So, after leaving the fabric in the drawer for a day or so, I jumped on a bright weather window as the sunlight poured through. I developed three cyanotypes altogether. The first two were the bench on the summit of Orrest Head with a variation on the third image, as I will explain below.

The first image was exposed for just 10 minutes as the sun was very bright and I was conscious that it could develop within a matter of minutes.

I can definitely see the outline of the bend post-processing but it is very underexposed. So, my next image was exposed for 20 minutes.

I could see the deep prussian blue appear almost instantly upon rinsing, which was a good sign, and I could definitely see the bench outline but this one was slightly overexposed.

With the third and final image, I decided to do something a little different. I began to wonder whether the lack of significant contrast in my Orrest Head image was affecting the outcome, so I placed some small branches I had foraged recently from Happy Mount Park and exposed the image for 15 minutes, given the 10 minute exposure was underexposed and the 20 minute one overexposed. I almost giggled with excitement when I saw the results in the rinsing process.

I loved the contrast and began to think about the posibility of using some of the soil and foliage I have collected from the Wainwrights as part of the final image. The downside to using purely leaves or objects in this way is the stark contrast, whereas I would like to see variations in the tone and shade.

Overall, it was a great day of experimentation though and gave me much to consider.

Finally, what I noticed more than anything else was how much more I enjoyed working with fabric and the rawness of the final result. Granted, it was a little more arduous applying the chemicals to fabric as opposed to paper, but for me, I can’t look back now and can’t wait to see the results of the calico against the muslin.