up the wet cyan printmaking shop in October when the weather turned cold, as it is more difficult to get quality prints in the winter. But I left myself a lifeline by preserving some freshly fallen leaves with glycerine. Mid-December, I had a bit of free time and some mild weather, so I brought out my supplies and had some fun.
I wanted to make one big print, as opposed to a set of smaller ones, so I did a mockup to figure out how much cotton sateen cloth to treat. The dark room I dry my treated fabric in is only partially heated, so the panel dried unevenly. This didn't trouble me, I regarded it as one more variable in a process that is rife with them. So here is the panel, with the glycerine leaves arranged, just before exposure.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 544
 There's not much sunshine to be had in December, so I left the panel out overnight to catch the next day's rays. The temperature dipped below freezing overnight, and I found the most wonderful frosty display the next morning.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 545
 To be clear, these designs are on top of the plastic that is covering the panel.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 546
 The frost formed along the lines of the leaves underneath. I knew from past experience that I was unlikely to see much distinct evidence of the frost patterns on the finished print, so I seized the brief moment when the morning sun hit and took these pictures.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 547

Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 548
 After bringing in the panel at the end of day two, and letting it dry overnight, here's the exposed, unrinsed print.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 549
 There was some very nice leaf veining; again, I knew it would not all survive the rinse, so I took photos.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 550
 I love the fleeting, ephemeral imagery.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 551
 The golden bits are from soda ash added before exposure.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 552
 Here's the finished panel after rinsing and drying. I think it's just marvelous.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 553
 You can see a bit of patterning where the cyanotype chemicals aligned themselves with the threads in the cotton sateen.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 554
 Some of the unevenness of the initial treatment of the fabric also shows up.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 555
 Most of all I love the beautiful turquoise and lavender shades I got along with the Prussian blues.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 556
 I've got big plans for this one.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 557
 If you are new here, welcome! For the past year and a half I've been documenting my experiments with the wet cyanotype process. You can access all the information by clicking on the Wet Cyan tab in the top header, or click here.

And a reminder that you can also follow along on your social media of choice:

Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/suerenostudio
Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/suereno
Tumblr: http://suerenostudio.tumblr.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sue_reno_studio/

November 21, 2018

Messing around with monoprints

Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 1
I am on hiatus from making wet cyanotype prints, but I had gathered a wonderful batch of leaves to work with before winter descends. Monoprinting is endlessfully fun and I hadn't done it in a while, so I pulled out the big gelliplate, opened some new bottles of textile paint and had a printmaking session.
Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 2
I was working with royal paulownia leaves, which I love because they are huge, and pawpaw leaves, which I also love because they are huge. I used a mix of white pfd (prepared for dyeing, free of fabric finishes) cotton sateen and fabric I had previously painted or printed in some way.
Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 3
In no particular order, here's a selection of the prints I made.
Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 4

Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 5
I did positive prints by painting the plate, pressing the leaves on it pick up the paint, then pressing the leaves on the fabric. I also did negative prints, using fabric to pick up the impressions and paint left on the plate. Basically, I just messed around.
Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 6
It's hard to go wrong, because any print that's a dud, and those are few, can always be cut up for patchwork.
Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 7
I was making these just because I could; I don't have a particular project in mind for them.
Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 8

Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 9
I also had some royal paulownia leaves that were too big for the gelliplate, so I made heliographic prints. The basic process is to coat the fabric with diluted paint, cover with the leaf, and put in in the sun to dry. The paint wicks out from under the leaf and forms an imprint.
Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 10

Here's an example, my White Mulberry, where the center image is a heliographic print.
 Here's a detail image from Groundhog and Green Bean:
And the mustard plant from Skunk and Garlic Mustard:
For these prints, I added lots of gold polka dots:
Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 11

The sun was too weak to produce a clean white print, but I love the nuance in this one:
Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 12
And the pawpaw heliographic print has good edge definition. Stitching to add leaf veining will really make it pop.
Monoprints_Sue Reno_Image 13
I haven't promoted this in a long time, but my Quilting Arts instructional video, Surface Design Essentials for the Printed Quilt, is still available for download. It covers heliographic printing and a whole lot more, is clear, concise and easy to follow, and you can't beat the price. Available here, treat yourself!

November 17, 2018

Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 33

Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 531
 Welcome to part 33 of my ongoing experiments with the wet cyanotype process on fabric. I made this batch of prints on the last  two days of October. Conditions here in Pennsylvania were very pleasant, with temperatures in the mid 60s (F) and plenty of sunshine.
Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 532
 I collected some fallen sycamore leaves on a walk in the woods.
Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 533
 I also collected some white mulberry leaves, and some burdock leaves, one of which was satisfyingly ridden with holes. All were set to expose on treated cotton sateen and covered with glass.
Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 534
 There was enough sun, and heat to push a good reaction, especially for this time of year.
Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 535
 The days are shorter now, so I left them to expose for a full 24 hours.
Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 536
 These finished but unrinsed prints are full of promise.
Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 537

Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 538
 Here are the finished prints.
Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 539
 I'm very happy with the tones of the leaf areas, and even more so with the cool breakdowns all around them.
Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 540

Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 541
 The weather has since taken a distinct turn towards more wintry conditions. I have some leaves preserved with glycerin that I may or may not be tempted to mess with at some point. I will let serendipity be my guide--I had a great printing season this year and am somewhat content.
Wet Cyanotyoe_Sue Reno_Image 542

 If you are new here, welcome! For the past year and a half I've been documenting my experiments with the wet cyanotype process. You can access all the information by clicking on the Wet Cyan tab in the top header, or click here.

And a reminder that you can also follow along on your social media of choice:

Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/suerenostudio
Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/suereno
Tumblr: http://suerenostudio.tumblr.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sue_reno_studio/

November 2, 2018

Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 32

Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 516
 There were a few warm, sunny days in the tail end of October, and I took advantage of them to make some more wet cyanotype prints. I had resupplied myself with my favorite cotton sateen, and treated some panels with the cyanotype chemicals in the usual way and let them dry. I began with a hosta leaf, showing the first signs of autumnal decay.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 517
 And followed with my usual stalward, a plume poppy leaf. Next were some goat's beard leaves, Aruncus dioicus.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 518
 I finished the batch with some calla lily leaves, also approaching the end of the yearly cycle,
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 519
 and a bit of ornamental sweet potato vine.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 520
 The sun was warm, but the days are shorter now, so I left these out for a about 27 hours to catch two days worth of rays.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 521
 This seemed to be a good strategy, as I got a lot more movement and colors shifts than I typically do this time of year.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 522
 These exposed, unwashed prints are gorgeous!
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 523

Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 524
 Lots of promise in these. I removed the leaves and let them dry overnight in the dark before rinsing.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 525
 Here are the finished prints. This is a very good batch by my preferred standards.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 526
 This hosta leaf print is magnificent.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 527
 I love when I get those streaky orange and yellow bits.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 528
 All of these are destined for stitching and inclusion in a larger project. The spots on the calla leaves will be a real pleasure to stitch.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 529
 This is the darkest and most mysterious of the batch. Stitching will really make it pop.
Wet cyanotype_Sue Reno_Image 530

If you are new here, welcome! For the past year and a half I've been documenting my experiments with the wet cyanotype process. You can access all the information by clicking on the Wet Cyan tab in the top header, or click here.

And a reminder that you can also follow along on your social media of choice:

Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/suerenostudio
Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/suereno
Tumblr: http://suerenostudio.tumblr.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sue_reno_studio/