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How to Dye a Cyanotype With Coffee

A cyanotype is a bluish-tinted photograph created using a special photographic process. It is the result of mixing ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide into photographic solution when developing the print. Cyanotypes were used primarily when photography was still in its infancy. It was also used to produce blueprints used in construction and building trades. For special effects, contemporary photographers produce cyanotypes and tone them with ordinary products such as tea or coffee.

Things You'll Need

Brewed coffee
Plastic tray
Wire
Spring clip

Instructions

- 1
  Brew a pot of coffee. Make it just as you would if you were going to drink it.
- 2
  Pour enough coffee into a plastic tray big enough to hold the cyanotype. Fill it 1/2-inch deep.
- 3
  Place the cyanotype into the coffee. Use your fingers to push the cyanotype into the coffee. Hold it there for one minute, or until it is completely covered with coffee.
- 4
  Remove the cyanotype after 24 hours. If it is not dark as you desire, place it back in the solution for another 24 hours.
- 5
  Remove the cyanotype from the coffee. Hang it suspended on a small wire with a small spring clip. Let the cyanotype dry for 24 hours.

Photography