Sun prints are images made by placing objects on light-sensitive paper and exposing it to sunlight. The uncovered parts of the paper react to the light, while the areas underneath the objects remain lighter, creating a silhouette.
Leaves, flowers, feathers and other objects with distinctive shapes are commonly used. The finished prints are often blue and white because many sun-print papers use the cyanotype process, which is an early photographic technique.
Traditional cyanotype involves coating paper or fabric with a light-sensitive solution before exposing it to sunlight, whereas ready-made sun-print paper simplifies this by arriving pre-prepared.
How Sun Printing Works
Ready-made sun-print paper is coated with light-sensitive chemicals. You arrange objects on the paper, place it in sunlight for the recommended exposure time and then rinse the paper in water to develop the image.
Exposure time depends on the paper and the strength of the sunlight, so it’s best to follow the instructions supplied with the product.
Flat objects tend to give the clearest shapes because they sit close to the surface of the paper. Some good things to experiment with might be things like:
- Leaves and ferns
- Grasses and seed heads
- Flowers
- Feathers
- Lace
- Keys or other small objects
- Paper cut-outs
Transparent or semi-transparent materials can also create lighter and darker areas rather than a simple solid silhouette.
Are Sun Prints the Same as Cyanotypes?
Sun printing and cyanotype are closely related.
Cyanotype is the photographic process responsible for the familiar deep-blue colour. Ready-made sun-print or solar-printing papers usually make this technique much easier to try because the paper has already been prepared.
More involved cyanotype projects can use a light-sensitive solution applied directly to paper, fabric or other suitable surfaces.
Is Sun Printing Easy to Try?
Sun printing is relatively accessible for beginners because it requires few materials and does not depend on drawing or painting skills.
A basic experiment only needs sun-print paper, a few objects to arrange on it, sunlight and water for developing the finished image.
The results can be used as small pieces of artwork or incorporated into cards, journals and other paper crafts.
In simple terms, a sun print uses sunlight and light-sensitive material to capture the shape of an object. It’s an easy way to experiment with cyanotype without starting with the more complicated traditional process.