𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙋𝙞𝙜𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩: 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙫𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨, 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨 is coming October 14th from Skittledog books! A studio manual full of recipes for transforming botanical dyes into lake pigments and beyond. Now available for preorder

www.nataliestopka.com/from-plant-t...

Perhaps, like me, you’ve fallen for indigo. And perhaps you likewise have a curiosity about the fermented indigo vat. Catharine Ellis is generously sharing her hands-on research and process on her blog!

blog.ellistextiles.com/2025/05/03/f...

Natural Dyes from Garden Plants: deadline extended!

Apply by May 12 to join me in the heavenly gardens at Oak Spring Garden Foundation in VA, August 18-22. All levels welcome.

www.osgf.org/programs-and...

The potent saddening effect of iron added to weld dye. I love the limpid yellow of weld, but a judicious dose of iron shifts that color to a fantastic sage green! Be careful not to overdo, or shade muddies toward khaki.

Apply by April 21 to join my workshop introducing Natural Dyes From Garden Plants, at the beautiful Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Virginia. Harvest fresh dye plants, learn the best practices of fiber preparation, and create a rainbow of swatches! Aug. 18-22

www.osgf.org/programs-and...

Marbling is VERY fun.
Large scale interpretation of an early 18th century design printed in London.

Where does color come from? It’s a story of rocks and minerals, plants and insects, and artisan ingenuity in the service of chronic chromophilia! A Handmade Palette: Natural and Historical Watercolors will delve into the practice, history, and chemistry!

July 10-13, Botanical Colors, Seattle

Testing out my handmade pastels - just about the most immediate medium for pigment play. That green! It’s made from goldenrod I gathered in the field last autumn and laked. Seriously the best. 😊

Next week is the final online demo in my series on simple, handmade drawing media: Creating Handmade Pastels with Natural Pigments. An approachable method for bringing natural colors and expressive texture to works on paper! Wednesday, Feb. 12, 6-7pm EST.

petersvalley.org/workshops/ha...

Starts Next week: unraveling the mysteries of soya milk for natural dyeing. An online workshop elucidating the dual chemical and physical properties of soy & cellulose fibers!

plantsandcolour.co.uk/soya-milk

“I think that magic is nothing else but the survey of the whole course of nature.”

-Giambattista Della Porta, 1558

The dichotomy of sad ebullience! Goldenrod lake pigment saddened by iron modification, fizzing with the ebullition of carbon dioxide produced during neutralization. Yes, “saddening” is the technical term for the coloristic effect of iron on botanical dyes.

Just presented this month’s topic One Plant, Three Shades: Value & Yield of Lake Pigments. Low value = high utility from lake pigments! The year course from @plantsandcolour.bsky.social is full, but you can still sign up to access recordings.

plantsandcolour.co.uk/natural-colo...

Trying this out as an alternative way to connect with fellow plant people and color lovers. I’m always thinking about botanical dyes, materiality of color, history, alchemy, ecology, gardening, food, and words!

Motto:
materials ARE what they DO

Such a great lineup of online learning available from Plants & Colour in the coming year! I’d take every one of these courses if I could.

plantsandcolour.co.uk

Iron Gall Ink demonstration this week!

Commonplace oak galls, iron & sap make a rich indelible ink with entrancing visual and chemical properties. Recipes, foraging guidelines, alternative ingredients & Q+A.
Jan. 29, 6-7pm EST

petersvalley.org/workshops/ma...