Animal Materials

A two hour session for all the group members to meet and set intentions for the year going forward.

With a 10 minute break.

Hosted by Annie Hogg

Bone preparation for sculptural, decorative, and tool applications.

We will discuss safe sourcing of bones and cover the steps necessary to dissect and clean, in a respectful and caring manner.

Participants will be able to use bones for further sculptural and decorative applications.

Pigment, preservation and brushes - a look at utilising found animal parts.

Following on from Bones, we will look at basic preservation of animal parts, specifically bird wings and claws.

We will look at the various materials which can be used for preservation and their pros and cons.

Garden Snail shells will be discussed as a pigment source (charred).

We will consider some sources of animal hair and the make of rudimentary brushes.

This session begins with a concise presentation outlining the main dyes and pigments derived from various insect species that supplied the ancient and medieval worlds with vivid colour. We will explore the global history and utility of these vital colorants, including Mediterranean kermes, South Asian stick lac, and the transformative 16th-century introduction of Mexican cochineal. Alongside this historical trajectory, we will cover the precise zoological details of each insect species and the unique chemical properties of their respective dyes.

Following the presentation, a live demonstration will showcase the process of making traditional lake pigments to create striking reds and purples. You will learn the artisanal craft of historic lake-pigment production, bridging organic chemistry with centuries of artistic tradition through the extraction of insect-derived colorants.

Attendees will master the historical recipe required to convert these soluble insect dyes into more permanent painter's ‘lake’ pigments. You will be guided through the process of simmering crushed, dried insects in an alkaline potash solution to extract carminic and laccic acids. You will then see how adding alum alters the pH, forcing the dye to bind to a solid substrate and precipitate into a vivid red sludge ready for filtering and grinding to create paints and inks.

Moving beyond reds, the session will highlight insects that stimulate the growth of plant galls. We will discover the history of iron gall ink—the dominant writing medium used from the Middle Ages through the 19th century. You will learn a distinct recipe that utilises the high concentration of tannic acid found in insect-engineered tree galls, steeping them in water and combining them with copperas (iron sulfate) to witness an instant chemical reaction that transforms a pale liquid into a permanent, indelible blue-black complex.

Finally, we will use all the colours produced during the session to create a comprehensive colour chart, experimenting with various colour mixes and ratios. By the end of this session, you will understand how ancient artists manipulated mineral salts to lock the transient colours of nature more permanently onto paper or canvas.

This session begins with a concise presentation mapping out the rich, historically high-status pigments and dyes derived from marine organisms that supplied ancient, classical, and medieval societies. We will explore the global history and legendary status of these vital colorants, including Phoenician Tyrian purple, european dog whelk. sepia ink from Mediterranean cuttlefish, and the pink-orange carotenoids locked inside crustacean shells. Alongside this historical trajectory, we will cover the precise zoological detail of each species—such as the Bolinus brandaris sea snail—and the unique chemical properties of their respective pigments.

Live Demonstration & Practical Application

Following the presentation, a live demonstration will showcase the unique extraction and transformation processes required to handle marine organic colorants. You will learn the artisanal craft of historic marine pigment production, bridging organic chemistry with centuries of artistic tradition.

Attendees will observe the mechanics of sepia ink fabrication. We will also demonstrate how to salvage carotenoid pigments from crushed shrimp and crab waste alongside the creation of pigments from various seashells & cuttlefish.

Expanding the Palette

We will utilise all the marine colours produced during the session to create a comprehensive colour chart, experimenting with various colour mixes and ratios. By the end of this session, you will understand how ancient artists manipulated ocean chemistry to lock the deep, transient colours of marine life into more stable colorants.

This session begins with a concise presentation outlining the vital structural adhesives, paint binders, and sizing agents derived from aquatic species that supported painters, scribes, and luthiers across the ancient and medieval worlds. We will explore the global history and utility of these organic mediums, focusing on how early artisans systematically converted local, everyday scrap fish waste (such as cod and pike heads, skins, and bones) into reliable structural glues. Alongside these standard workshop adhesives, we will trace the history of isinglass, a legendary, high-clarity binder processed from the dried swim bladders of sturgeons. Attendees will cover the precise zoological details of these fish species, examining how unique collagen distributions dictate the strength, flexibility, and tack of the resulting binders.

Following the presentation, a live demonstration will showcase the process of extracting raw fish collagens to create historically accurate mediums. You will learn the artisanal craft of prehistoric and medieval glue rendering, bridging organic protein chemistry with centuries of fine art conservation and instrument making. Attendees will master the historical recipes required to convert raw fish scraps into a versatile workshop size. We will guide you through the initial chemical preparation, demonstrating how to wash and slow-simmer fish bones and skins in a double boiler or glass beaker to break down dense tissues without denaturing the delicate proteins. You will see how the liquefied collagen is strained through linen cloth, cooled into an elastic gel, and cut into stable, dried leaves or wafers for long-term studio storage.

Moving beyond heavy carpentry adhesives, the session will highlight the formulation of fine art mediums and protective sealants. You will discover the history of distemper paint and illuminator's size—specialised liquid binders favoured for delicate parchment work and illuminated manuscripts. You will learn a distinct recipe utiliising high-clarity sturgeon isinglass, gently warming the dried bladder sheets in distilled water and integrating traditional natural plasticisers, like honey or molasses, to counteract brittleness.

Finally, we will use all the rendered adhesives produced during the session to test their working properties on a multi-material chart. We will experiment with using the fish glues to bind dry mineral pigments into paint, lay down a historical ground layer (gesso), and test traditional gold-leaf gilding applications on wood panels. By the end of this session, you will understand how ancient artists manipulated fish proteins to lock pigments onto surfaces and bind structural elements across the centuries.

Thank the Hen - colour, tools and mediums from birds

An illustrated introduction to some of the many historical and current uses of art materials from chickens, geese, swans and other edible fowl, including foraged items and things salvaged from food waste.

We will cover raw materials - eggs, skin, bones, feathers and products including, paint mediums, glue, pigment and drawing and painting tools.

The demo will cover how to make bone black, hide glue, tempera & glair mediums, plus quill and bone pens and brushes.

This is an illustrated look at milk and milk-derived paints, mediums and washes from history and the present day.

We will look at ways to make beautiful waste-free sustainable paints from this most easily available of materials and even from milk that has gone past its edible state.

SKIN

With Theresa Emmerich Kamper

Details Coming Soon

USING THE WHOLE ANIMAL

With Theresa Emmerich Kamper

Details Coming Soon

A two hour session for all the group members to share their reflections on the past year together and set intentions for the future.

With a ten minute break

Hosted by Annie Hogg