Paint from plants

I’ve been making an exciting foray into the world of natural paints and inks. It’s not so different from natural dyeing really. You can use the same dye plants but just create a really strong dye b…

Have you ever wondered how ink was first made? How did the ancient civilizations make those beautiful colored inks? What were the pigments and dyes used in making inks? Many of the colorful dyes that were used by ancient civilizations came all from the natural world. These early pioneers created ink using fine carbon particles and natural pigments combined with plant gum to acts as a binding agent. Inks have a large impact on our lives! It is essentially a fluid substance containing a…

This DIY watercolor paint tutorial is fascinating and fun. You will be amazed at the ink you can create from plants in your own backyard.

Even if you're confined to your own backyard, hundreds of colours are waiting to be bottled.

Looking for a weekend project? Try you hand at creating an anthotype, or an image created using photosensitive material from plants. Grind up some plant

How to turn plants like lavender, nettles, goldenrod, and elderberries into natural dyes for fabrics like cotton, linen plus wool and silk. Use this starter guide to begin creating botanical dyes from your garden.

Learn how to integrate art into your plant science activities by having students make chlorophyll paintings. Similar to leaf rubbings, this simple science based art project is a fun and creative extension for teaching kids about photosynthesis.

In this blog post I’ll show you how to quickly and simply extract dye from coreopsis flowers using hot water. This makes a beautiful dye that can be used like watercolour paint. Then we’ll play with lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to make a wider range of colours. The paint only takes...

Making paint with flower petals is a great way to combine science exploration with art.

Did you know you can create your own basic dyes and paint colors right at home? That’s right. Dyes and pigments can be concocted from plants, fruits, and other natural surroundings, which makes them safer and more environmentally-friendly as well. This post shares all you need to know!