Van Dyke Brown is the less well-known sibling of cyanotype — a 19th-century alternative photographic process that produces warm sepia-brown prints rather than the deep Prussian blue of cyanotype. The chemistry is different, the process is more involved, and the results have a tonal quality that is distinctly its own. PAR's Van Dyke Kit contains four chemical bottles (rather than the two used for cyanotype), 20 sheets of cold-pressed acid-free watercolour paper (15×21cm), two rinse trays, five inkjet-compatible transparencies, gloves, foam brush, measuring cylinder, mixing tray, funnel, and stirrer — sufficient for approximately 25 A4 prints. You sensitise the paper, expose to sunlight using objects or a printed negative, then fix in the included fixer solution. PAR recommend starting with this complete kit rather than going straight to refills, as Van Dyke differs from cyanotype at several points in the process. Designed and assembled in the Netherlands by PAR (Print Art Read). Packaging is recycled and FSC-certified throughout. Instructions in English, French, German, and Dutch. Not recommended for under 12s; adult supervision advised for 12–18.
