Natural pigments

[heath]

Does anyone have any advice on where I could get hold of some natural pigments to use for mixing with egg/milk paint and then painting on to my spoons and bowls?

I had a go recently with limited success. There are more details on my blog:

http://holtheathwoodentreen.blogspot.co.uk

 

[xylaria]

I have never used egg wash to colour a spoon but I used natural stuff to stain wood. Red clay or red sand you get around the midland is very nice. Dandilion petals did allright. I just rubbed the matter into the wood. I should get around to trying the yellow from dock root. I used linseed after, but at the same time could work as well.

 

[heath]

Thanks xylaria. Anyone else got any suggetions?

 

[Shewie]

Toddy's very good with natural pigments, she'll have some good pointers I should think.

 

[swright81076]

I've spent many an hour in the woods collecting stuff to make pigments and paints with the kids.

Rose hips
Inner birch bark
Beetroot
Blackberry's
Among others will give a lovely red.

Oak bark
Ivy bark and thin ivy twigs
Haws
Yellow and brown

Alder bark
Black

Nettles
Both plantains
Wild mint
Green

These are the ones we've tried and found give the best colours, and longest lasting


touched by nature

 

[robin wood]

paints are different to stains and dyes, most paints you are looking for a long lasting pigment that does not fade with prolonged exposure to sunlight. I have collected various pigments and ground up soft stones like shale in a pestle and mortar. There is an orange goo that seeps out of the shale beds round here which when collected dried sieved and ground makes nice pigment. I have a bunch of colours I bought in Sweden and some that I bought years ago when experimenting with natural pigments for painting the house. The comercial ones I used were auro, they are good and available online from earthy crunchy retailers like the centre for alternative technology.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

If it's the ochres you're loooking for then some DIY stores sell them either in powder or liquid form as do many Artists shops. ..............Remember too that that when it comes to pigments, natural doesn't always mean harmless, so check before that they are food safe if you plan on using them on eating utensils.