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In Search of Forgotten Colors

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Off Key - General Discussion
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  • P Offline
    P Offline
    pique
    wrote last edited by
    #2

    Utterly fascinating. I couldn't stop watching. Bernard, I see a new endeavor in your future...

    fear is the thief of dreams

    B 1 Reply Last reply
    • JodiJ Offline
      JodiJ Offline
      Jodi
      wrote last edited by
      #3

      Gorgeous. What a lovely video. I love natural dyes, and have make lake pigment watercolors from the plants we have near here. Grand Prismatic Seed company has nice dye plant seeds for sale, I’ve made paint from Hopi Black sunflower, and the double black hollyhock, black knight scabiosa and the coreopsis. I bought some safflower seeds - but I think I got exactly one flower from them! That one is tough, you need a ton of flowers and you have to get the yellow dye off first before you can get the red. Problem with all botanical dyes is lightfastness - some fade more slowly than others, but they all fade. There is a reason we have synthetic colors.

      Slightly related - do you ever watch the old videos from Liziqi ? They are so peaceful and beautiful (she took a many year break and her newer ones are not as good)

      Link to video

      B 1 Reply Last reply
      • P pique

        Utterly fascinating. I couldn't stop watching. Bernard, I see a new endeavor in your future...

        B Online
        B Online
        Bernard
        wrote last edited by
        #4

        @pique I have dabbled in natural dyes, just a little. Goldenrod, Weld, Dandelions. I made a video a few years ago about my experiment with home grown Weld.

        Link to video

        This fall, I intend to try Goldenrod again. Since I first tried it, mordanting with Alum, I've obtained some different mordants: Chrome and Tin (toxic, of course, I'll be careful).

        The industrial revolution cheapened everything.

        1 Reply Last reply
        • JodiJ Jodi

          Gorgeous. What a lovely video. I love natural dyes, and have make lake pigment watercolors from the plants we have near here. Grand Prismatic Seed company has nice dye plant seeds for sale, I’ve made paint from Hopi Black sunflower, and the double black hollyhock, black knight scabiosa and the coreopsis. I bought some safflower seeds - but I think I got exactly one flower from them! That one is tough, you need a ton of flowers and you have to get the yellow dye off first before you can get the red. Problem with all botanical dyes is lightfastness - some fade more slowly than others, but they all fade. There is a reason we have synthetic colors.

          Slightly related - do you ever watch the old videos from Liziqi ? They are so peaceful and beautiful (she took a many year break and her newer ones are not as good)

          Link to video

          B Online
          B Online
          Bernard
          wrote last edited by
          #5

          @Jodi That's so exciting, Jodi. I recall viewing some of your blog posts about the inks you were making. So cool! Thanks for mentioning Grand Prismatic, I'll have to look them up.

          I love Liziqi's videos, but haven't watched in a long time. Thanks for the reminder, they are so inspirational.

          The industrial revolution cheapened everything.

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          • JodiJ Offline
            JodiJ Offline
            Jodi
            wrote last edited by
            #6

            I would like to try a tin mordant with the cochineal (bug) I have - alum makes violet lake pigment, but tin supposedly will make the scarlet lake color - redder. I just haven’t ordered any yet.

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            • Piano*DadP Offline
              Piano*DadP Offline
              Piano*Dad
              wrote last edited by
              #7

              We have these same traditions here. The Spanish weavers of Chimayo, and native weavers (Dine) have used natural dyes. These days they are much more expensive than chemical dyes, and often less vibrant.

              Here is a weaving by Emily Trujillo from Chimayo that uses indigo for the blues, madder root for the peachy color, and chamisa and indigo for the greens.

              IMG_5812.jpeg

              Crazy economist who likes to write about higher education.

              B 1 Reply Last reply
              • S Offline
                S Offline
                Steve Miller
                wrote last edited by
                #8

                Beautiful!

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                • JodiJ Offline
                  JodiJ Offline
                  Jodi
                  wrote last edited by
                  #9

                  A video I made about making paint (and ink) from botanical dyes. We have a lot of rabbit brush (chamisa) for a good yellow in the area, but you can also use marigolds and common tansy. Best if watched directly on YouTube.

                  Link to video

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                  • JodiJ Offline
                    JodiJ Offline
                    Jodi
                    wrote last edited by
                    #10

                    I don’t show it in this video, but the pastels made from the botanical lake pigments fade faster than the paint made from the same lake pigment. All of this stuff is fun to make, but not really suitable for professional (as in you sell your work) art.

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                    • Piano*DadP Piano*Dad

                      We have these same traditions here. The Spanish weavers of Chimayo, and native weavers (Dine) have used natural dyes. These days they are much more expensive than chemical dyes, and often less vibrant.

                      Here is a weaving by Emily Trujillo from Chimayo that uses indigo for the blues, madder root for the peachy color, and chamisa and indigo for the greens.

                      IMG_5812.jpeg

                      B Online
                      B Online
                      Bernard
                      wrote last edited by
                      #11

                      @Piano-Dad said in In Search of Forgotten Colors:

                      These days they are much more expensive than chemical dyes, and often less vibrant.

                      Beautiful rug! I have a natural dye, hand woven rug from Oaxaca that the woman who taught me to spin/weave/dye sold to me. "...often less vibrant" is an aesthetic sought after by some, especially in textiles.

                      The industrial revolution cheapened everything.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      • JodiJ Jodi

                        A video I made about making paint (and ink) from botanical dyes. We have a lot of rabbit brush (chamisa) for a good yellow in the area, but you can also use marigolds and common tansy. Best if watched directly on YouTube.

                        Link to video

                        B Online
                        B Online
                        Bernard
                        wrote last edited by
                        #12

                        @Jodi Wow! Fascinating video, you explain the process so clearly. It is a more complicated process than what is typical for dyeing fibers. There are many natural dyes that are not light fast on fiber either. Beet root, for example. Luckily, several are quite light fast if proper mordanting is applied.

                        My neighbor told me about a patch of Tansy in the clearing in the woods above my house. I'm meaning to go get some for experimenting with.

                        The industrial revolution cheapened everything.

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                        • JodiJ Offline
                          JodiJ Offline
                          Jodi
                          wrote last edited by
                          #13

                          It makes a really nice color - the Tansy - but I have not put it in the window yet to see how quickly it fades. The best natural substances for longer lasting color are usually the ones used historically by native peoples. Like Cochineal, Indigo and Rabbit brush. (All botanical dyes fade, none are 100% lightfast, some just fade more slowly than others). Lightfastness isn’t quite as big an issue on textiles (that you wear) as it is in artwork. I read somewhere that though turmeric is considered a fugitive dye (fades really quickly) people still use it and just re-dye the piece when it has faded.

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