Historical processes, there's plenty of them. One of my favourites is the Cyanotype. The process starts by mixing equal amounts of Potassium Ferricyanide and Ferric Ammonium Citrate. This photosensitive mixture is then applied onto paper or cloth and allowed to dry in a dark space. As long as the surface is able to soak up the solution, a Cyanotype can be printed on any surface. Watercolour paper is the most common material used for this process though.
I decided to use the following image to create a Cyanotype from.
By letting ultraviolet light, such as sunlight, pass through a contact negative a positive image can be created on the chosen surface. So I attached the negative on top of the paper I used for this. This is what the image looks like when it's turned into a negative.
When you leave it in the sun, the surface with its solution soaked in, will turn a grey/blue colour because of a chemical reaction caused by the solution. In this case, the surface was only exposed for about 10 minutes, which was enough. After this, it's time to develop the Cyanotype. This is done by rinsing the surface with water, which rinses off the yellow unreacted iron solution. Although the blue colour darkens during the drying process, it can also be accelerated by soaking the paper in a solution of Hydrogen Peroxide. After which you'd rinse it once more.
All that's left now is to leave the print to dry and the Cyanotype is finished. Here is the result I got.
SEE SKETCHBOOK FOR FINISHED IMAGE
I really love this process. It's great to see your surface react to the sunlight and simply not knowing exactly what the finished product will be. An awesome print in about half an hour work. Great stuff!
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