A Summer Survey:
Intro to Cyanotype
Instructed by
Michael Wilson
Schedule:
Monday-Thursday, 3-6pm
August 11-14, 2025
Registration Deadline: August 8, 2025
[ REGISTER HERE ]
Description:
Travel back to the roots of photography in a four-day workshop exploring cyanotype, one of the earliest photographic processes that has been used to create images with a distinctive blue glow since 1842. While the basic process hasn’t changed much since then—simple chemistry meets sunlight and shadow in a technique that is at once scientific and highly expressive—cyanotype’s possibilities have really inspired a resurgence of artistic investigations in recent decades.
Whether you're a photographer looking to push beyond the lens, a designer curious about analog image-making, or simply someone who loves the thrill of watching an image slowly bloom into view—you'll crown this four-day experience with a small collection of prints, a deep understanding of the process, and the joyful experience of making images at the intersection of science, sunlight, and surprise.
Over the four consecutive afternoons, we will cover the following:
• The history of the cyanotype, from its 19th-century botanical beginnings to its 21st-century creative revival
• Cyanotype chemistry and printing procedures, using both sunlight and UV light sources
• Image-making based on photograms, creating shadow prints from plants, textiles, and found objects
• An introduction to creating enlarged negatives from digital files, so you can turn your photos into bold, blue contact prints
Fee:
$200
Minimum Enrollment: 4
Maximum Enrollment: 12
Materials list: (link to printable PDF)
Level of Study:
All levels are welcome! Intro to Cyanotype is geared toward participants early in their photographic education, but can challenge even the most accomplished artists. In this class, participants will have many opportunities to test out new techniques and tools and receive feedback in a supportive classroom environment.
Questions? Please contact Education and Studio Program Manager, Adam Mysock at mysock@manifestdrawingcenter.org with any questions about this list and/or course.
LOCATION: Unless otherwise specified, all courses are hosted at Manifest's new facility at 'M1' in Clifton at 3464 Central Parkway (see map and directions below). Manifest's new facility provides multiple studio classrooms, private lesson space, a darkroom, a film processing room, and a multi-purpose lecture and class meeting space as well as on-site parking, grounds, and exterior spaces in which to relax, discuss, and make art. The studios are outfitted with professional equipment, furniture, and study aids.
Map to Manifest's M1 Studios | Studio Calendar | Darkroom Calendar
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Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson
Marilyn Wilson
About the instructor:
Michael Wilson is a life-long resident of Cincinnati residing in Price Hill. He developed his interest in photography while attending Northern Kentucky University where he earned a bachelor of fine arts in 1981. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions at such local venues as Baker Hunt Foundation (Covington, Ky.); Thomas More Gallery, Thomas More College (Crestview Hills, Ky.); In Situ Gallery (Cincinnati, Ohio); Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center (Covington, Ky.); as well as the Cincinnati Art Museum and Contemporary Arts Center. Wilson's photographs have been exhibited regionally at the J. B. Speed Museum (Louisville, Ky.); Rosewood Arts Centre (Kettering, Ohio); and Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art (Cleveland, Ohio). His work is represented in the Cincinnati corporate collections of E. W. Scripps; PNC Bank; Frost & Jacobs; Deloitte & Touche; and Duke Energy. He is also represented in the collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum and the J. B. Speed Museum. In addition, his images have been featured in more than three hundred photographic projects working with musicians and record labels.
Among the many artists Michael has photographed are: Lyle Lovett, Robert Plant, B. B. King, Waylon Jennings, Randy Newman, Emmylou Harris, Bill Frisell, David Byrne, Philip Glass, Dawn Upshaw, and Doc Watson. His clients include: Nonesuch Records, Warner Brothers Records, Sony Music, Capitol Records, Alfred A. Knopf, Penguin Putnam, Mother Jones Magazine, Health Magazine, Uncut Magazine, and Pentagram Design.
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