I used up one of these kits over the summer. My first projects looked like yours. A few tips: 1. Your blue is faded because there wasn't enough light. Not sure what the weather is like, but try putting them outside in the middle of a sunny day. 2. The plant you chose is too bushy, so it's showing up as a blob. Try pruning it down and then pressing it under a heavy book beforehand or use a more delicate plant. 3. If you have a picture frame, the glass makes a better cover while your project is being exposed than saran wrap. 4. UV light is what causes the reaction. You can paint the solution on with low artificial lighting from a normal light bulb. I did mine at night with light shining in from the next room and then put them in a box in a dark closet to dry until I was ready to use them. They were fine for a few days, that way, so I could wait for optimal light conditions.
Really helpful info, thanks for taking the time to leave this comment! I did snort a bit at 'sunny day' though. I'm Scottish - our official sky colour is 'grey' until at least next april 😉
@@TheColourCave Yeah, I thought that might be the case. Speedball makes special lights if you can get a hold of one, but probably not worth going out and buying. You are very creative. I'm sure you'll find a way to make beautiful images using what you have.
I loved this box but had the advantage that I love and already knew about cyanotype. One of the old not too strong light bulbs are actually okay for coating your paper or other materials. So it doesn't have to that dark ;) But everything you did already worked perfectly. Only your material was not lying flat enough on your paper. I am using a glas piece from a picture frame to lay and press my material directly down to the paper. Also I press my plant material before so that it can lay flat. What is also nice is to use transparent papers - either print pictures or take a black CD marker and draw on it. I live in Leipzig and we have the same problem: With the beginn of autumn, the sun was gone and will be gone for months now ;). I acutally put my prints out on the balcony for the WHOLE day! What I didn't like in this box was the paper. I tried different ones and it was the one showing the worst results sadly.
I loved it so much! I can't wait for this chest to be available in the upcrate store. I'm not an upcrate subscriber, but i definitely want to try this! :o
I love the idea of that box! I do wonder why they chose October for it though, instead of, say, July/August? When there is actually a decent chance for sun in the northern hemisphere. Morgan Donner made a dress with the same process a while ago, which looks really lovely as an idea too
Hi! The fact that your reindeer paperclip turned out so clear I'm wondering if the objects chosen need to have direct contact with the paper,that's where the plastic wrap needs to be tight to ensure this. Just a thought😊Interesting art form!
That was my take from it as well! I don't think the issue was moisture in the foliage, but the elements have to be really flush and tight to the paper to make sure the edges are sharp. Having a pane of glass on top makes it SO much better than cling film!
I think it's a fun idea... I remember we did something like this at school at some point. Maybe the glass of a picture frame might have worked better to keep the leaves down? Would love to see what else you do with this :)
I actually really liked this box (though I agree with the instructions-issue). I looked up more about cyanotype (like how long the individal parts last, as i was worried i only had them for like a month or so - with the water they last multiple years, so no worry here) and different things to use, instead of plants. I coated them when it was already dark out (like 19 o`clock) and i had my normal lighting on (just evereyday light bulbs, less then a year old). While the paper was wet i quickly moved them to my broom-closet (no windows) and let them dry there. After dry I put them in an envelope to get out, when i want to. Because the reaction happens with sun light, i wanted to give them a test. I have a pet tortoise and in spring and autumn i have her indoors in an eclosure - with a UV-light!!! So because my tortoise is in the fridge right now (hibernation), I checked to see if i can use her UV-Lamp. --- And it worked :D So I had the pleasure of arrangeing everything i wanted, like salt, bubbles or even a test with ink in a water container; then just had to turn the light on and the magic happend, i only needed like 5-10 minutes per test and I endded up with a lovely dark blue. The pens definitely felt kinda, eh. cyanotype seems to look the best on its own, maybe the orange pen adds something nice. The green was a dut in my opinion. This definitetly is a fun box to play around with. For my first test I used some scrap paper (some of wich was coloured - works as long as it is a light colour) and getting the interessting results really kept me going with this.
I really like the idea of the box and it's something I haven't seen before. But I think they didn't think it through entirely. Not everyone has the space to do what's needed. Like putting the papers in the dark for I dunno how long. I'm sure there are solutions to all of that, but I'm really struggling with how I could pull all that off without spilling chemicals everywhere, etc. Also the instructions? I'm getting so annoyed with Upcrate by now 😅 like you've said in the video, Gem. You need detailed instructions for something like that, and not having steps (or material usage) left out...
Well it's different but such a faff. I would not have bothered with it if I was still a subscriber. I am not a patient soul. But there again for others it might be just up their street. The pens looked like a random "chuck in what we have around" selection though.
This would have been a box that would have gone straight into the bin had it landed on my doorstep… 😂 I admire your patience with the supplies and lack of instructions 🙂 And it was so cute how you calculated at what time to do the challenge according to the daylight hours in Scotland and actually got up in the early hours to get going! 👏 I guess it’s great if someone has the time and patience to practice enough to get a good result, but I would never have even started… 🫣
Hullo Gem, I believe that you have made a decent showing from the instructions that you were given. This did remind me of the photo method of printmaking that I used in college! It was a strange method of getting a photo image for printing on silkscreens! I remember the “photo bulb” just being a very bright tungsten bulb and it had a 6500 rating on it! I got different exposure times depending upon what I used for my pattern. I am just so glad that you are truly patient and willing to give these unusual ideas a go! Thank you for sharing this with us! I do doubt that I will be going and looking for this box to buy! Please take care and enjoy your day!
I used up one of these kits over the summer. My first projects looked like yours. A few tips: 1. Your blue is faded because there wasn't enough light. Not sure what the weather is like, but try putting them outside in the middle of a sunny day. 2. The plant you chose is too bushy, so it's showing up as a blob. Try pruning it down and then pressing it under a heavy book beforehand or use a more delicate plant. 3. If you have a picture frame, the glass makes a better cover while your project is being exposed than saran wrap. 4. UV light is what causes the reaction. You can paint the solution on with low artificial lighting from a normal light bulb. I did mine at night with light shining in from the next room and then put them in a box in a dark closet to dry until I was ready to use them. They were fine for a few days, that way, so I could wait for optimal light conditions.
Really helpful info, thanks for taking the time to leave this comment! I did snort a bit at 'sunny day' though. I'm Scottish - our official sky colour is 'grey' until at least next april 😉
@@TheColourCave Yeah, I thought that might be the case. Speedball makes special lights if you can get a hold of one, but probably not worth going out and buying. You are very creative. I'm sure you'll find a way to make beautiful images using what you have.
I loved this box but had the advantage that I love and already knew about cyanotype. One of the old not too strong light bulbs are actually okay for coating your paper or other materials. So it doesn't have to that dark ;)
But everything you did already worked perfectly. Only your material was not lying flat enough on your paper. I am using a glas piece from a picture frame to lay and press my material directly down to the paper. Also I press my plant material before so that it can lay flat. What is also nice is to use transparent papers - either print pictures or take a black CD marker and draw on it.
I live in Leipzig and we have the same problem: With the beginn of autumn, the sun was gone and will be gone for months now ;). I acutally put my prints out on the balcony for the WHOLE day!
What I didn't like in this box was the paper. I tried different ones and it was the one showing the worst results sadly.
I loved it so much! I can't wait for this chest to be available in the upcrate store. I'm not an upcrate subscriber, but i definitely want to try this! :o
Ooooo! This one is so unusual and so exciting! Wonder how this would work on a t-shirt! Might be fun to try!
They make kits for clothing also! Morgan Donner did that (and it looks really lovely), her video about it was quite nice
@@Lionessfeather ooooo! Thank you, now I am going to go and look that up!
I love the idea of that box! I do wonder why they chose October for it though, instead of, say, July/August? When there is actually a decent chance for sun in the northern hemisphere.
Morgan Donner made a dress with the same process a while ago, which looks really lovely as an idea too
I think, they chose this box for these materials, because it's the 50th one and they probably wanted it to be special
@@Thia-saurus that makes sense!
I still feel the timing is not ideal though. But can't help that, the 50th box falls when it will!
oh wish i had of gotten that box, something I've never done before!
Hi! The fact that your reindeer paperclip turned out so clear I'm wondering if the objects chosen need to have direct contact with the paper,that's where the plastic wrap needs to be tight to ensure this. Just a thought😊Interesting art form!
That was my take from it as well! I don't think the issue was moisture in the foliage, but the elements have to be really flush and tight to the paper to make sure the edges are sharp. Having a pane of glass on top makes it SO much better than cling film!
I agree. I've commented elsewhere, I think next time I'll use glass as suggested - let's see how it goes!
It looks like you need your own dark room for this, like developing your own photos 🙃. But it seems to be an interesting box.
I think it's a fun idea... I remember we did something like this at school at some point. Maybe the glass of a picture frame might have worked better to keep the leaves down? Would love to see what else you do with this :)
I definitely think I'd use glass next time. I will share what I do next!
I actually really liked this box (though I agree with the instructions-issue).
I looked up more about cyanotype (like how long the individal parts last, as i was worried i only had them for like a month or so - with the water they last multiple years, so no worry here) and different things to use, instead of plants.
I coated them when it was already dark out (like 19 o`clock) and i had my normal lighting on (just evereyday light bulbs, less then a year old). While the paper was wet i quickly moved them to my broom-closet (no windows) and let them dry there. After dry I put them in an envelope to get out, when i want to.
Because the reaction happens with sun light, i wanted to give them a test. I have a pet tortoise and in spring and autumn i have her indoors in an eclosure - with a UV-light!!! So because my tortoise is in the fridge right now (hibernation), I checked to see if i can use her UV-Lamp. --- And it worked :D So I had the pleasure of arrangeing everything i wanted, like salt, bubbles or even a test with ink in a water container; then just had to turn the light on and the magic happend, i only needed like 5-10 minutes per test and I endded up with a lovely dark blue.
The pens definitely felt kinda, eh. cyanotype seems to look the best on its own, maybe the orange pen adds something nice. The green was a dut in my opinion.
This definitetly is a fun box to play around with. For my first test I used some scrap paper (some of wich was coloured - works as long as it is a light colour) and getting the interessting results really kept me going with this.
Thanks for the info! I'd love to see some pictures of your tortoise! What's her name?
I really like the idea of the box and it's something I haven't seen before. But I think they didn't think it through entirely. Not everyone has the space to do what's needed. Like putting the papers in the dark for I dunno how long. I'm sure there are solutions to all of that, but I'm really struggling with how I could pull all that off without spilling chemicals everywhere, etc. Also the instructions? I'm getting so annoyed with Upcrate by now 😅 like you've said in the video, Gem. You need detailed instructions for something like that, and not having steps (or material usage) left out...
Well it's different but such a faff. I would not have bothered with it if I was still a subscriber. I am not a patient soul. But there again for others it might be just up their street. The pens looked like a random "chuck in what we have around" selection though.
This box confused me!
This would have been a box that would have gone straight into the bin had it landed on my doorstep… 😂 I admire your patience with the supplies and lack of instructions 🙂 And it was so cute how you calculated at what time to do the challenge according to the daylight hours in Scotland and actually got up in the early hours to get going! 👏 I guess it’s great if someone has the time and patience to practice enough to get a good result, but I would never have even started… 🫣
this comment really made me laugh.
@@TheColourCave I‘m glad I could give back to you a bit of entertainment 😂
Hullo Gem, I believe that you have made a decent showing from the instructions that you were given. This did remind me of the photo method of printmaking that I used in college! It was a strange method of getting a photo image for printing on silkscreens! I remember the “photo bulb” just being a very bright tungsten bulb and it had a 6500 rating on it! I got different exposure times depending upon what I used for my pattern. I am just so glad that you are truly patient and willing to give these unusual ideas a go! Thank you for sharing this with us! I do doubt that I will be going and looking for this box to buy! Please take care and enjoy your day!