Saturday, February 28, 2026

Faux Cyanotypes - Group of Cardmakers

Hi everyone.  This month at Group of Cardmakers, we are trying out a new-to-us technique called Faux Cyanotypes.  It is a photography artform that has been adapted for card making.  We are sharing two different ways to do this technique and we have a video of each.  This is done with just one colour of blue ink (Cyan is an Ancient Greek word for Blue).

Please check out the details for this month's Faux Cyanotypes Technique and link to videos on the blog, along with more card samples from Christine, Pat, & Susan.
The cards in this post are all CAS, meaning there is lots of white space, with litte to no embellishments.  If you have a question, please use the form on the sidebar to contact me.  I will list the stamps and products used for the cards at the bottom of this post. 

There are two ways to do this technique.  The closest look of the photography artform uses a saturated blue (Blueprint Sketch ink) background (DOX or DI both work, but I personally prefer the DI background that gives a brighter shade of blue) with white ink stamping (following first video on Group of Cardmakers).  The other video, using the same colour of blue (Blueprint Sketch used for all the blue cards in this post), you lightly sponge the background and then add a solid image stamped with the same ink (several stamping may be required to get a solid image).

For the cards above, I have used the same stamp and framing, done with the two techniques.  They look similar, but different. The left one is with a direct to paper inked background of blue, stamped image in white pigment ink on top.  The right one is made with just the blue ink, sponged lightly for the background, with the image stamped several times to get a deep colour.

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I wanted to see what this technique looked like in different colours ... so the third card is done with Rustic Wilderness distress ink, sponged softly for the background, with stamping done in the same colour, with several layers.  
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These two cards are done with the same image ... again using the two different techniques, both cards made with DOX inks this time.

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Lastly, I HAD to try this technique using pink ink (Picked Raspberry DI).  I LOVE it! :)  I had a LOT of fun playing with this technique.  I hope you'll give it a try.

Sending Card #1 to:

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Cards 1, 2, & 3:
Stamps:  Nature's Gift (Penny Black)
Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:   Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide Ink / Blueprint Sketch DI / Rustic Wilderness DI (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Rectangle Stitched Frames (AliExpress)

Card #4 & 5:
Stamps:  Sail Away (very old SU!)
Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:   Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink; Blue Sketch Distress Marker (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Thin Frames Rectangle dies (Simon Says stamp), sponge brush, diluted Acrylic White Paint, Splatter Brush

Card #6:
Stamps:  Wild Flora (Inkylicious)
Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.)
Ink:   Picked Raspberry Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:   Arched window die (Lil' Inkers - closed)

Challenges:

22 comments:

JoAnn said...

They are all beautiful, especially the pink one. Very interesting technique.

Susan B said...

All are beautiful, especially the blue ones (needles to say!). But I have to say I prefer the technique with the light background and the strong stamping in the same colour. It is so much more striking. I really enjoyed playing with the technique, even though I didn't get good results with the white stamping version.

Pat said...

The cards are all really beautiful Loll, and I them all but I do love both ways of doing this technique, but the lighter background blue stamped on blue, and this applies to the green card too with several applications of ink makes the leaves really pop. The yachts look great too, wonderful masculine cards, and finally the gorgeous flowers which also stand out well over the softer pink background. x

TK said...

All the cards are beautiful, Loll! I love the colors, yes all of them, and what you've made with them. I definitely want to try this technique as it is quite interesting -- thanks for the inspiration!

Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...

Wow Loll, you've been busy! Love your cards with this technique - will have to check it out!! Thanks for the inspiration!!

LesleyG said...

Beautiful cards, I really like the different looks with one ink xxx

Julie B said...

A fab set of cards Loll, love the monochrome effects you've got with this technique. :)

Faith A at Daffodil Cards said...

WOW! What an impressive set of cards with a very new to me technique, sounds like even I could do this? I'll have to give it a go. x

Birgit said...

These are so very pretty! I just did a technique similar to this recently with stamping friends but we used stencils to add the background color and then stamped over the top with the same color. What a great technique for quick and easy cards.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful cards, Loll! I like the lighter leaves on the blue background, but I like the darker image of the ship more than the lighter image. The pink is lovely, too! I always like an arch layout! Thanks for the inspiration! Sue N

Bobby said...

That technique is especially impactful with the sailboats, Loll. I'm glad you had fun and branched out with other colors. I'm thinking about what image I have that would work well.

BożenA said...

A fantastic set of cards made using a technique I'm unfamiliar with. Thanks for introducing me to this technique. Each color version is beautiful and encourages me to try it out.
hugs,
BożenA

HilaryJane said...

I can see you had fun with this one. What a great technique. Thanks for sharing so many brilliant examples xx

Christine said...

Great examples Loll, I love both of your boat cards the white ink gives a slightly different effect. I will be using this technique to top up my stash- so easy and so pretty.

Bonnie said...

I can tell that you had fun with this technique, Lolly! It's fascinating and the two different looks are so interesting! I love all your cards, the blues and the green and pink!

Darnell said...

This was engaging, Lolly, as I am not at all familiar with this technique and I love all the different examples you made using different stamps, designs, and colors! It is nice to see that it works for other colors besides the bright blue and it's clear you had fun with it! Love, Dolly

Lisa Elton said...

They're all just lovely, Loll! The final pink version is my favorite!

Leslie Miller said...

It most certainly is a technique that yields pretty results! I love it in all colors. Gosh, it puts a whole different spin on silhouette stamping. The blue has an early morning misty quality, and the pink is just so darned pretty!

Marcia Hill said...

These are all absolutely beautiful Loll, but you knew the pink one would totally grab my heart, right??! This is such a neat technique and I think I'm going to have to try this one out! ALL beautifully done my friend!! Hugs. :0)

Linda said...

WOW! I haven't heard of this technique before but it looks like fun to do. A gorgeous collection of sample cards, love the different colours, especially the pink! xx

Keep It Sweet and Simple said...

Ooh, these are fabulous. What a great technique. Especially when you don't have too many ink colours. The blue is amazing, but I am drawn to that pop of pink - beautiful xxx

Heather said...

What a beautiful technique, Loll. Your cards are stunning.