Alternative Photography - Experimental Cyanotypes

Discover one of photography’s most enduring and expressive techniques in this cyanotype and toning workshop. Using hand-coated papers and sunlight, you’ll transform natural materials and everyday objects into vibrant Prussian Blue images that celebrate shadow, contrast, and form.

Under the guidance of practising visual artist, Simone Darcy, you will learn how to mix and apply cyanotype chemistry, expose prints outdoors, and experiment with compositional elements such as negative images, textures, and shapes. Cyanotypes offer a rich tactile experience and a satisfying introduction to analogue processes — perfect for beginners or anyone seeking a hands-on creative practice.

This workshop also introduces toning, which uses natural or experimental solutions to alter the colour, atmosphere, and emotional tone of your finished prints. Through toning, the classic blue can shift into browns, greens, greys, or warmer, more organic hues. This process expands your creative options and gives each cyanotype a distinct personality.

Across the session, you’ll work on high-quality 300gsm paper, creating a series of 4–6 artworks. The workshop encourages exploration, drawing from both historical methods and contemporary abstraction. Students often find cyanotype deeply rewarding, not least because of the magical moment when a pale, exposed sheet transforms into rich blue under running water.

Simone will share historical context, practical methods, and insights for continuing your cyanotype practice beyond the classroom. You’ll leave with a strong technical foundation and a collection of expressive, sunlight-formed prints.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this cyanotype course, you should be able to:

• Hand-coat papers with cyanotype chemistry
• Expose and develop prints using sunlight
• Create expressive compositions using natural and found materials
• Apply toning methods to alter colour and mood
• Produce a cohesive set of 4–6 finished cyanotype artworks

Course content

• History and contemporary relevance of cyanotype
• Hand-coating and preparing papers
• Outdoor exposure and development
• Negative images, objects, and botanical forms
• Toning solutions for colour variation
• Experimental mark-making and layering