My Little Experiment Trying That Kristin Runnels Ditto Style
Okay, so I saw some stuff online by an artist, Kristin Runnels Ditto. Really cool nature prints, kind of blue and white, you know? Looked almost like x-rays of leaves and flowers. Got me thinking, maybe I could try something like that. Seemed simple enough at first glance, just slapping plants on paper and leaving them in the sun. The “ditto” part for me was just trying to capture that same kind of vibe, that direct print from nature feel she has.
First step, I had to figure out what that blue stuff even was. Found out it’s called cyanotype printing. Sounded fancy, but it’s actually an old photo process. Ordered one of those pre-treated fabric kits online, thought it’d be easier than mixing chemicals myself. Didn’t want to mess with powders and potions right off the bat.
Getting Started Messily
The kit arrived. Just some squares of fabric that felt a bit stiff and weird, sealed in a black bag. Instructions said keep it out of UV light until ready. Fair enough. So, I waited for a sunny day, which took a while, typical.
Then, the ‘art’ part. I went outside and grabbed a bunch of stuff from the garden:
- Some ferns, because they look intricate.
- A few flat leaves.
- Whatever tiny flowers were still around.
I didn’t really plan it out like she probably does, just grabbed things that looked interesting.
The Actual Process (and Mistakes)
Pulled out a fabric square indoors, away from bright windows. Threw my collected nature bits onto it. Tried to arrange them a bit, but honestly, just sort of scattered them. Then I slapped a piece of glass I took from an old picture frame on top to hold things down. Carried the whole setup outside into the bright sun. The instructions said maybe 5-15 minutes. How technical, right? I just guessed.
Watched it change color. The fabric went from a yellowish-green to a kind of bronze, then deeper blue where the sun hit it directly. After about 10 minutes, I brought it inside. Took the glass and the plants off. It looked… okay? Sort of underwhelming, pale shapes where the plants were.
Next step was rinsing. Took it to the sink and just ran cold water over it, like the instructions said. This was the cool part. As I rinsed, the background turned this really deep blue (Prussian blue, apparently), and the plant shapes turned white or very light blue. It was like magic, seriously.
So, Did I Ditto Kristin Runnels Ditto?
Well, not exactly. My first few tries were pretty basic. Some prints were blurry because the plants probably moved, or the glass wasn’t heavy enough. Some were too dark or too light because I messed up the sun exposure time. It definitely wasn’t the same level of detail or composition I saw in her work. Hers look really thought out, mine were more like happy accidents (or unhappy ones).
But, you know what? It was fun. Really hands-on. Going out, finding the plants, arranging them (or not), and then the reveal during the rinse. There’s something cool about capturing a direct shadow of a real thing using sunlight. It’s basic, almost primitive, but the results can be pretty striking, even on my messy first attempts. Maybe I’ll try again, perhaps be a bit more careful with arranging things next time. It’s a neat process, that cyanotype stuff. Gave me a bit more appreciation for what folks like Kristin Runnels Ditto do to get those really sharp, artistic results.
