Cyanotype Hugs

Cyanotype

A print/photography process that uses light-sensitive chemicals to print an image using the sun.
Originally discovered in 1842.
Engineers used the process to make copies of drawings, referred to as blueprints.

Learn more about the cyanotype process.

Download instructions as pdf

You will need

A phone to record video and take photos
A shower/bath/sink with running water
White wine vinegar or lemon juice (optional)

Package contents

Two white cotton t-shirts treated with cyanotype solution. These are sealed in a lightproof black bag
Two pairs of plastic gloves

Keep the lightproof bag sealed. Do not open the bag or remove the t-shirts until you have both finished reading the instructions and are set up and ready to do your hug.

When to hug

Try to choose a bright and sunny day, roughly 10am to 4pm. You can still get a good exposure if it’s cloudy, but it will take a bit longer.

Where to hug

You must do your hug outside and facing the sun. The chemicals react to UV light in sunshine. It’s up to you where you do your hug – in a pub, park, garden, balcony, roof terrace, or on the street.

You will both need to remove your t-shirts so make sure there is a private place to change. You could wear a vest or a thin top underneath.

Set up your phone to record video

Use your phone to film your hug. Make sure it is set up before you put the t-shirts on. You must film in landscape orientation, not vertical. Try to hug in the centre of the frame. Make sure your phone is fully charged with memory space.

You could ask someone to hold the phone steady or prop it up. You could record video from two different phones from different angles.

Start recording your video now!

Set a timer

Very sunny: 8 minutes
Partly cloudy with sunny intervals: 10 minutes
Cloudy: 15-20 minutes

You can set a timer or you could make a playlist of music that lasts the right amount of time for your hug.

Put on the cyanotype t-shirts

Take off your normal t-shirt. Open the lightproof black bag and take out the t-shirts. Set the black bag aside, you will need it later. Put your cyanotype t-shirt on and start hugging!

Stay still

Once you start hugging, try to keep your hands as still as possible. This will make the outline of your arms and hands very clear. If you move too much, the outline will be fuzzy and blurry.

Slowly shuffle around while hugging to make sure both of your backs face the sun for a roughly equal time.

Take off the t-shirts

Take off the cyanotype t-shirts and put them back in the lightproof black bag to stop any more light exposure. You have about 30 seconds once your hands are removed to get both t-shirts back in the lightproof bag.

Stop the video recording on your phone when the t-shirts are safely wrapped up.

Rinse the cyanotype t-shirts

Take your t-shirts to a shower/bath/sink. Put on the plastic gloves. Gently rinse the t-shirts under running tap water for at least five minutes. Use your gloved hands to move them around under the water. Keep moving them around until the water runs clear. Do not use soap.

If you want to add a little more depth of tone to the print, you can add a teaspoon of white wine vinegar or lemon juice to the water. This is an optional step that deepens the blue colour. Then you can give it a final rinse under the tap for at least two minutes.

Hang up the t-shirts to dry

Hang up your t-shirts to dry above your shower or bath to catch any drips or outside on a washing line. Your t-shirts will fully develop their beautiful deep blue colour over the next 24 hours.

Take a photo of your t-shirts

Put your t-shirts on a clothes hanger and hold them up. Take a photograph of the front and the back of each t-shirt and send the photo to me.

T-shirt care instructions

Hand wash your t-shirts in cold water and don’t use soaps or detergent containing phosphates, bleach, or sodium or they will change colour. Cyanotype can only be gently washed with non-bio wash.