*The workshop runs from 11am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday and attendance on both days is required*
During this retreat weekend you will explore creating natural inks from plants, berries, minerals and metals. You will talk about colour and look into where particular pigments have come from historically. You will also discuss water, mordants and binders and the different effect they have on the outcome, as well as exploring different methods of extraction.
There will also be a chance to go foraging beside the sea and gather bits to bring back to make an ink from.
It will be a fun, playful and experimental weekend open to everyone and all abilities.
Day 1
Flora will begin with a brief introduction to her own journey into ink making and will share her ink journals and experiments which show a variety of seasonal inks made during a whole year. We will look at natural dying books to get a better idea of which plants can produce colour, as well as study Jason logons book, ‘Make Ink’ which Flora heralds as the Bible of ink making! Flora will also bring a selection of ingredients to make a big batch of a test ink to demonstrate the most common process of heat extraction which will be simmering away over our lunch break.
After lunch we will experiment with the effects different acids and alkalis have on the ink and all the colour ways that can be achieved.
The remainder of the afternoon will be spent experimenting and playing with colour, as well as a potential late afternoon foraging trip to the beach for things to create with on the Sunday.
Day 2
Weather depending, we will meet to start the day with an optional sea swim before starting in the workshop at 11am, where we will begin to explore how to make ink from minerals, chalk, charcoal, and ocher. Before lunch we will create our own charcoal on a fire and experiment with making that into ink.
The remainder of the day will be carrying on playing with ingredients and exploring the best methods of extraction for different materials, as well as talking about fermenting various ingredients.
Refreshments and a simple, vegetarian lunch will be provided on each day over the weekend.
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