Make Ink: A Forager’s Guide to Natural Inkmaking

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you can learn about the history of ink going back to ancient Chinese ink making until the present day. For nuts, roots, or leaves: Combine 2 cups [500 ml] water and 1 cup (250 ml) of plant material, as is, in the pot.

I first got into making dyes for t-shirts when I was a kid, from cabbage, and using bleach to tie-dye. This is something I have heard about with mordants for wool dying but have never tried, and I used Nick Neddo’s recipe from his amazing book, The Organic Artist.and even then google if unsure - for example Cherries might be good to eat, but their stones are toxic. The hulls and husk have a high tannin content and make everything near them go dark brown or black pretty fast, so preparing them with gloves is advisable. Iron gall ink was the most popular ink used in Europe from the 12th to the early 20th Century but the materials were very expensive so people sometimes made ink themselves using berries, nuts, or charcoal just like we are. Hibiscus flowers are a common dye for fabrics, so you can find a few different recipes and modifiers for this ink. Every summer my mom and I go blueberry picking in the Alaskan mountains and fill our freezers with endless berries.

As you might of noticed some inks take up to 2 days to complete so I always had 2-3 inks cooking at once.that use color from the carrots, black beans, blueberries, turmeric, and onion skins all make beautiful ink colors. I knew I’d be soaking the walnuts for quite a few days and just didn’t want the mess in one of my aluminium pots — the metal is reactive and can be very hard to clean.

Plant Material/Color gets suspended in Water/Oil creating a color extraction usually with the use of heat/fermentation, then a binder is used to hold the two elements together, much like a natural glue, creating a Natural Ink. For years, Toronto-based photographer Lauren Kolyn has collaborated with artist Jason Logan, who creates natural inks with pigments foraged from around the city. I’ve been interested in natural ink making for some time but always felt a bit daunted and unsure of how exactly to start.All through the making of that first batch, one image stayed with Jason, who works as an artist and creative director: “I had that little square bottle of black walnut ink in my head. I’ve tried to be as exact as possible with quantities, but keep in mind that the final amount of ink you make will depend on how long you cook your ink and how much liquid your foraged material might contain. I actually have this for making Black in from Galls, but the point is you don't want to have any toxins or such get into your dinner.

I opted for gum Arabic because, although it is not derived from a native tree, it is plant based and easily available online. These recipes are not final and I will probably be tweaking them in the future, but having a basic recipe in place is always a great start. Heat to just below boiling and cook for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until you have an intense ink colour. My only complaint is that I wish it were published with a companion ink journal and/or had a section in the book dedicated to guiding the reader on documenting their personal experiments. I collected them from the ground and many had been half eaten by squirrels, but that doesn’t matter at all.Woven on a Brinkley loom in the sunshine on the farm, in between feeding sheep and eating left over scones and clotted cream. Probably my favourite, and arguably I'd not have 'figured it out' to use the skins with no fruit, has the sloes not thrown me a curveball! Organized by color, and featuring lovely minimalist photography throughout, Make Ink combines science, art, and craft to instill the basics of ink making and demonstrate the beauty and necessity of engaging with one of mankind’s oldest tools of communication.