Friday, August 14, 2009

BLEUE BLUE BLAU



I want to create some cyanotypes this month (a 19C. nonSilver foto method that uses PrussianBlue
* Ammonium Iron(III) Oxalate (NH4)3[Fe(C2O4)3].3H2O .....30 g
* Potassium Ferricyanide K3[Fe(CN)6].........10 g
* Ammonium Dichromate (NH4)2Cr2O7 (25% solution) ....0.5 cc
* Distilled water to make......100 cc

but using digitally created negatives from found images and collaged sources. I randomly took this image from one of the amateur sites. It frankly does NOTHING to turn me on- othjer than artistically!
With the images I am essentially shifting (1)scales and (2)transparencies as well as (3)inversions to create the following effects. The first on top is the simplest image
This immediately has the larger scale inverted from Positive to negative. creating a virtual halo around the fuckee
The same image with the halo run thru a gagausian-blur rendering the overall image as softer

I like these 2 distortions very much. One of them reminds me of the UK painter bacon- as if perhaps this was an inpirational image. It was done (like the one below) by altering it through the PS filters.
This version's distortions turns this into a pedaphilic nightmare of sorts as the man's(fuckee) body seems to shrink.

I am curious to see how the "drama" is altered. How these effects change the tempo or stress of the visual phrase (which in itself is straight-foward enough).

CYANOTYPE2 METHOD for creating the Sensitizer-Solution:
1. Using a pestle and mortar, finely powder 10 g Potassium Ferricyanide. Wear a dust mask, to avoid inhalation of the powder, and pay attention to thoroughly completing this step, which is indicated when all the red crystals are crushed to a yellow powder.
2. Heat ca. 30 cc distilled water to ca. 50 °C and dissolve in it 30 g Ammonium Iron(III) Oxalate.
3. Add 0.5 cc 25% Ammonium Dichromate solution, (previously prepared by dissolving 5 g of the solid in distilled water and making up to a final volume of 20 cc). Mix thoroughly.
4. To the solution, while it is still hot, add the 10 g of finely powdered Potassium Ferricyanide in small portions with vigorous stirring; few (or preferably no) red crystals should be seen, and green crystals will begin to appear. Set the solution aside in a dark place to cool and crystallise for about one hour.
5. Separate most of the liquid from the green crystals by filtration. The green solid (Potassium Iron(III) Oxalate) is disposed of safely (poisonous!). The volume of solution extracted should be ca. 30 to 33 cc.
6. Make up the olive-yellow coloured solution with distilled water to a final volume of 100 cc. The sensitizer can be made more dilute (e.g. up to 200 cc): it will be faster to print, but yield a less intense blue.
7. Filter the sensitizer solution and store it in a brown bottle kept in the dark; its shelf life should be at least a year.

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