Plants & Colour

Plants & Colour Developing practical relationships with the plants that grow around us. Exploring the possibilities

Connecting with what it means to be of this land, through practical relationship with the plants and fungi that surround us. Explore the land through gathering wild dye plants, & fungi as well as growing plants to produce a variety of vibrant colours using non toxic plant based processes. Learn how to create beautiful textile designs using natural materials. Identify, grow, and use locally abundan

t colour producing plants for textile projects. Connect more closely to where your clothes and textiles come from, become a part of the natural systems we live within, by learning how to identify and use plants for textile crafts. Demonstrating a small scale DIY alternative to fast fashion, the polluting chemical dye industry and toxic cotton production.

A History of Natural Colour - Live Online Talk With Annie Hogg Wednesday 8th March 6-7.30pm GMTA one hour talk with 30 m...
27/11/2022

A History of Natural Colour - Live Online Talk With Annie Hogg

Wednesday 8th March 6-7.30pm GMT

A one hour talk with 30 minutes Q&A. Introducing you to the historic production of colour and it’s often unseen importance and price through a fusion of lecture and storytelling styles, with props of the plants and by-products.

Ochre use in Bolobos Cave Workshop and Mesolithic Ireland.
Woad – where it crops up in history globally and a closer look at its being referenced in three different contexts from medieval Ireland. It’s reliance from the 12 th century European textile industry up to its fall in the 1700’s and beyond.
The split between textile dyers and ink makers, looking at the Book of Kells and the use of local and imported colour in the such manuscripts.
History of the use of oak galls.
The magenta algae, Hilderbandia rivularis, and its discovery at Blick Mead in the Stonehenge complex, posing a question on how colour has shaped our world view.
Sharing examples of raw and processed pigments, inks, and dyes.

Earlybird discount of £3 off if you sign up before the end of 2022, using the code EARLYBIRDTALK

You can sign up via my website plantsandcolour.co.uk

Corn cockle seeds germinating in the seed head 💚
22/11/2022

Corn cockle seeds germinating in the seed head 💚

I don’t have the capacity to make any more of these natural wax crayon sets for a while, but I do have an online course ...
16/11/2022

I don’t have the capacity to make any more of these natural wax crayon sets for a while, but I do have an online course that shows you how you can make your own!

Sharing the process of making wax crayons using natural pigments and waxes. Including how to make your own plant based lake pigments and work with earth pigments. We also look at the pros and cons of different waxes you can work with.

You can sign up via the link in my bio. When you sign up, you will immediately get access to the learning resources, including instructions on lake pigment making, an equipment list, recommended plants, and instructions on crayon making. So you can start having a go following a live demonstration recording taking you through the process.
You can watch the video in your own time without a time limit.

The thing I enjoy most about these crayons is the immediacy of how they enable me to work with natural pigments through drawing and scribbling.

Hello everyone, I’ve not been sharing so much on here lately but I thought I’d surface for a moment to say hello, this i...
13/11/2022

Hello everyone,
I’ve not been sharing so much on here lately but I thought I’d surface for a moment to say hello, this is what my life looks like on a good day at the moment, as well as trying to grab micro power naps whenever I can.
Blundering through this early stage of motherhood.

So while this one is small, I’m not personally offering much to the outside world. To fill the gap, from January I’ve programmed a series of online courses and talks by some artists and makers I admire who are offering a deeper insight in to natural colour through sharing historical and personal recipes for making natural inks, paints, and dyes. Delving in to particular colours, plants, and approaches.

There will be one session per week from mid January. You can sign up to join the sessions on my website, it’s listed under ‘Alchemy Of Colour’.

I’m offering an Earlybird discount for signing up until the end of December so remember to use the code in checkout to get your discount.

All the sessions will also be recorded and made available for two months afterwards to watch in your own time if you cannot attend live.

I look forward to seeing you at these sessions to geek out about colour and plants for an hour or two 🙂🎨 I’m also looking forward to being able to pick up my work again in a few months when this one is a bit bigger, hopefully she will join in.

Best wishes, Flora


Alchemy Of ColourA New Series of Online Demonstrations and TalksFrom January 2023, we are offering a series of weekly on...
11/11/2022

Alchemy Of Colour

A New Series of Online Demonstrations and Talks

From January 2023, we are offering a series of weekly online courses and demonstrations by artists and makers who work with plants and earths to make colour for textiles and art materials.

Sharing deep dive explorations into particular recipes, colours, and techniques to get nerdy about together.

Including:
🎨 A two part course on foraged watercolour paint making with

🥚 Making Dutch Pink; a traditional yellow paint with buckthorn berries and making Eggshell White with

🌚Traditional and new recipes for making black ink with

🧵An introduction to traditional Japanese Katazome and indigo with John Marshall

Follow the link in my bio for more info on these courses.
There is an early-bird discount if you sign up before the end of December.

There are more classes in the pipeline for Spring 2023, to be announced in December :-)

Beginning Indigo Katazome - An Online Course with John Marshall
10/11/2022

Beginning Indigo Katazome - An Online Course with John Marshall

Wednesday 8th March 6-7.30pm GMTA one hour talk with 30 minutes Q&A. Introducing you to the historic production of colou...
10/11/2022

Wednesday 8th March 6-7.30pm GMT

A one hour talk with 30 minutes Q&A. Introducing you to the historic production of colour and it’s often unseen importance and price through a fusion of lecture and storytelling styles, with props of the plants and by-products.

Ochre use in Bolobos Cave Workshop and Mesolithic Ireland.

Woad – where it crops up in history globally and a closer look at its being referenced in three different contexts from medieval Ireland. It’s reliance from the 12 th century European textile industry up to its fall in the 1700’s and beyond.

The split between textile dyers and ink makers, looking at the Book of Kells and the use of local and imported colour in the such manuscripts.

History of the use of oak galls.

The magenta algae, Hilderbandia rivularis, and its discovery at Blick Mead in the Stonehenge complex, posing a question on how colour has shaped our world view.

Sharing examples of raw and processed pigments, inks, and dyes.

Eggshell White is a beautiful, opaque warm white for water-based media including watercolours and gouache, as well as pa...
10/11/2022

Eggshell White is a beautiful, opaque warm white for water-based media including watercolours and gouache, as well as painting grounds and pastels. Chicken eggs are an age-old source of the pigment, recognized today as calcium carbonate.

Join Natalie Stopka in a live online demonstration of pigment processing from egg to paint on Wednesday 8th February 6.30pm-8pm GMT. We’ll discuss the ways artisans of centuries past have taken advantage of the limestone cycle to develop studio materials.

Together we’ll observe how the physical, optical, and metaphorical properties of Eggshell White make it a wonderful addition to the artist’s natural palette. Q+A will follow Natalie’s presentation.

Attendees will learn about the properties and affinities of eggshell white as an artist’s ingredient. They will also recognize the long history of studio as laboratory, where mediaeval artists grappled with the physical and metaphorical significance of their materials in observational proto-chemistry. You will be provided with a list of the steps and tools needed to recreate the process on your own.

Wednesday 8th February 6.30pm-8pm GMT

Earlybird discount of £5 off if you sign up before the end of 2022, using the code EARLYBIRD

Join us for a two part online course learning about how to make watercolours from foraged and natural ingredients On the...
08/11/2022

Join us for a two part online course learning about how to make watercolours from foraged and natural ingredients On the 17th and 24th January. These sessions will be recorded and made available for two months.

Early bird tickets are available!

Caroline Ross is a natural materials artist and maker from Dorset, England. She forages for earth colour and wild materials, refines pigments, makes paints, and makes art from paints she makes.

Caroline will be taking us on a deep dive over two weeks into the world of water based paints. In the first session we’ll be looking at traditional watercolours made with gum Arabic and foraged cherry tree gum. We will look at three methods: a basic method for use in the field or at home, a refined ‘artist’s quality’ method, and a wild foraged materials method.

In week two we’ll be looking at a selection of traditional and novel water based paints, including glair (egg white), tempera (egg yolk) and veglair, her vegan alternatives for both these.

In both weeks we’ll cover ethical foraging, written and online resources, safety, handling and storage of materials. We will also look at suitable supports for our paints such as papers, boards, found materials, prepared walls, parchment and wood, including some of the historical uses of our paints.

Caroline says: ‘By ethically sourcing and using materials of earth, as well as discarded, reused and repurposed things, we foster a sense of place, make a lighter footprint, and we can make our art where earth matters.’

Earlybird discount of £5 off if you sign up before the end of 2022, using the code EARLYBIRD

Follow the link in my bio for more info and to sign up.

Join us for a two part online course learning about how to make watercolours from foraged and natural ingredients. Early...
06/11/2022

Join us for a two part online course learning about how to make watercolours from foraged and natural ingredients. Early bird tickets available!

Caroline Ross is a natural materials artist and maker from Dorset, England. She forages for earth colour and wild materials, refines pigments, makes paints, and makes art from paints she makes.

Caroline will be taking us on a deep dive over two weeks into the world of water based paints. In the first session we’ll be looking at traditional watercolours made with gum Arabic and foraged cherry tree gum. We will look at three methods: a basic method for use in the field or at home, a refined ‘artist’s quality’ method, and a wild foraged materials method.

In week two we’ll be looking at a selection of traditional and novel water based paints, including glair (egg white), tempera (egg yolk) and veglair, her vegan alternatives for both these.

In both weeks we’ll cover ethical foraging, written and online resources, safety, handling and storage of materials. We will also look at suitable supports for our paints such as papers, boards, found materials, prepared walls, parchment and wood, including some of the historical uses of our paints.

Caroline says: ‘By ethically sourcing and using materials of earth, as well as discarded, reused and repurposed things, we foster a sense of place, make a lighter footprint, and we can make our art where earth matters.’

Earlybird discount of £5 off if you sign up before the end of 2022, using the code EARLYBIRD

Follow the link in my bio for more info and to sign up.

Introduction to Plant Based Colour ProcessesOnline Year CourseNow open to sign ups!Starting in March 2023, this course w...
05/11/2022

Introduction to Plant Based Colour Processes

Online Year Course

Now open to sign ups!
Starting in March 2023, this course will take you on a year long journey, introducing you to a new technique each month for creating colour from plants for textiles and paper. Building up your skills and understanding of different approaches for working with plant based colour for textiles and paper over the year.

I’m offering an early bird discount for those to sign up in the next two months. You can find more info in this via the link in my bio.
When you sign up early, you get immediate access to resources to help you prepare for the course. With information on materials and equipment, as well as resources on growing and foraging for dye plants.

So you can start creating your dye garden, and harvesting plant material in anticipation of the course starting in the Spring next year. Winter is a great time for creating gardens, planting perennials, and planning. There is also lots of harvest with tree barks, roots, and galls amongst other things coming in to season.
You will immediately get access to a guide to trees and plants for colour. Plants for wild harvesting, plants for growing, and plants you might well already have in your garden.

I share a step by step process to create a dye garden and links to seed sources in the US, UK, and Europe.

I also share a Permaculture Guide to Growing Dye Plants because how you grow is as important as what you grow.
From surveying a site, to ground preparation, soil management, ground cover, succession.

From the spring, you will get monthly tutorials for different methods of working with plant based colour each month. Covering: - Natural dyes for textiles, fabric preparations & mordanting - Indigo vat dyeing, some simple shibori and arashi resist techniques. - Bundle dyeing. - Printmaking with dyes, mordants, and modifiers. - Ink, paint, and crayon making for paper. - Encouraging innovation and experimentation, combining these techniques to create unique pieces of work.

Link in my bio

An Online Course Exploring Historical Black Ink Recipes As well as modern day techniques for working with these same han...
03/10/2022

An Online Course Exploring Historical Black Ink Recipes
As well as modern day techniques for working with these same handmade black pigments for ink and paint. Led by

Including two techniques for processing charcoal into ink. Learn to make oak gall ink - looking at its history from the Arabic tradition and the European Mediaeval tradition, the life cycle of gall wasps and the processing of the tannic acid to ink. Introductions to bone black, lamp black, and ivory black - for which Annie offers her own animal-free alternative pigment source.

About Annie Hogg - ‘I am a visual artist working with pigments foraged from all elements of the landscape, often creating ink and paint as a votive action. This encompasses soils, plants, lichens, shells and found bones. The use and workings of these materials is of huge importance in my studio practice.’

Earlybird discount of £5 off if you sign up now using the code EARLYBIRD

This course is part of a series of talks and demonstrations called: Alchemy Of Colour

From January 2023, a series of online courses and demonstrations by artists and makers who work with plants and earths to make colour for textiles and art materials.

Sharing deep dive explorations into particular recipes, colours, and techniques to get nerdy about together.

Follow the link in my bio for more details.

Address

Totnes

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Plants & Colour posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Plants & Colour:

Shortcuts

Share