Cyanotype Sun Prints: The DIY Trend Everyone’s Trying in 2026

If you have scrolled Pinterest even once this summer, you have probably seen them: those dreamy, deep blue and white prints that look like botanical x-rays. That is cyanotype, and it is having a real moment right now. Search interest for it is up over 150% in the last year, and once you try it yourself you will understand why. It is one of those rare crafts that feels like real art, costs almost nothing, and only takes sunshine and a little patience to pull off.

I was intimidated by this one at first. It sounded like something you needed a darkroom and a chemistry degree for. It is not. You mix two liquids, paint them onto paper, lay some leaves on top, and let the sun do the rest. That is genuinely most of it. If you can follow a recipe, you can make a cyanotype print, and the first time that image appears in the rinse water, you will be hooked.

This is a full beginner’s walkthrough: what to buy, how to set up your workspace, the exact steps, and the little things that trip people up the first time. Let’s get into it.

What Cyanotype Actually Is (In Plain Language)

Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic printing processes, invented in the 1840s. You coat paper or fabric with a light-sensitive solution, place objects or a photo negative on top, and expose it to UV light, usually just sunlight. Wherever the light hits, the chemistry turns a deep Prussian blue. Wherever something blocks the light, like a leaf or a flower, the paper stays white. Rinse it in water, and the image is permanently fixed. No darkroom, no enlarger, no fumes. Just sun and water.

What You Will Need

• Cyanotype solution kit: This is the light-sensitive mixture that makes the whole process work. Most beginner kits come pre-measured so you just combine Part A and Part B. I like this cyanotype kit for beginners.
• Watercolor paper or cyanotype fabric: A slightly textured, heavyweight paper holds the solution beautifully and gives you crisp prints. Cotton fabric works too if you want to try a tea towel or tote bag. This watercolor paper is a reliable pick.
• A foam or bristle brush: For spreading the solution evenly across your paper. A basic foam brush set works great.
• Nitrile gloves: The solution can stain skin and clothing, so protect your hands while you work. These nitrile gloves do the job.
• A glass or clear acrylic sheet: Pressing this over your objects keeps everything flat against the paper so your print comes out sharp instead of blurry. This acrylic sheet is the right size for most prints.
• Flat botanicals to print: Pressed flowers, ferns, leaves, and even lace or feathers all make gorgeous silhouettes. If you don’t have a garden to raid, this pressed botanicals set is a nice shortcut.
• A photo developing tray or shallow plastic bin: For rinsing your finished print in water. A simple craft tray works well for rinsing.
• Painter’s tape: To secure your paper to a board or tray while you coat and expose it. Any roll of painter’s tape will do.
• A dark storage folder or box: Treated paper is light-sensitive before exposure, so you need somewhere dark to keep it until you are ready to use it. This storage portfolio keeps paper flat and dark.

How to Make Cyanotype Sun Prints, Step by Step

Step 1: Set Up in Low Light

Cyanotype solution reacts to UV light immediately, so mix and coat your paper somewhere dim, like a room with the blinds closed or in the evening after the sun goes down. Put on your gloves before you open the solution bottles.

Step 2: Mix and Coat Your Paper

Combine equal parts of Solution A and Solution B in a small dish. Using your brush, coat one side of your watercolor paper in a thin, even layer, working in one direction and then the other so there are no streaks. The wet solution will look a pale yellow green. Let it dry completely in the dark, which usually takes fifteen to twenty minutes flat, or use a hair dryer on a cool setting to speed things up.

Step 3: Arrange Your Objects

Once your paper is dry, lay it flat outside or on a board you can carry outside. This is the fun part: arrange your leaves, flowers, or lace in a composition you love. Think about balance and negative space the way you would when styling a shelf. Flatter, thinner objects like ferns and pressed flowers give you the crispest detail.

Step 4: Press and Expose to the Sun

Lay your glass or acrylic sheet over the arranged objects to hold everything flat against the paper. Set the whole thing in direct sunlight. On a bright, sunny day, five to ten minutes is usually enough. On a cloudy day, plan on fifteen to twenty five minutes. You will actually see the exposed areas shift from yellow green to a grayish blue as it processes, which is oddly satisfying to watch.

Step 5: Rinse and Reveal

Carefully lift your objects away and submerge the paper in a tray of cool water. Gently agitate it for five to ten minutes, changing the water once or twice. This is the moment the magic happens: the exposed background deepens into that rich Prussian blue while the areas your objects protected stay bright white. Lay it flat to dry on a towel, away from direct sun.

Tips for Better Prints

• Full sun beats a sunny looking day: Even a light haze can double your exposure time, so check your prints every few minutes the first time until you get a feel for timing in your own yard.
• Thin, dry, pressed botanicals give the sharpest lines: Fresh flowers with thick petals tend to curl and let light sneak underneath, which blurs the edges.
• Underexposed prints rinse out pale and greenish: If that happens, your paper likely needed a few more minutes in the sun. Overexposed prints look uniformly dark blue with almost no white detail left, which means you pulled it too late.
• Iron out the wrinkles: Once your print is bone dry, press it under a heavy book overnight or with a cool iron over a thin cloth to flatten any curling from the wet rinse.

Displaying and Gifting Your Prints

Once you have a stack of prints you love, they make gorgeous, inexpensive wall art. Group three or four in simple black frames for an instant gallery wall, or mat a single standout print for a minimalist statement piece. They also make wonderful handmade gifts: a set of cyanotype notecards, a framed print of a botanical from someone’s garden, or a printed tea towel is the kind of gift that actually gets used and admired.

Shop the Supplies

• Cyanotype solution kit
• Watercolor paper
• Foam brush set
• Nitrile Gloves
• Clear acrylic sheet
• Photo developing tray
• Painter’s tape
• Dark storage portfolio

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