Blue Prints

Explore cyanotypes in this family-friendly workshop run by RCA graduates Melanie Issaka and An Ting Teng. Suitable for beginners, these workshops will introduce participants to one of the oldest photographic printing processes in the history of photography. No darkroom is needed, instead we’ll use the power of the sun and iron salt solutions (ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide) to create distinctive cyan blue prints.

Cyanotypes were first introduced by the astronomer, scientist, and botanist John Herschel in 1842 whilst looking for ways to reproduce his notes and drawings. It was a family friend, the botanist and photographer Anna Atkins, who used the cyanotype printing process in 1843 to create an album of algae specimens. Her detailed cyanotypes of her specimens led her to be considered the first female photographer – a trailblazer indeed! Melanie Issaka (b.1994, Ghana) and An Ting Teng (b.1995, Taiwan), are visual artists living and working in London who graduated from the RCA’s Photography Programme in 2021.

Places for this session will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Image copyright: An Ting Teng