Sewing Onto Cyanotypes

For my experiment, I decided to create a cyanotype of one of my Antonio Mora inspired edits. I printed the image onto acetate and then placed it on top of some paper that had been painted with a mixture of potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate. This was then placed under a light in a light box and exposed until the parts of the paper concealed by the darker parts of acetate turned white and the parts unconcealed turned blue. 

Then, because the topic is truth, fantasy and fiction, I chose to sew an eye onto the image. This is because eyes are considered to be symbolic and representative of the truth and how the eyes tell the truth whereas conscience and the mind can lie and manipulate. 

Looking at my experiment, I have chosen not to use this technique for my final piece as I feel that it lacks finesse and doesn't look as effective as a double exposure would.

Patrick Hickley - Cyanotypes

Patrick Hickley is a New Zealand based artist who does a lot of contemporary photography. One portfolio of his that interests me is his cyanotype portfolio 'complexstructures'. The reason that this portfolio is so intriguing to me is that it uses a mixture of photography and textiles, outlines and detail having been sewn on top of the image which is printed on watercolour paper. 

What I like about these images is that the monochromatic blues and whites of the cyanotypes contrast with the red of the thread detailing that has been sewn into the image. The images themselves are of people whereas the the patterns created with the thread are of what is inside the subject, in this case bones and muscle. High key lighting has been used within the photos which brings out the lighter tones within the composition and this is further emphasised by printing it in cyanotype which makes the photo monochromatic blues. This also contrasts with the warmer reds and draws the attention of the viewer due to the brighter red standing out boldly against the muted blues. 

For me, the way thread has been used within the photos represents the truth and reality that, no matter who we are, we are all human and we all are made up of the same components; bone and muscle and skin. The images highlight the fact that we are all the same no matter how different we are as individuals and that we are all just human when push comes to shove. I want to incorporate this technique with my work to create shapes and outlines within images of fire and smoke to represent the idea that nightmares, despite the fact that they aren't real, can be burnt into your mind and can affect the way you perceive the world around you.

Personal Response - Antonio Mora

In response to Antonio Mora's double exposure images, I imported images of smoke from my fire photoshoot into photoshop and edited the levels, brightness, contrast, and black and white settings. This created a more dramatic contrast as well as bringing out the shape and form of the images and creating a larger variety of tone. I then imported an image of fire and ash on top of each smoke photo and changed the blending options to colour burn. This created a much more interesting composition and added colour into the composition. This draws in the viewer and I feel that it symbolises the reality that everything burns and dies at some point, no matter what it is. 

Final Images:

Personal Response - Erwin Blumenfeld

For my response to Blumenfeld's photography work, I chose to use the idea of duplicating an image and making it into a block outline then incorporated it with the original photo. To start, I used a colouring pencil filter on one of my images and changed the settings before erasing parts of the image so it was just the outlines of the flames that were left. I then proceeded to experiment with different blending options to see which option would make the outlines look more prominent within the composition. 

The reason I decided on this process is because I wanted to play with the idea of incorporating something real with something that doesn't look real, putting a spin on the idea of reality and truth. The solid lines and colours that are incorporated with the flowing flames create a contrast and attract the eye of the reader with the unusual shapes and outlines within. 

Final Images: