16th March @12pm
18th March @5pm
20th March @12pm
An experimental and playful natural colour class.
Where does natural colour come from and how can we use our food waste to create colour?
Painting with plant based material is an exercise full of experimentation, it is a chance to understand how we can achieve colours through natural materials, by using food waste or ingredients from our kitchen.
During this workshop we will understand how natural ingredients can be used as drawing tools, such as flower petals, beetroot and red cabbage; whilst delving further into dyeing fabric using a bundle dyeing technique.
Bundle dyeing is a natural dye technique of scattering plant based material onto natural fabrics, rolling them up and steaming them, this takes between 30 mins - 1 hour and can create wonderful patterns and colour onto fabric. This is something I can share in the class whilst also posting out a quick step by step video of how to do this within their own time.
My outline for this class would be to provide a small kit, including paper, fabric and some dye material to each participant whilst promoting before hand for them to collect their own food waste - onion skins, beetroot, berries, flowers, cabbage, tea, black beans etc.
Whilst the class is live we will work with natural materials on paper, by drawing with them, making simple inks with watered down plant material (with the acceptation of using a hob to simmer down some plant material) working with natural modifiers to alter the shades of these inks. I can also demonstrate a bundle dyeing technique which participants will be encouraged to make within their own time, or can be started in the class and continued in their own time.
I believe this session is focusses around art and craft and natural colour, but by using these materials as drawing tools this can be seen as a mindful act. It creates a new connection to the natural world and will hopefully make us understand colour differently!
What will you need?
Food / food waste
Red cabbage
Pomegranate
Berries
Beetroot
Turmeric
Flower petals (red roses are great! delphiniums, peonies, scabious are some others)
Turmeric
Tea / coffee
Onion skins
Hibiscus tea / flowers
Dried black beans
Lemon/ salt / vinegar / baking soda to use as colour modifiers!
Most food stuffs can be used as physical drawing tools or they can be simmered with water to create inks.
To make some inks / bundle dyeing you will need access to a hob, stainless steel pan, strainer (sieve)/ colander & lid. (We can work around this if it isn’t accessible)
What will be provided in the kit:
Paper
Silk sample piece (that has been prepped by myself)
Some plant material, including hibiscus tea, small amount of dried flower petals, turmeric
String - for bundle dyeing