How Do You Make Paint Pigments From Plants?
Creating paint pigments from plants involves extracting the color and then binding it to create a paintable medium. Several methods exist, depending on the desired pigment and its intended use.
The core process focuses on extracting the color from plant material. This generally involves:
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Preparation: Gather your plant material. Different plants yield different colors. For example, berries produce reds and pinks, while some flowers offer yellows or blues. The reference mentions using raspberries, strawberries, cherries, or red roses for red/pink pigments. https://www.greenify-me.com/2021/10/plant-paints-zero-waste-art.html
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Extraction: Submerge the plant material in hot water. Simmering for 10 minutes is a common approach. Multiple repetitions are often necessary to fully extract the color. [Reference: Cover your plant materials with hot water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid into a large bowl. Repeat this process with the same flowers three or four times, adding the liquid to the same bowl, until there is no more color coming out.] Some methods suggest steeping overnight for a more complete extraction. https://www.lostincolours.com/how-to-make-lake-pigments/
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Straining: After extraction, strain the liquid to remove plant debris, leaving a colored solution. This solution contains the plant pigments.
Creating the Paint
The extracted pigment alone is not paint; it needs a binder to adhere to a surface.
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Choosing a Binder: Several binders can be used, including egg yolk (a historical method), gum arabic (commonly used for watercolors), or other natural resins. https://artful-kids.com/2010/09/08/experimenting-with-natural-paints/ https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/viscommtech/making-pigment-from-plants/
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Mixing: Combine the extracted pigment solution with the chosen binder to create a paintable consistency. The ratio depends on the binder and desired consistency. The reference suggests adding gum arabic to achieve a painterly consistency. https://www.gumnutmagic.com/making-natural-paints-and-inks-from-plants/
Note on Lake Pigments:
The process described above often results in water-soluble dyes. Creating lake pigments involves a more complex process of precipitating the dye using a mordant (like alum) to create a more permanent, insoluble pigment. This is a more advanced technique. https://www.lostincolours.com/how-to-make-lake-pigments/
