cyanotype but it’s brat

Read along for a simple concert outfit DIY turned deep-dive into a printmaking process from the 1840s and the song lyric that sparked it all. But first, what is cyanotype?

Cyanotype is a camera-less photography and printmaking method. It works by coating paper or fabric with a light-reactive sensitizer. The print is created by overlaying any object or photo negative overtop and exposing to UV light (the sun) for 10-30 minutes. The areas exposed to UV light turn a deep Prussian blue, while the areas blocked by the negative stay white. The final step is washing out the sensitizer with water.

You have probably seen cyanotype prints without realizing it. Blueprints were a popular way to reproduce architectural drawings until about the 1950s, when other methods became available. The original was drawn on transparent paper and then used as the photo negative in the cyanotype process.

A Blueprint is… Blue

As someone who has dabbled in printmaking, cyanotype has been on my radar for a while but the two part solution sat in my closet for years before I found myself in a cultural moment of inspiration. Without both the albums Short n’ Sweet and brat, I never would have thought to print my underwear on a t-shirt. But maybe I should back up a bit.

F Ticketmaster (again)

In a parallel timeline, Charli XCX dropped the collab of the century: Guess featuring Billie Eilish. Underwear was raining down from the sky, and the internet was going insane for Billie’s contributions to the song. Most importantly, my friend Zach secured us tickets for the tour.

That’s when I realized I was ready to DIY my concert outfit.

In Billie’s verse, she mentions a lacy black pair of underwear with little bows— a pretty common undergarment that I happen to own. So with Sabrina’s tour merch and Billie’s verse in the back of my mind, I set out to create a cyanotype print my underwear on a t-shirt.

Guess featuring Billie Eilish
Don't have to guess the color of your underwear
Already know what you've got goin' on down there
It's that lacy black pair with the little bows
The ones I picked out for you in Tokyo
I saw them when you sat down, they were peekin' out
I'm gonna tell you right now, they're all I'm thinkin' about

My Process

Many tutorials will tell you to wait until the fabric is dry or even overnight; I was too excited. I used my hairdryer on cool to accelerate the drying process and carefully measured to see where the bra and underwear would hit on the oversized t-shirt. When I was happy with the layout, it was time to activate the sensitizer.

Because it wasn’t completely dry, condensation appeared on the glass. This made me nervous as water is supposed to be the last step. So I removed the glass and hoped things would stay in place without it. Watching the sensitizer react was fascinating. It started with an immediate color change from yellow-green to forest-green, then slowly faded to a silvery blue. With cyanotype, it is better to overexpose, but you might lose finer details. So, going off the color, I brought it back inside to wash it out after only 10 minutes.

The detail this printmaking process captured blew me away! You can see the fine lines of the mesh, the fibers of the lace, and the negative of the bow pattern. And I only used a few tablespoons of the solution so I have plenty left for future projects. All that’s left to do is enjoy the brat concert.

FAQ

I found myself googling the following several times throughout the process. I would still say, don’t be intimidated. It’s a pretty easy process and low cost for the experimentation phase.

Do you need to let the canvas fully dry?

In my experience no, but if you are worried about staining the object or photo negative then yes. Also many tutorials recommend using a glass pane like out of a picture frame to keep things in place, the canvas needs to be fully dry to use the glass pane.

How long does it take to expose?

10-30 minutes depending on weather conditions. I would go off of the color changing to the silvery blue color.

Does the canvas need to be evenly coated?

Many tutorials were saying to use a spray bottle when treating fabric. I used a sponge brush. I hac areas I went over multiple times and there were some spots I completely missed. It didn’t really impact the final result except where there was no sensitizer. But I also liked the organic effect applying via sponge gave with various splatters and shapes.

Can you wash cyanotype treated fabric?

Yes, but the project will fade over time with sun exposure and do not use detergent with phosphates. The print might be revived with a hydrogen peroxide diluted solution but I haven’t tested this.

Cyanotype vs Solarfast

There is an alternative dye called Solarfast which is a UV reactive dye. Cyanotype is not a dye and thus is less permanent. The process and results are similar but chemically it is completely different. Solarfast is more resilient to washes and does not fade over time. It is also more expensive so it is really up to you what you want for the final result.

I hope this inspired you to try out cyanotype!