The Craft of Making Natural Art Materials
Explore the skills and traditions of making and working with handmade paints, inks, dyes, pigments, fibres, and natural sources of colour.
Join us online or in-person for classes, workshops, and talks that explore practical making with an understanding of the history, materiality, and creative potential of natural art materials.
2026 Long Online Programmes
2026 Short Online Classes & Talks
2026 Long Online Programmes
Printing & Painting
On Textiles
A Year Long Course
January 2026 - January 2027
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
January 2026 - January 2027
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 April 2026 - April 2027
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.
“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
