Guided Course: Prepare inks and watercolors with natural ingredients
A guided course by Tortolita Inventiva
, Eco-Creative Studio
Eco-Creative Studio.
Guadalajara, Mexico.
Joined December 2016
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Joined December 2016
Create liquid watercolors and botanical inks with natural ingredients, explore pigment extraction and preservatives
Joined December 2016
Discover the art of creating botanical inks and liquid watercolors using natural ingredients. Learn to identify plant-based dye sources and explore the life cycle of pigment plants. Familiarize yourself with essential materials and tools to achieve professional results in your projects. Experiment with extraction techniques such as cooking, grinding, and maceration in water and alcohol, taking advantage of the unique benefits of each method to obtain vibrant pigments.
Explore color transformations using pH and natural additives to enrich your palette. Create natural preservatives and binders to ensure the stability and durability of your creations. Upon completion, you'll have a complete collection of custom inks and watercolors ready to apply to your illustrations. This course will take you step-by-step through the fascinating world of natural alchemy, combining science and art to make your projects shine with unique and authentic colors.
What will you learn in this online course?
8 lessons & 13 downloads
What's included in this course?
You'll learn to create botanical inks and liquid watercolors using natural ingredients. Begin by identifying dye sources in pigment plants and understanding their natural color cycle. You'll discover how to select and prepare the materials and tools needed for the process. You'll master pigment extraction through methods such as cooking, grinding, and maceration in water and alcohol. Each technique will allow you to obtain different concentrations and shades, organically expanding your color palette.
You'll explore color transformations by experimenting with pH and natural additives, enriching your creative options. You'll learn to formulate natural preservatives and binders, ensuring the stability and durability of your creations. Upon completion, you'll have produced a complete collection of inks and watercolors ready to apply to your artistic projects, with professional finishes. This experience will allow you to connect with the alchemy of pigments and appreciate the art of creating with nature.
- 100% positive reviews (5)
- 507 students
- 8 lessons (54m)
- 13 additional resources (5 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish
- Portuguese · English · French · Turkish · Spanish · Italian · Polish · German · Dutch · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
The project involves creating botanical inks and liquid watercolors with natural ingredients, exploring everything from identifying dye sources to pigment extraction, color transformations, and preservative formulation, resulting in results ready for use in illustrations.
Who is this online course for?
Artists, illustrators, botanical enthusiasts, and those curious about natural alchemy seek to explore artisanal techniques to create natural inks and watercolors. Those interested in experimenting with botanical pigments, preservation, and color will appreciate a creative approach to using natural ingredients.
Requirements and materials
No extensive prior knowledge is required, just an interest in botany and creativity. You'll need pigment plants and basic utensils such as pots, sieves, and a mortar and pestle. Use alcohol, water, glass containers, and paintbrushes. Follow simple instructions to create natural inks.
Reviews
Tortolita Inventiva
A guided course by Tortolita Inventiva
Gina Sanchez and Miguel Ubaldo are designers by trade, inquisitive by nature, and the creators of Tortolita Inventiva, a studio that produces ecological art supplies.
For them, research and investigation are a fundamental part of their lifestyle. They hand-make their own gadgets and art materials naturally, questioning the process, origin, and environmental impact of products that are currently on the market.
The pair have collaborated with artists such as Amarillo Pastel and Gimena Romero, and are also part of the Sin Plástico directory, Greenpeace, and the Latin American Sustainable directory.
Content
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Guided Course: Prepare inks and watercolors with natural ingredients
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Podcast: The Occult Alchemy of Pigments
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Botanical dye sources and their cycle
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Recognition of materials and tools
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Extraction procedure: cooking and crushing
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Extraction procedure: macerated in water
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Extraction procedure: macerated in alcohol
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Color transformations
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Preservation and binder
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Final project
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
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Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
You’ll learn how to collect, identify, and process plants to extract pigments, prepare natural inks and watercolors, use mordants and color modifiers, and safely and sustainably preserve handcrafted inks.
This course is aimed at people with intermediate knowledge; basic experience in artistic experimentation or home chemistry is recommended, though fundamental processes and necessary tools are explained.
You’ll need a manual mortar, dropper, glass jars, a strainer or cheesecloth, wooden spoons, brushes, water, alcohol, plant-based dye sources, and optional materials like glycerin, honey, and gum arabic.
Only gather what you need, avoid protected species, pick flowers and leaves from different plants to prevent damaging populations, and make sure they’re not toxic before using them as dye sources.
A natural mordant is a substance that helps fix pigment onto material; examples include alum or salt. They’re added during preparation to achieve more durable and stable colors.
Pigments are extracted by boiling, soaking in water or alcohol, and crushing flowers, leaves, or roots. Then they’re filtered and mixed with binders and preservatives to create the ink.
Water-based inks tend to be less stable and are used fresh, while alcohol-based inks hold up better over time and can be stored longer without spoiling.
Excelente para mis pinturas
Detailed and excellent course
Its a good course. A little light on the information.
È stato un bel corso! È bello poter creare colori con la natura che ci circonda e soprattutto sapere come farlo! Molto utile!
Molto interessante, proprio il corso che cercavo!