Cyanotype art is one of the oldest ways of making a picture with light, and its deep, inky blue still looks fresh on a wall today. We have just released a new range of cyanotype style prints, designed in our own studio, so it felt like the right time to explain where the look comes from, how a real cyanotype is made, and how to style one at home.
What Is Cyanotype Art?
A cyanotype is a photographic print made without a camera. Paper is coated with a light sensitive solution, an object such as a leaf or a flower is laid on top, and the paper is left in the sun. Where light reaches the paper it turns blue. Where the object blocks the light, the paper stays pale. Once rinsed in water, you are left with a white silhouette on a rich blue ground.
The name comes from the Greek word for dark blue, and that colour is the whole point. It is close to Prussian blue, a calm, deep shade that sits somewhere between navy and indigo.
A Short History of the Cyanotype
The process was invented in 1842 by the scientist Sir John Herschel, who was looking for a way to copy his notes and diagrams. A year later the botanist Anna Atkins used it to record British seaweeds, laying each specimen straight onto the coated paper. Her book of these prints is often described as the first book illustrated with photographs, and it is the reason cyanotypes and plants have been linked ever since.
Later in the nineteenth century, engineers and architects used the same chemistry to copy technical drawings. Those copies had white lines on a blue background, which is where the word blueprint comes from.
How a Cyanotype Is Made
- Coat the paper. Two iron based chemicals are mixed and brushed onto watercolour paper, then left to dry in the dark.
- Arrange the subject. Leaves, petals, grasses or a printed negative are placed on the paper, often under glass to keep them flat.
- Expose to sunlight. A few minutes in bright sun, or longer on a cloudy day, turns the uncovered paper blue.
- Rinse and dry. Washing the print in water fixes the image, and the blue deepens as it dries.
Because every exposure is slightly different, each handmade cyanotype is a one off, with soft edges wherever a leaf lifted from the paper.
Why Cyanotype Blue Works So Well in a Home
Deep blue is a colour most rooms can take. It reads as calm rather than loud, it sits happily next to wood, linen and stone, and it works in both warm and cool light. A cyanotype print also brings the outdoors in without adding more green, which makes it a good choice if you love botanical prints but want something quieter and more graphic.
The silhouette style helps too. With no fine detail to read, the shape of the plant does the work, so a cyanotype looks good from across a room as well as up close.
Cyanotype Style Prints Versus Handmade Cyanotypes
A handmade cyanotype is a chemical print, made one at a time in the sun. Our prints are cyanotype style: each design is created in our studio to capture that soft, sun printed look, then printed on matte paper in a wide range of sizes, up to A0 for most designs. You get the same calm blue and pale botanical shapes, with the choice of size and a print that is easy to pair.
How to Style Cyanotype Art
- Living room. Hang one large print above the sofa, or a pair side by side. Pick up the blue with a cushion or throw and keep the rest of the palette warm: oak, cream and soft white.
- Bedroom. Blue is a restful colour, so a cyanotype above the bed or on a bedside wall feels calm rather than busy.
- Hallway. A tall portrait print suits a narrow wall and gives a strong first impression as you walk in.
- Kitchen and dining room. Lean a smaller print on a shelf or sideboard next to plants and ceramics.
- Gallery wall. Group three or four cyanotype prints with different plants for a set that feels collected, not matched.
If you want a softer feel, mix cyanotypes with blurred posters. The gentle, out of focus plant shapes share the same mood, just in warmer colours. For a darker, more dramatic room, look at our moody wall art.
Our New Cyanotype Style Prints
The new range is a set of botanical silhouettes in that classic blue, each one designed in our studio. Favourites include the Blueprint Ginkgo, the Indigo Poppy, the Blueprint Cherry Blossom and the Blueprint Pampas Grass. You can see the full set in our cyanotype prints collection.
The same plants also come in softer colourways, such as navy on olive in the Grove Ginkgo, and in a sepia tone in the Sepia Oak Leaves. Browse them all in our shadow art prints, or see more ideas for blue botanical prints.
Cyanotype Art FAQs
Is cyanotype art a photograph?
Yes, in the original sense. A cyanotype is a photographic print made by light, but without a camera. The image is formed by whatever sits on the paper during exposure.
Why are cyanotypes blue?
The iron compounds in the coating react to ultraviolet light and form Prussian blue, a stable blue pigment. The uncovered areas turn blue and the covered areas stay white.
Are your prints real cyanotypes?
No. Our prints are cyanotype style designs, created in our studio and printed on matte paper. They capture the look of a sun print in a wide range of sizes.
Do your prints come framed?
Our prints are sold unframed, so you can choose a frame that suits your room. Standard sizes such as A3, A2 and 50 x 70cm fit most ready made frames.
How should I look after a print?
Keep any print out of strong direct sunlight and away from damp, and it will keep its colour for years.
Whether you love the history or simply the colour, cyanotype art is an easy way to bring a calm, botanical feel to any room. Shop our cyanotype prints and find the plant that suits your space.
