Making & Drawing with Natural Inks
What to expect
We are delighted that Amanda Thesiger has agreed to run this workshop with us. Amanda is a wonderful artist and teacher who will introduce you to the wonders of making and experimenting with natural inks. To find out more about Amanda look on our tutors page and check out her website. Amanda writes: Unleash your inner alchemist and stir up creativity through ink-making! In this workshop you will make your own inks and pens from found and foraged material - and use the natural colours you have made to explore the local natural environment through drawing. Inks are liquids or pastes that contain colour. Many trees, plants and minerals can be used to make ink; from the soil to the roots, from the nuts to the leaves to the flowers and the fruits, providing different hues through the seasons. Natural inks are alive and can vary subtly on different papers and as they dry. Timings and amounts are approximate – and there’s a fair bit of testing and trying out. This workshop will show you how to produce simple inks from vegetables/fruits, chalk and charcoal, earth, bark and galls, using different processes. Steeping berries to create a rich crimson/purple ink, simmering red cabbage to release its blue hues (and playing with its ph to get new colours), or coaxing buttery yellow from alder buckthorn bark; these are just some of the rich, gentle colours that you – and nature can produce. What you can expect: • Discover some of the many processes of ink-making, from preparation, to extracting colour, to preserving your inks and ways of working with them • Learn about the historical/cultural significance of some natural inks, and the basic principles of colour theory • Explore a variety of natural materials, such as plants, galls, earth pigments, berries, and minerals, and their hidden colour potential This workshop is perfect for: • Artists and calligraphers who want to add a personal touch to their creations • Nature enthusiasts who want to connect with the world around them creatively • Anyone who enjoys hands-on learning and exploring new skills Please bring suitable clothing and footwear for being outdoors some of the time.