Drawing with Light: Make Sun Prints

Let’s have some fun by using light to create beautiful drawings, just like Henry Holmes Smith did! Instead of a spotlight, we’ll use the sun to make our artwork come to life.

• Light-sensitive paper (cyanotype paper or sun-print paper)
• Flat items with defined shapes (leaves, flowers, keys, etc.)
• Clothespin
• Timer
• Tape
• Tub of water
• Clear acrylic sheet (optional)

Collect Objects To Print

Look around your classroom or outside for things you’d like to capture in your sun print. Choose flat items with clear shapes like leaves, flowers, or keys.

Create Your Sun Print

Arrange your chosen items on the light-sensitive paper, and secure them with tape. Place the paper in direct sunlight, either outside or by a window, for three to five minutes.

Optional: If you’re using things like leaves and flowers, you can use a clear acrylic sheet instead of tape to hold them in place.

Develop Your Print

Carefully remove your items from the paper, and immerse the paper in a tub of water for one minute. After soaking, let them dry on a towel or hang them up with a clothespin.

Write and Discuss

Grab your notebook and write about the following questions:

• What did your paper look like before and after leaving it out in the sun?
• What causes this change to happen?
• How else do you think sunlight can affect objects?

Share your thoughts with your classmates or a partner. It’s time to talk about the amazing drawings you’ve created using the power of the sun!

A type of paper that reacts to light. When exposed to light, such as sunlight or artificial light, this special paper undergoes a chemical reaction that changes its color or produces an image. Light-sensitive paper is commonly used in photography and other art forms where capturing images using light is desired.