I wonder, can you catch a shadow?

ArtWonderMake Lab

Mar 12

I dare you to make a sun print with construction paper and objects that you use every day.

First gather your materials, construction paper and objects. I included objects that weren’t going to move or fly away in a light breeze. The objects chosen also helped keep the paper in place.

Next place your objects on the construction paper and let the paper soak up the sun’s rays. The construction paper will fade where the sun hits it and will remain the same color where it is covered by an object.

Time can range from 20 minutes to all afternoon. It just depends on the day and weather.

My construction paper was out for a few hours, 12pm-3pm with a fair amount of clouds. This resulted in softer contrast sun print. A sunnier day with with more intense sunlight would have resulted in sun prints with sharper and more defined contrast.

When the construction paper has been kissed by the sun, you have caught the shadows of some of your every day things and captured their essence in a new light!

For past projects I have placed collaged pieces of these sun prints behind UV Plexiglas and they have retained their color and contrast - 5 years without fading.

A few tips: I had the best results on bright and sunny days around noon using blue and pink construction paper. - Let me know what works for you!