11 Aug How To Create Prints With Sun Sensitive Paper

Making a print with sun sensitive paper is a very simple and fun way to introduce your kids to the idea of photographic paper and how chemicals and light can create a print on paper. We’ve just started a study of photography in our homeschool, and I wanted to give my kids a hands-on experiment to demonstrate how to create prints with sun-sensitive paper.

What You Will Need

• Sunprint Paper Kit
• Cardboard (or a hardcover book)
• A tub of water that will hold the size of your Sunprint Paper
• Interesting objects to print

Step 1: Plan Your Print

You can print anything you’d like, but I would suggest looking for flat objects. Flat objects make a clearer print. We went for a hunt in the backyard for differently-shaped objects in nature.

Before pulling the Sunprint paper from it’s envelope and exposing it to light, we arranged our project on a piece of plain white paper. Once we were sure of the design, we quickly got out the Sunprint paper, placed it on a book (any firm surface will do) and arranged our print..

It’s best to do this step indoors, away from the bright sunlight. This will prevent the chemical process from starting until you are good and ready for it to begin. It will also prevent any gusts of wind from blowing your design away.

Step 2: Flatten Your Print with the Acrylic Sheet Provided

The Sunprint Kit we used comes with an acrylic sheet to lay over your print. This will also keep items from blowing away, and will flatten the print, creating a sharper image.

Step 3: Place Your Sunprint Paper in the Direct Sunlight

When you place your Sunprint paper in the direct sunlight, the bright blue will immediately begin to fade to a white. When it’s almost completely white, your exposure is complete. This will take approximately 2 – 5 minutes in direct sunlight. If it’s overcast, it can still be done, it will just take longer.

In this step, a chemical reaction is taking place, stimulated by the sun’s ultra-violet light waves. Any part of the Sunprint paper that is being exposed to the sun will turn white. The areas blocked by your design will remain blue.

Step 4: Place Your Sunprint Paper in Water

Once your print is almost completely white, it is time to stop the chemical reaction. We had a small tub of water ready. We quickly removed our leaf design and put the Sunprint into the water for about a minute.

In this step, you will see the water quickly wash away the original blue color. This is because it is water soluble. The rest of the paper, which had turned white in the sun, now has another chemical reaction in the water, changing it to a beautiful, deep blue, which is how it will stay.

Step 5: Dry

The final step is to place your Sunprint on a flat, absorbent surface to dry. At this point, your print will still be a light blue. By the time it is completely dry, it will turn into a dark blue.

Don’t Stop Yet! Experiment!

Finding objects in nature is a great way to integrate nature study and art. So much inspiration comes from nature! We decided to experiment a little further and using our Cricut, we cut out some paper files. You can use inspirational quotes, Bible verses, or, as we did, a saying that inspires you and brings happy memories.

We also found this beautiful bouquet from Pineapple Paper Co which we were able to cut out with our Cricut and get a intricate sun print with.

Here are our results! I added some accent writing on our Mountain print. And yes, they are hard to dry flat!

You will love doing this quick experiment with your kids. It allows for plenty of experimentation and gives fast results. Be sure to come back to visit our blog soon – we are going to be sharing lessons about photography!