Anthotype printing is a captivating and relatively-eco-friendly alternative-photography process which uses pigments from plants, flowers, & fruits in order to create photo-reproductions of images on paper.
What is Anthotype Printing?
Anthotype printing is a photographic process that relies on the light-sensitive properties of natural pigments to create images.
The process involves first, coating a piece of paper or fabric with a solution of alcohol (I used Gin) made with ground-up and filtered plant, flower, or fruit pigments, and then exposing that paper to sunlight with a contact printing frame.
The areas exposed to light will fade, while the blocked areas will retain the original color of the anthotype paper, resulting in a unique image.
Example 1: “Tenet” 70MM Film Strip Anthotype
Our first example features an anthotype print made using blueberry pigment AND bougainvillea pigment, combined with a 70mm film strip from the movie “Tenet.”
By placing the film strip on the blueberry-coated paper and exposing it to sunlight for a month, we were able to get a duotone anthotype print (orange with blue splotches).
Our anthotype print preserves the original details and nuances of the 70-mm film strip, although the texture of the paper somewhat conceals the level of detail in our anthotype.
If this anthotype had been given a longer exposure time, it would have been even higher contrast, since more of the sunlight would have shone on the brightest parts of the image.
Example 2: “Dad & Me” 4×5 Slide Anthotype
The second anthotype example uses bougainvillea pigment and a 4×5 slide-film image of my dad and myself, taken in Santa Monica, which is the official end of Route 66.
The image we’re using is a 4×5 reversal slide, and it was placed on the bougainvillea-coated anthotype paper in a contact printing frame. After a month of sun exposure, our resulting anthotype showed a faint image. This draws our attention to the importance of exposure time and plant-pigment choice in achieving the desired results.
To improve this image’s resulting anthotype, I would likely have needed a 4-month exposure time.
Example 3: “Mom & Me” 4×6 Photo Anthotype
The final example uses a traditionally-printed photograph as the subject for our anthotype print.
A photograph of my mom and myself was placed on blueberry-coated paper.
After a month of exposure, the resulting anthotype showed minimal visibility, and this demonstrates that certain photographs may require longer exposure times or different pigments for optimal results.
Make Your Own Anthotype Prints
Anthotype printing offers a fascinating and mostly-eco-friendly approach to alternative photography, allowing artists to create unique and organic images using the power of nature. I especially like that making anthotypes uses virtually 0 water, from start to finish. The three examples that you saw in this article are just a small sample of the full versatility and potential of anthotype printing.
Your own Anthotype-printing results may vary, depending on exposure time and pigment choice. Anthotypes have an elemental beauty, which makes them a fun medium for artistic expression. It’s also a great way to spend a day in the garden, collecting wild leaves. 🙂
This article was first recorded as a video, then the transcription of that video was fed to Claude 3 Opus, which then turned out the resulting blog text you’ve read. Here’s a link to the full conversation that lead to the production of this finished blog post: https://poe.com/s/pPDePnGiYHA5kPePDJRn