Soaking film in rubbing alcohol creates beautiful effects. It's easy too! Here's some tips for you to try.
What you will need:
-film
-alcohol [I used 90% solution]
-a cup
The film remains in the cartridge, so you don’t have to be in the dark to do it. Pour the alcohol in the cup and drop the film in. I left it that way for about ten minutes. Before you shoot it, let it dry completely. But since alcohol evaporates quickly, this shouldn’t take too long.
Shoot as you normally would.
When you pick your film up from the photo lab, expect it to be crinkly. I was told it was difficult to scan. When I tried this, the shots came out with lots of blue, purple, some green, and lots of little dots. Some of the shots have what looks like frost along the edges!
Give it a try and see what you can create.
9 comments
jonalon
this sounds and looks great! would it still work after they've been developed?
ricah_018
do you have to pull all the film out in a dark place when you're going to dry it?
jaguarwomon
Jonalon: I've only tried this with undeveloped film, but I imagine it could still work.
Ricah_018: To dry the film, *leave it in* the canister. Then set it somewhere undisturbed. Try putting a napkin or something underneath it because it will leak. It shouldn't take long, maybe a day.
ricah_018
awesome! absolutely no need for a darkroom! i'll have no hesitations trying this. thanks! :D
cc-in-paris
Hi! I dropped a film into alcohol the other day and let it dry for a few days. today I put it in my LCA and now the camera smells a bit like alcohol.... did this happen to you? should I take it out? thanks!
jaguarwomon
CC-in-Paris: I do not recall noticing an alcohol smell whenever I do this. I always use cheap cameras [such as a Colorsplash], so I would recommend doing whatever you feel comfortable with. However, if the film was dry, I think your camera will be fine. I hope your shots turn out nice!
jaredrubin99
jaguarwomon
jaredrubin99: 120 film has a paper backing on it, so I don't think you could follow these instructions to get this look.
jaredrubin99