The contents of this envelope have never seen the light of day. When you bring them out of the dark, you activate a transformation.
The Foxes use this photogram process to create botanical journals to hand down their alchemical knowledge. Each book is one of a kind. Because the blue of the cyanotype resembles a tisane they make from butterfly pea flowers, they refer to the process as "tea printing."
With this photogram kit, you will create 4 one-of-a-kind images which you can proudly display. Your supplies arrive in a black envelope. Inside are 4 sheets of cyanotype paper, each measuring 5x7". A photogram is a sort of photograph created without a camera by arranging objects onto specially sensitized paper. Cyanotype paper uses a simple development process to create beautiful blue images.
Using Your Kit:
- Keep the envelope in a dark or shady place until you are ready to begin.
- Work on a sunny day.
- In a shady spot or partially darkened room, prepare:
- An opaque folder or other way to shield your cyanotype paper from light after you open the envelope
- A moveable, rigid surface such as a piece of cardboard or a cutting board
- Objects to create your photogram. Consider leaves, stones, tools, lace, and trinkets. Almost anything with an interesting shape (which won't blow away outdoors) can be used in your art.
- Optional: pins or a piece of plexiglass to help keep items in place.
- Also prepare a pan of water in a spot which is not in direct sun.
- Open the envelope and place a piece of cyanotype paper on your surface, blue side up.
- Arrange your objects on the paper to create a design.
- Carefully carry it outside and place it in full sun for about 2-3 minutes. The paper will fade to white.
- Remove the paper from the surface and place in a pan of water out of direct sunlight. Allow your image to develop for about 1 minute, swishing occasionally. The image will begin to reverse, with white areas turning blue and blue areas turning white.
- Allow your photogram to dry flat. The color will deepen and the images will become clearer as it dries.
Please share your creations with us!
The Photogram Kit was featured in the Foxes Box (May 2021).
Shipping: Single items and non-box products ship for a flat rate of $7.00. Non-subscription products usually ship within 3 business days of purchase.
"If you have any issues with your purchase, please reach out to me at shannon@birdmoss.com, and I'll personally do everything I can to make it right."
- Shannon, Birdmoss Curator and Liaison