Botanical Ink Making

A one-day workshop at Hastings Contemporary learning to make and use natural inks from plants.

This one-day workshop teaches participants to create natural drawing inks from fresh seasonal plants and dried material such as flowers, leaves, roots and bark. Attendees experiment with modifiers like lemon juice to shift colours, blend inks to extend the palette, and learn preservation techniques. Using dip pens and brushes, they produce ink samples and colour explorations on different papers, leaving with notes, colour samples and a natural ink to take home. No prior experience is required and all materials are included.