[alt-photo] canson and cyanotype

[Christina Anderson]

Dear All,

Still testing papers for cyanotype, 8 more yesterday with another 8 or so to go, but I found one which is an absolute must for teaching because of its cost, URL below. It is available at Freestyle for--get this--$9 for 100 sheets (plus shipping) for 11x14. It is quite white, quite smooth, prints cyanotype very well, Traditional formula 1:1 is about a 7.5 to a 9.5 minute exposure time if under a Pictorico negative. Temp in darkroom 72, humidity 30%.

It is apparently Crob Art (?) in Europe so altees there would already know about it under a different name.

http://freestylephoto.biz/702193-Canson-Universal-Sketch-Pad-Uncoated-Paper-for-Alternative-Process

I usually have them start on Weston for cyanotype because it is so cheap and really a nice paper for its cost (hard to do a two layer process though), somewhere around $2 for a very large sheet over 22x30. So you understand why I am excited about the above. Heck, I could sport for a $10 pad for the entire class and each student could do 5 prints for around 50 cents!

It is very thin so I was skeptical, but is actually quite sturdy when dry.

I will be testing it as well with argyrotype and pt/pd but that is down the road. If it works for those processes, then I can see requiring one pad for each student for the semester, but we'll see...anyone already use it for these processes?

Also, tested Canson Opalux Vellum also from Freestyle now, and that would be about a 6 minute exposure time, same everything Traditional. It is a VERY thick vellum, about twice as thick as a Vidalon. See thru. Quite translucent as you can read text through it except through darkest cyano steps.

Disclaimer: I am on the Freestyle Educational Advisory Board but in no way do I get paid or get kickbacks or whatever. But I sure do get excited when they decide to carry alt supplies...

Chris

Christina Z. Anderson
christinaZanderson.com