Ecology of Color

Dyer's Polypore Mushroom ( Phaeolus schweinitzi i) The Dyer's Polypore Mushroom is a prolific tree butt rot fungus that begins making an...

This general recipe can be used to make ink from any tannin source. Some plant materials high in tannin: Oak galls Alder catkins Black...

Red Ochre & Cypress Green Inks Minerals and earth pigments create vibrant, long-lasting color when used to make ink. You will need: 1/2...

Watercolor Paints made from Madder Madder root is host to several different pigments. Through a series of rinses, we can remove some of the darker, earthy colored pigments and extract a bright pink color. Featured here is watercolor paint made from madder lake pigments (calcium carbonate extraction, soda ash extraction, and rinsed madder + soda ash extraction). To learn more about making a lake pigment, check out this tutorial ( How to Make a Lake Pigment ). Rinsing Madder fo

My favorite watercolor paint is one of the easiest to make! No lake pigments are required for this recipe because you can buy indigo that is already extracted and powdered. My suggestion is Maiwa's Indigo packaged as 'Earth Pigment' because it is finely ground and ready for paint making. Supplies: 1/2 tsp indigo pigment 1/2 tsp calcium carbonate 10 mL watercolor binder Paint muller set Paint pan to store paint Particulate respirator mask *recommended to wear when working wit

Once you have made a lake pigment ( How to Make a Lake Pigment ), you can use the resulting pigment to create a watercolor paint. Working with Dry Pigment Once your pigment has dried, you will want to grind it in either a mortar and pestle or a small coffee grinder dedicated to pigment use. This step will reduce the amount of work required to mix your paint. Working with Wet Pigment You do not have to wait for your lake pigment to dry completely. The only caveat to this metho

Picking Walnuts For this tutorial, I am using Eastern Black Walnut ( Juglans nigra ), an endemic and prolific tree in eastern North America. This tree is naturalized in many other parts of North America. The English Walnut, also known as the Persian Walnut ( Juglans regia ), can be used in this recipe as well. This is a common landscaping tree and one I often find in parks in the Pacific Northwest. You can use walnuts gathered from the ground or picked from the tree, if they

Unspun wool needs to be treated with care when dying with natural materials. Unlike acid dyes, which do not require heat, many natural...

Female Red Alder Catkin. The Western Red Alder ( Alnus rubra ) is a common tree in the Pacific Northwest, often growing in cool, moist...

Left: Dyed Material, Right: Same material shifted with Iron. Iron (Ferrous sulfate) can shift the color of naturally dyed materials. The...

There are many things to consider and understand when preparing fibers for natural dye. Here, I am providing a simplified overview of my...

Light has long been the enemy of natural color. Too much time in the sun will cause many natural pigments to fade. Testing for Lightfastness The best way to determine the lightfastness of a pigment is to put it in the sun. Cover a portion of your sample with thick black paper or cardboard to retain a reference of the original, unfaded color. Lightfastness Ranking Below is my generalized ranking of pigment lightfastness. Referencing the test results below will give the best in

What is a lake pigment? Lake pigments are the result of taking water-soluble natural dyes and converting them into non-soluble pigments, which can be used to make a variety of art media. Lake pigments are the base of most of my natural watercolor paints. They can also make pigment-based inks, chalk pastels, oil pastels, and oil paints. Ingredients Color-producing plant or mushroom 1 Liter of water 20 grams Potassium aluminum sulfate (alum) * 10 grams Soda Ash * (aka washing

Natural watercolor paints are a delightful way to capture the beauty of a flower that grew in your garden, to repurpose a noxious weed, or to admire the colors each season brings. Whether you purchased paint from me or made your own at a workshop, this guide has useful information on working with your paints. Storage Allow your paints to dry thoroughly before storing them in a closed container. The binder used in these paints contains clove oil, which helps prevent microbial

This binder can be added to your lake pigment or earth pigment extractions to create a dried watercolor paint pan. Watercolor Binder Recipe The recipe below can be used as a binder for watercolor paints. Premade gum Arabic solutions are also available for purchase, though they tend to be more expensive. This recipe can be easily scaled up or down to suit your needs.   2 cups (250 mL) water 1 cup (125 g) powdered gum arabic 4 tbsp honey or glycerine (will help speed up re-wett

Transform a noxious weed into vibrant yellow watercolor paint! Safety: Common Tansy is toxic if ingested and can irritate some people's...