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Alternative Processes

Cyanotype: Ash Bleach + Botanical Toning

Published almost 2 years agoΒ β€’Β 1 min read

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Wood Ash, Avocado & Sweet Potato

πŸƒ Happy Summer Solstice Reader!! πŸƒ ​
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​Did you know you can bleach cyanotype prints using wood ash ?
I didn't know until someone told me so on instagram!!
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​ (If you are new to cyanotype or cyanotype toning, read this!) ​

Why wood ash can bleach cyanotype πŸͺ΅

πŸ‘΅ My Italian grandmother used to tell me that her mum washed clothes with ash during the war. The alkaline nature of the ash worked wonders, breaking down the oils and stains in the fabric, much like how modern detergents operate.
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​Wood ash contains a significant amount of potassium carbonate and other alkaline compounds. These compounds increase the pH of the solution when mixed with water, creating an alkaline environment and therefore, bleaching cyanotype prints.

Here how I did it:

Β» Collect Ashes: After grilling you food with friends, let the leftover ash cool completely.

Β» Create Bleaching Solution: Mixed a small pot of ash with 2 liters of water.

Β» Bleach Your Prints: Place your prints in the water ash solution. It took less than 3 hours to bleach the print completely. While it’s not as fast as soda ash, it works! Note: The bleaching might be uneven without some agitation, leaving darker stains.

πŸ₯‘ Toning with Botanicals 🍠

At this point, I wanted to try some new toning. I tested: sweet potato peels, avocado peels and rosemary.

Β» Boil the Peels: Boiled sweet potato peels and avocado peels separately for about 2.5 hours.

Β» Color Results: The sweet potato solution turned a greenish dark yellow, while the avocado peels produced a stunning Venetian red.

Β» Tone the Prints: I left my bleached cyanotype prints in these baths overnight. This isn't necessary but I wanted to saturate them as much as possible.

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​Butterfly wings print was toned with sweet potato 🍠
The other with avocado peel πŸ₯‘

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β€‹πŸŒΏ HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE πŸŒΏβ€‹
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​Missed Spirulina & Matcha Anthotypes? Read here​

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