Description

Dye plants aren’t just for textiles. They are also a rich source of color for artists working on paper. Have you been wondering how you can incorporate plant color into your creative practice? From botanical inks to lake pigment watercolor paints, we will learn a variety of techniques for collaborating with the plants around you. We’ll discuss ethical harvesting, growing plant color from seed or starts, as well as where to purchase traditional dye plant material. We will make tried-and-true inks with oak galls and walnut hulls. Then, we will do some simple chemistry to turn plant dye into insoluble pigments called ‘lake pigments,’ using non-toxic, readily available ingredients. Lake pigments can be used to make almost any artist material, from pastels to watercolor paints. Participants will leave with a full spectrum of botanical color in the form of botanical inks and watercolor paints, and the knowledge to make more.