Create your own range of handmade natural brushes and botanical inks made from locally sourced/foraged plant matter and kitchen waste.
You will learn
Learn how to make your own natural inks and brushes from a variety of plants and minerals. This is an introduction to techniques for making your very own natural inks including preparation and modification (fun chemical colour changing reactions!).
You will be able to try a range of natural inks made by your tutor to see how the colours work together and the various effects which can be achieved by using your very own handmade brushes.
Techniques covered include:
Foraging in the wild
Designing and constructing natural brushes
Selecting and grinding up natural materials
Ink making techniques including heating, combining and dissolving food and flower products to turn them into ink
Mark making
You will need
This workshop is for children aged 7-16 and their parent or guardian; parents and guardians must stay with their child at all times.
We recommend wearing sturdy shoes and weather-appropriate clothes you don’t mind getting messy and/or wearing an apron as inks can stain. We advise removing any jewellery, and tying back long hair.
Additional information
All materials and equipment for the session will be provided. You are welcome to bring along a selection of natural materials (feathers, leaves, grasses, flower heads etc) that you might like to use to make your paintbrushes, but this is not essential.
If your child is confident working independently, you can make your own creation by purchasing additional materials as a £12 add-on.
Clare Taylor
This workshop is led by Clare Taylor, a Nottinghamshire-based artist and educator. In 2016 she founded Bus and Bird Arts, a participatory organisation that helps people connect with creativity and wellbeing.
Clare’s ceramics and textiles practice is playful and experimental, rooted in curiosity and inspired by nature. Sustainability is central to her work – she creates her own botanical papers, inks and ceramic stains using kitchen waste and locally sourced plants.
