From Heartwood to Dragon’s Blood: Reds from the Middle East
A live online class with with Joumana Medlej
On Thursday 18th June 2026 4-6pm BST
Recording of the live session will be available until the 18th Sepetmber 2026
After black, the colour of the Word, red was the principal hue in the medieval islamic scribe’s palette. It could be mineral in origin, or organic, or a mixture of both.
In this workshop we’ll learn how to prepare lac pigment, the principal organic red in this tradition, starting with sticklac to obtain translucent shades of magenta.
During waiting times in this process, we’ll try other reds from Islamic texts mixed from unusual materials such as pomegranate blossoms, dragon’s blood and sappanwood.
A PDF handout is included.
About Joumana Medlej
Joumana Medlej is an artist-scholar from Lebanon, working at the intersection of creation and research. After an early career in design, she’s spent two decades studying and reconstructing the forgotten scripts of early Arabic calligraphy, which are now a hallmark of her art practice. She’s also known for making her own art materials based on historical methods and local foraging. Joumana’s written two handbooks on art technology and now draws on her maker’s experience to translate medieval Arabic inkmaking treatises into English, bringing the voices of past masters to a general audience.Anna works and lives in Westcliff-on-Sea, UK