Project

Natural Ink

Once you start making ink, the world never quite looks the same. Here's how to make your own colored inks to use in arts and crafts projects. Learn how to gather natural materials — leaves, berries, bark, moss — and transform them into rich, kid-friendly hues.

Source: Martha Stewart

Introduction

The base recipe comes from our friend Jason Logan who showed us how he makes and uses natural inks. Pictured pigments from left to right use the following main ingredients: coffee, black bean, sumac, black walnut, spinach, red cabbage, iris petal, elderberry, turmeric, grape juice, pokeweed berry, buckthorn berry, jicama, onion skin, wild grape, and goldenrod.

materials

Foraged leaves, flowers, and berries

Water

Salt

White vinegar

Gum arabic (available at art-supply stores)

Colorful plant

Whole clove or wintergreen oil

Old pot (stainless steel works best)

Rubber gloves

Rags

Coffee filter

Funnel

Wide-mouth glass jar

Glass bottles with lids

steps

Gather your materials, many of which can be found at home or outside in the backyard.
In an old pot, add leaves, flowers, or berries, water, salt (1 dash per cup) and white vinegar (1 tsp per cup). Heat, keeping just below bowling.
Cook for at least an hour or until water takes on a deep, rich color. Use a strip of paper to test your color.
Place a coffee filter inside a funnel, then the funnel inside a wide-mouth glass jar. Pour the water slowly into the top to filter the ink.
In a glass bottle, add gum arabic (one part to 10 parts ink) and a whole clove or a drop of wintergreen (as a preservative). Pour ink into the bottle, leaving some space at the top. Close with a tight-fitting lid.
Name and label your ink.
Use ink in arts and crafts projects.