[alt-photo] cyanotype

[Christina Anderson]

Dear All,

I am greatly enjoying teaching this class at Penland on alt, and had to share an image of a cyanotype issue I never see in MT:

http://christinaanderson.visualserver.com/Text_page.cfm?pID=2076

It's that glorious lavender color when paper is not completely dry.  I had a piece of coated paper sit for hours and still require drying.  Humidity is a...great teacher!

Anyone else experience this?  Nice highlights, huh?

I do know it is a humidity issue in large part, and perhaps an alkalinity issue with Rives BFK which I am convinced has changed in the last 5 years.  

What I do NOT understand is why it "steps" in the highlights only. Any clues? Do the darker colors just mask it?

I am missing some obvious reason I am sure.

We've taken to blow drying the paper with blow dryers til "snappy" to alleviate it.

Traditional cyanotype, not Ware's.

Chris

Christina Z. Anderson
christinaZanderson.com