In 2023, I made ink from a few Dahlias that my friend Hannie gave me. The color is really beautiful, but nothing like what I expected. I thought it would be a red or pink! That is what makes making color from plants so magical. The recipe is simple: Test the color till you like what you see. Keep in mind, that the color shifts … Continue reading Dahlia Ink
Some of the best resources for my ink come from the natural dyer’s recipes I find online. I have seen a few posts on hyacinths being a good flower for dyes, and I tried it a few years ago. Now I make it every year. To me, it is the epitome of the softness of spring. My sister has a large amount growing in the … Continue reading Grape Hyacinth Ink
Last year, I enrolled in an online ink making workshop given by Maiwa School of Textiles. It took me a while but I finally finished it this winter. Although I have been experimenting and making inks for a few years I wanted to learn more about the process of making lake pigments. A lake pigment is a pigment made by precipitating a dye bath with … Continue reading Lake Pigment
It was a very cold spring, our bulbs and fruit trees had been late blooming. Last year 2021, I made my first daffodil ink on April 21. This year it wasn’t till the first week of May before I made my only batch. Daffodils represent the first of the years floral inks for me. The color yellow is cooler than a lot of other plants … Continue reading Daffodil Ink
Walnut Ink 2022 A gift! Last fall my friend James dropped off a bucket of walnuts! After sitting through the winter and drying out. I was ready to cook. My set up was outside on an early April day. They cooked on a low temperature for 6hrs. Then sat overnight. Looks like it is ready. First strain through a metal strainer, the again through a … Continue reading Walnut Ink 2022
Winter brings the sweet smell and tastes of oranges and tangerines. I didn’t realize that this beautiful fruit could be used to make a glorious ink until I saw a post in my instagram feed and I just had to try it. (I hoped to give credit but can’t find the artist) Save your orange peels in a container in your fridge. You don’t want … Continue reading Orange Peel Ink
For ink making in 2021, I wanted to experiment with plants and other materials I hadn’t tried before, one of which was honeysuckle berry. These cheery red berries show up in July and are everywhere on the borders of the woods and fields near where we live in upstate NY. I was so busy with summer events and life that I decided to freeze the … Continue reading Honeysuckle Ink
This year I decided I would try to grow a few things in the garden for making inks. I chose 5. Safflowers for the pretty pinks they can give, calendula and marigolds for the yellows, amaranth for the intense fuschia and Hopi black sunflowers for the purple and turquoise colors. I also had to take into consideration that I live in a place where the … Continue reading Ink Garden 2021
Making safflower ink Continue reading Safflower Ink 8.2021
I love the color blue in all its varieties. Blueberries and black beans can make nice blue inks and dyes but are fugitive and the color fades when in the light for a long period of time. I have read about the indigo plant and I plan to try making ink from the dry pigment. Since I adore the aqua color of patinas I found … Continue reading Copper Oxide Ink
Leah's Notes on Ink and Art 