Working With Natural Colours & Fibres
Online & in-person learning directly from artists and makers who are working with local natural materials for colour and fibres. These are mostly one-off learning events sharing skills working with raw materials to make inks, dyes, paints, pastels, crayons, cordage, textiles, and more… We have different classes you can join every month.
2025 Online Learning
An Online Year Course October 2024 - November 2025
Natural Colour Making
For Artists
A year-long course sharing techniques for making natural art materials for drawing, painting, and printmaking from earths, plants, and fungi.
This course is ongoing but you can still join.
Taught By Julie Beeler, Caroline Ross, Annie Hogg, Natalie Stopka, Sophie Holt, Lucy Mayes, Flora Arbuthnott, & Carolyn Sweeney
2026 Online Learning
Printing & Painting
On Textiles
A Year Long Course
Starting in January 2026
This year long course will explore a variety of techniques for printmaking and painting on textiles using natural dyes, inks, and pigments.
Online sessions and demonstrations taught by artists and craftspeople, giving you a broad overview of the different approaches to making enduring patterns and prints on fabric that are light-fast and wash-fast.
Lake Pigment Making
A Deep Dive
A Year Long Course
Starting in January 2026
A year long online programme exploring deeper into the history and chemistry of lake pigment making
Following a historical trajectory of making lake pigments from ancient Egyptian recipes, to medieval approaches, and modern day techniques. Taught by Natalie Stopka, Lucy Mayes, and Julie Beeler, leading monthly live online sessions covering different perspectives and processes for practicing this age-old approach to pigment making.
Making & Working
With Natural Art Materials
An Online Programme of Demonstrations and Talks Starting in Spring 2026
The sequel to the Natural Colour Making For Artists Year Long Programme.
Following on from Natural Colour Making For Artists, a yearlong course that took place over 2024/25, this follow-on programme offers deeper dives into approaches to making and working with natural art materials for drawing and painting. Sharing practices for working with plant and earth based colour, building on skills & knowledge over the year to create an artist colour palette of paints, inks, pastels, and pigments. This programme will be going into greater depth over a wide range of approaches to making and working with natural art materials from pastels, to inks, from metal-point, to gesso & more.
2026 In Person Courses
With Caroline Ross
“From believing that we must work with nature, to seeing us as working within nature, to understanding that we are nature working.”
Follow us on Instagram @plants_and_colour
