I like making both inks and paints, and there are differences both in how they are used to make art, and practically – how they store and travel, how long they last, and how much is involved in the process of making them.

Ink is ancient. It’s been prepared and used for thousands of years, transmitting language on various surfaces. Dark brown ink made from oak galls was used to create many famous manuscripts (like the US Constitution); Leonardo daVinci drew with it.

Basically it’s a concentrated colored liquid used to write with. It is fairly simple to make with fewer ingredients and steps compared to paints, but is perishable, harder to transport, and not as easy to use due to its fluidity. But the fluidity can be a good thing, as colors readily run together and dry in beautiful and unexpected ways. Additives to improve stability and thickness can be used to produce high quality ink.

I started with inks and graduated to paints, but keep both for use in my artwork. Much of the artwork in this sketchbook was created with inks. Jason Logan’s book, Make Ink: A Forager’s Guide to Natural Inkmaking is very inspirational.

For lots more detailed information, pigmented plants to find in Florida, techniques, plant info, and lots of my art – pick a copy of my book!

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Gather up supplies and ingredients

• Plants (fresh, frozen, or dried)
• Muddler
• Fabric pieces or fine strainer
• Pot (that you don’t mind possibly getting stained)
• Watercolor paper (regular paper can’t handle liquid ink, I prefer the more textured and absorbent cold press type)
• Paint brushes
• Optional chemicals to initiate pH induced color shifts:
  • Alum, citric acid, cream of tartar, lemon juice and vinegar are acidic
  • Baking soda and soda ash are basic
• Jars, dropper bottles or other small vial with a leak-proof lid
• Watercolor medium and preservative. See here for recipe.
• Clove or thyme oil as preservative

Process

1. Simmer plant material in water (except for berries that may not need additional liquid), muddling several times. 1-2 hours for flowers and petals, much longer for bark, roots and other tough materials. Simmer until a rich colored and concentrated dye is obtained with as little water as possible. Cut the heat and rest overnight. Repeat again if needed to allow tough plant tissues to break down further; likely not necessary for delicate petals. Avoid burning and boiling. Attend your pot closely, set timers periodically so you don’t forget to check!
2. Allow liquid to cool enough to handle.
3. Squeeze out all plant material through a cloth or very fine sieve. Compost the plants.
4. Pour your new liquid ink into a very clean and labelled jar or bottle. Include plant + date and anything else you want to capture. A separate notebook is good for the finer details you can’t fit on a small bottle.
5. Optionally, add 1 part watercolor medium to 3 parts ink, or approximately 10 drops to 2 ounces of ink.
6. Add a drop of preservative oil, shake to mix. Store in refrigerator ideally but will last weeks or months at room temperature.
7. Alum, copper, iron oxides and cream of tartar may be used to make the ink more permanent. Experiment with what works for various hues.

I like making both inks and paints, and there are differences both in how they are used to make art, and practically – how they store and travel, how long they last, and how much is involved in the process of making them.

Paints are solid and can be re-wetted with water for use. Creating them is an involved process but worth the exploration if you become more serious about homemade colors. Pure pigments are drawn out of botanical material through a chemical process known as “laking”, which binds the pigment to a metal salt.

The resulting pigment is dried, finely ground, and mulled with a watercolor medium into a paste which is then used like watercolor paint. Earth based materials like clays and stone can also be used.

Compared to inks, paints are more portable, do not need refrigeration, and tend to be more stable. I am slowly converting most of my colors to be in paint form as I find them easier to create art and travel with. However, some have better colors as an ink and are best used that way. For example, both beets and malabar spinach berries are bright pink inks, but dull brown paints.

For lots more detailed information, pigmented plants to find in Florida, techniques, plant info, and lots of my art – pick a copy of my book!

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Gather up supplies and ingredients

• Plants (fresh, frozen, or dried)
• Muddler
• Fabric pieces or fine strainer
• Pot (that you don’t mind possibly getting stained)
• Watercolor paper (regular paper can’t handle liquid ink, I prefer the more textured and absorbent cold press type)
• Paint brushes
• Large, clear, heat safe glass jars
• Alum (aluminum sulfate or aluminum potassium sulfate)
• Soda ash See here how to make.
• Stirring sticks/spoons
• Coffee filters
• Rubber bands
• Glass board (old microwave dish or cutting board)
• Glass muller
• Palette knife/spreader
• Spatula
• Paint containers (bottle caps, acorn tops, paint wells)
• pH papers (optional)
• Watercolor medium:

Process

1. Simmer plant material in water, muddling several times. Perhaps 30 minutes or up 2 hours for flower petals until rich colored dye is obtained. For bark, roots or other tough material, chop and simmer over a few hours, rest over night, and repeat again if needed to allow tough plant tissues to break down. Unlike ink, it’s not necessary to reduce water to a very low volume, but you do want to make sure you’ve pulled as much pigment into the water as possible which could take time, depending on the material.
2. Squeeze out all plant material through a cloth or very fine sieve. Reheat liquid if cooled before the next step.
3. Prepare chemical solutions. See here on how to prepare
4. Mix alum with enough boiling water to fully dissolve.
5. Mix soda ash with enough boiling water to fully dissolve.
6. Stir alum solution into warmed colorful dye liquid.
7. Slowly stir in soda ash solution and prepare for foaming action! Container should be big enough to allow expansion and overflow.
8. Continue stirring and scraping the foam till settled down.
9. If you have pH papers, test for a neutral 7 and tweak acid/base addition (more alum to decrease, more soda ash to increase).
10. Rest at least an hour or overnight allowing pigment to settle.
11. Pour off liquid on top (supernatant) and carefully strain out the remainder over another container fitted with a coffee filter secured with a rubber band or clothespins.
12. Carefully remove coffee filter once all liquid has drained and a colorful pasty sludge remains. Lay flat to dry over a towel. While not necessary, it is preferable to get the cleanest pigment possible by washing after the first strain. If frothy bits or white crystals are present, I recommend this extra effort. When pigment has been fully strained, re-submerge in a clean bowl of water. Let settle and pour off water once or twice more till clear and clean looking. Strain again and dry.
13. Once pigment is fully dried, grind into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. The finest powder possible is required. Sieve and re-grind if necessary.
14. Measure approximately equal amounts of pigment powder and watercolor medium onto a glass board.
15. Mix with a palette knife and then mull with glass muller in circular and figure 8 patterns, repeatedly scraping back into the center, and continuing until smooth and gliding easily. Additional water droplets or medium may be needed. This may take a lot of time, and takes practice to get right. Enjoy the process!
16. Scrape into a container. You now have paint! Yay!
17. Test the color and enjoy painting, using like watercolor paints.
18. If your supernatant (clear liquid above settled pigment) is still very dark in color, you can lake that again for a different color! It’s also a sign that more chemicals could have been used the first time.