PAINT - Core Foundations Of Paint-Making
Introducing Key Concepts, Materials, Binders & Basic Processes
Lucy Mayes - Tuesday 5th May 4-6pm BST
This two-hour session, titled "Core Foundations of Paint-Making," is designed to introduce participants to the essential principles and materials involved in creating paint from scratch, along with guidance on selecting appropriate surfaces and substrates. The session will delve into the fundamental components of paint; pigment, binder, solvent, and optional additives, exploring what each one is and how it functions within the mixture. The roles of these components will be clearly explained and expanded upon to build a strong conceptual foundation. Particular attention will be given to traditional, non-toxic, and biodegradable art practices, highlighting high-quality natural binders such as gum Arabic, egg yolk, casein, and plant-based glues. These will be categorised to help participants develop a method of paint production rooted in low-impact, sustainable materials. Visual aids such as diagrams and side-by-side comparisons of different paint types will support participants in understanding these distinctions.
This session serves as a crucial primer for the next in Lucy's series, "PIGMENTS – Fundamentals Deep Dive." To conclude, Lucy will demonstrate several of the key principles discussed, bringing the concepts to life through practical application.
Lucy Mayes
Lucy Mayes (b. 1991, England) is an artist, pigment maker, researcher, and educator working within the craft of pigment making. She studied at the Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford, and the Royal College of Art, where her interest in traditional painting techniques, pigment processing, and paint making first took root. In 2018, she founded London Pigment, and since 2020, her handmade pigments have been available through L. Cornelissen & Son. She is on the board of non-profit Pigments Revealed International, an organisation dedicated to building a global pigmnt community. Currently travelling through Europe aboard her wooden sailing boat, she works between London and Sussex.
Her practice centres on the use of reclaimed raw materials and environmentally responsible approaches to pigment production. In 2023, she played a key role in the inclusion of pigment making on the Heritage Crafts Association’s Red List of Endangered Crafts. She has taught pigment making at institutions including Tate, the V&A, and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Her work, featuring pigments made from locally sourced minerals and exploring the connections between regional mining history and pigment traditions, is held in a permanent display at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro.
Session 2 of 13
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 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 tool kit 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.
Course Overview:
INTRODUCTION SESSION - With All Teachers - Open to all registrants Tuesday 7th April 2026 4-6pm BST
PAINT - Core foundations of paint-making Introducing key concepts, materials, binders and basic processes - Lucy Mayes - Tuesday 5th May 4-6pm BST
COLOUR - Creating a palette of personal primary colours with earth and plant based colour - Carolyn Sweeney - Tuesday 2nd June 2026 4-6pm BST
PAPER - Choosing papers for natural colour work, exploring the effects of different types of paper and sizing with wet and dry media - Carolyn Sweeney - Tuesday 7th July 2026 4-6pm BST
PENS - Making an ink that can be used in a fountain pen and refillable felt tip markers. Demonstrating how to make Quill Pens, bamboo, & reed pens - Annie Hogg & Caroline Ross - Tuesday 4th August 2026 4-6pm BST
MODIFIERS - Mushroom Inks with Modifiers & Binders - Julie Beeler - Tuesday 1st September 2026 4-6pm BST
PIGMENTS - Fundamentals Deep Dive: Moving into greater depth and complexity with the addition of particle morphology etc - Lucy Mayes - Tuesday 6th October 2026 4-6pm BST
PASTELS - Graphite / conte / graded hard pastel making method - Caroline Ross - Tuesday 3rd November 2026 4-6pm GMT
LICHEN - The Science and Art of Lichen Based Colour - Julie Beeler - 17th November 2026 4-6pm GMT
LAYERING - Layering different types of natural colour- wet and dry mediums, botanical and mineral colours, water-based and oil-based mediums - Carolyn Sweeney - Tuesday 1st December 2026 4-6pm GMT
GESSO - Gesso workshop, with extra elements of panel preparation - Annie Hogg Tuesday - 5th January 2027 4-6pm GMT
METAL-POINT - On prepared paper: warm coppery tones, greys, blacks. - Caroline Ross - Tuesday 2nd February 2027 4-6pm GMT
CLOSING SESSION - With All Teachers - Open to whole course members - Tuesday 2nd March 2027 4-6pm GMT
Registration:
Join the whole programme: Sign up to the whole year long programme including the opening and closing sessions. Study groups are available for whole programme registrants. As an optional extra, new registrants will be able to opt in to add the resources from the 2024/25 Natural Colour Making Level One course.
Join individual sessions: Students will be able to sign up to individual sessions. All registrants will be invited to the opening and closing sessions.
Elements:
12 monthly online sessions avaialble to join live or watch the recordings.
Opening and closing sessions with all the teachers.
Ten live online demonstrations.
Downloadable PDF handouts will be available for all sessions. With recipes & specific equipment & materials.
A reading list
An equipment & materials overview and guide
We will make a What’s App group that members can join to connect with each-other and share work.
We will have a What’s App group for the course members to communicate and share work. The teachers won’t be in the group.
For Whole Programme Members: (Limited spaces available)
Study Groups With Annie Hogg and Issy Denton
Mentoring With Caroline Ross, Annie Hogg, and Lucy Mayes
How To Sign Up: Join the whole Making & Working With Natural Art Materials Course Programme to access the sign-up page.
Access: All members will have access to the live sessions as well as the recordings in the member area on Plants & Colour Website. The resources will be available until March 2028, one year after the course is completed.
Time Commitments:
The live demonstrations will be two hours every month. You can either join live or watch the recordings in your own time.
In order to practice the techniques in your own time, this will require 6-12 hours per month of studio practice. The course is really what you make it. The more you can find the time to practice the techniques each month, you will get more from the course.
Join The Whole Programme
Gain Access to the Study Groups & Mentoring
Gain access to The Natural Colour Making For Artists Programme (2024/25) (£390) as well as joining Making & Working With Natural Art Materials Programme (2026) (Original Price: £430)
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.
