Hi everyone! I just posted a video update about these inks: ua-cam.com/video/iPkjGhRbvOs/v-deo.html. Watch to see how they held up after nearly three years.
I added aluminum sulfate as the materials were boiling. It's acidic, but vinegar is even more so, so you'd achieve a slightly different color. There aren't many videos about ink-making specifically. I actually referred to natural dye tutorials to learn what natural materials would make nice colored inks. Here's a video that explains the different pH levels and how that can completely change the color you end up with: ua-cam.com/video/XvgN8E3jWRM/v-deo.htmlsi=WsqoerZsBHvFEN8r
I never knew this was a thing. Before the world wide web, I lived in Topanga Canyon near Los Angeles. I was painting full time and had run out of a color I was using. I ran out on a hike and started picking random flowers and other nature's gifts. I went home and began experimenting with different colors by adding water and vinegar to the gatherings. The results were ok. Long story short, I made the reddish color I needed from flowers and a rock I grinded down. Very cool stuff here.
That's awesome! The fact that you made the color you needed from nature by just gathering and experimenting. How did the color hold up? Ahh I've heard of folks using rocks and shells to make pigments before. I've always wanted to try. But you'd need a kind of sedimentary rock, and I have no idea where to even start looking for those. It's really cool that you discovered making your own inks like that. Thank you for sharing 😊
If I could find that painting I'd tell you. It was on the singer of my bands wall for a long time. He moved back to Ireland years ago and we lost contact. I'm doing some experimenting again with inks, and also painting full time with acrylic, watercolor, and other mediums. Art is just so endless and powerful, don't you think?@@JuliRoxArt
Yes, I absolutely agree! Every medium has levels of versatility too. It's impossible to learn it all, but that makes it exciting. There's always a new medium, technique, or style around the corner. I tend to jump between hobbies or even jobs when I get bored (not proud of this 😅). But art is the one thing that has stuck! I think it's because there's an endless amount to explore with it. I don't think I'll ever get tired of experimenting. Thanks for your comment 😊
Those are ph sensibility effect. A lot of natural dyes are ph sensitive (red cabbage being a famous one!). They will react as they will oxidize drying in contact with air. They can also change depending on the pH of paper. I would no use an alkaline ink in a fountain pen due to its potential corrosive effect thought. Nature is pretty "magical" right? :)
I love the inks AND your drawing! The other day I ended up boiling some artichokes. Something I've never done before because my artichoke recipe was invented by my Italian grandfather. However, it's very time consuming, and before I could do it my artichokes started drying out, so boiled them to eat with melted butter. When they were done, I looked down into the water and was amazed to see it was bright orange. I'm going to try making ink from artichokes thanks to this video.
Wow, I love this! What a happy accident. Botanical inks are so much fun to play around with. And, as far as homemade art supplies go, pretty simple. I hope you get nice inks out of it. Let me know how it goes 😆
Adding lemon or lime juice to your oeaflowers would have created different shades of pink too. Your sodium bicarbonate is your alkali and then adjusting the acid changes the colour
Oh wow really? This is good to know! I'll have to do more ink experiments when I'm back home in Canada. It was such a fun way to play with art and nature 😄 Thanks for the tip!
i made acorn cap ink it was a tannish brown and I've made a yellow ink using ferns i used vinegar honey water and plants to make them they're decent :)
That's awesome!! I had no idea you could use vinegar to make inks. That's definitely much more accessible that alum/washing soda. Did your inks end up being quite dark/pigmented?
You pronounce Potash like this: pot ash. Like a cooking pot, and ash from the fire. Can't wait to try to turn EVERYTHING I SEE into ink now ! Thank you thank you!
Dream place is a homestead where eventually i hire a person or 2 or 3 to take care of the animals and modt of the large garden, and another person is hired to sell my crafts so i have room to make more and i just dive into making what crafts i want with several others to help certain things to not seem like too much of a chore.
Butterfly pea flowers tea reacts to acidic matter. If you add lemon juice, or anything that it turns purple. I add red hibiscus to one as well (also for drinking) and get a gorgeous purple!
The drawing you made and painted turned out really well! I think you are definitely on to something with the inks! Keep experimenting and you may surprise yourself 😃
Yes!! India ink is so fun to work with. I haven't tried the Ph. Martin's or any colored inks though, just plain black. So I'm not sure how these homemade ones would compare 🤔
I've been wondering if pine sap and wild cherry sap can work as binders. Ps. Potash and soda ash are diff. Potash is potassium vs sodium. Potash is obtained from wood ash
@@Galaxy-gr7ic thanks! I have a good feeling you can use pine sap, I've seen it used as a varnish for violins and such. I just personally haven't tried it yet. I'm sure it's just the nature of tree resins
My aunt has a painting that was painted with natural pigments in the early 1800’s in France by an ancestor and the colors still hold. I wish I knew the secret.
If the painting was made from earth pigments, the pigment longevity would make sense in my mind. Other factors also can play into it, like what was the pigment mixed with, how the painting has been stored (out of direct sunlight, cool and dry, can create an ideal environment), if it has a varnish of any kind on top of the paint, and if the painting is behind glass when displayed. All of these factors can offer the colors protection from uv light, which accelerates the fading process, so combined, these factors offer great longevity and are reasons why we have paintings that are hundreds of years old in museums and the like. I hope this helps
I bought some gorgeous and very fibrous handmade cotton rag paper. Weirdly you could get it in A2, A3 and A4 sizes at nearly the same price so I got A2, x4 bigger than A4. I love the look of those natural colours but I think the lightfastness issue would bug me too much... Unless I can do art in black and white and use it as a vague colour wash and it doesn't really matter if it fades away
@ZadenZane The colors of the ink definitely change over time! Unlike homemade lake pigments, they surprisingly didn't fade like I thought they would. I uploaded a follow up video if you're curious with how they turned out over three years. Some of the inks really surprised me: ua-cam.com/video/iPkjGhRbvOs/v-deo.html
Ahh nice! I think you're the first local to comment on this channel. It's lovely to e-meet you 🤓 The weather's been gorgeous lately, I hope you're making the most of it~
They didn't necessarily fade, more like the colors shifted. I posted an update video recently if you want to see how much the colors changed: ua-cam.com/video/iPkjGhRbvOs/v-deo.html
Hi Vic 👋🏼 You can use these like you would any water-based inks, though I would avoid using them in fountain pens because I'm not sure if the pigment particles would clog the nib. Adding a bit of gum arabic would help them adhere onto paper, so I definitely recommend a small amount for calligraphy work!
Just my grain of "salt"... I'm pretty sure that washing soda itself makes these very alcaline. Which is corrosive for metal. So metal parts in the fountain would be vulnerable. If I was to try .. I'd use alum which is more acidic and try to get my ph as close to a mild acidic and not use them in my good ones ;)
@@unefleurdecactus I wonder if white vinegar would help at all? pH-sensitive colors would change for sure but vinegar is acid so it could balance the pH... Color ph strips would be needed to make sure it's safe for the pen and maybe the vinegar would not be able to act as a preservative since it's being nullified by the washing soda... but it might be a worthy experiment
I wish I could answer this accurately, but I left the country a few months after filming this. My inks are back home 😅 I doubt they'll still be good to use by the time I return, but will keep you updated in about 10 months 😂 Thanks for watching.
I added clove oil which has antifungal properties. They're still well preserved at this point (no mold). Though I've read that if you refrigerate them they can last even longer!
@@derickofstad8833 I just added a couple of drops per bottle of ink. After 6 months they were still good. Though I'm not too sure of how long the inks would last passed that.
just because something is natural doesn't mean it's safe. the tea ones might be safe (I would side with caution and say: don't try) but the colors are definitely not permanent anyway so even if they were safe, I don't think it would last much.
HI, First, (1st) *Mistake* is Face "Mask"! sorry, no offense, just trying to SAVE [you] 'face' & *YOUR RIGHT to Your Life.* LOVE the Colors! All good, Even NOT Knowing Plants gathered, others will just discover for self.
Hi everyone! I just posted a video update about these inks: ua-cam.com/video/iPkjGhRbvOs/v-deo.html. Watch to see how they held up after nearly three years.
When is the vinegar added?
I added aluminum sulfate as the materials were boiling. It's acidic, but vinegar is even more so, so you'd achieve a slightly different color. There aren't many videos about ink-making specifically. I actually referred to natural dye tutorials to learn what natural materials would make nice colored inks. Here's a video that explains the different pH levels and how that can completely change the color you end up with: ua-cam.com/video/XvgN8E3jWRM/v-deo.htmlsi=WsqoerZsBHvFEN8r
I never knew this was a thing. Before the world wide web, I lived in Topanga Canyon near Los Angeles. I was painting full time and had run out of a color I was using. I ran out on a hike and started picking random flowers and other nature's gifts. I went home and began experimenting with different colors by adding water and vinegar to the gatherings. The results were ok. Long story short, I made the reddish color I needed from flowers and a rock I grinded down.
Very cool stuff here.
That's awesome! The fact that you made the color you needed from nature by just gathering and experimenting. How did the color hold up? Ahh I've heard of folks using rocks and shells to make pigments before. I've always wanted to try. But you'd need a kind of sedimentary rock, and I have no idea where to even start looking for those. It's really cool that you discovered making your own inks like that.
Thank you for sharing 😊
If I could find that painting I'd tell you. It was on the singer of my bands wall for a long time. He moved back to Ireland years ago and we lost contact. I'm doing some experimenting again with inks, and also painting full time with acrylic, watercolor, and other mediums. Art is just so endless and powerful, don't you think?@@JuliRoxArt
Yes, I absolutely agree! Every medium has levels of versatility too. It's impossible to learn it all, but that makes it exciting. There's always a new medium, technique, or style around the corner. I tend to jump between hobbies or even jobs when I get bored (not proud of this 😅). But art is the one thing that has stuck! I think it's because there's an endless amount to explore with it. I don't think I'll ever get tired of experimenting.
Thanks for your comment 😊
Those are ph sensibility effect. A lot of natural dyes are ph sensitive (red cabbage being a famous one!). They will react as they will oxidize drying in contact with air. They can also change depending on the pH of paper. I would no use an alkaline ink in a fountain pen due to its potential corrosive effect thought. Nature is pretty "magical" right? :)
I love the inks AND your drawing! The other day I ended up boiling some artichokes. Something I've never done before because my artichoke recipe was invented by my Italian grandfather. However, it's very time consuming, and before I could do it my artichokes started drying out, so boiled them to eat with melted butter. When they were done, I looked down into the water and was amazed to see it was bright orange. I'm going to try making ink from artichokes thanks to this video.
Wow, I love this! What a happy accident. Botanical inks are so much fun to play around with. And, as far as homemade art supplies go, pretty simple. I hope you get nice inks out of it. Let me know how it goes 😆
Adding lemon or lime juice to your oeaflowers would have created different shades of pink too. Your sodium bicarbonate is your alkali and then adjusting the acid changes the colour
Oh wow really? This is good to know! I'll have to do more ink experiments when I'm back home in Canada. It was such a fun way to play with art and nature 😄 Thanks for the tip!
the final piece is beautiful! when you added color to her eyes the whole thing came to life
Ahh the eyes are my favorite part of painting a piece. I like to save them till near the end 😆 Thank you so much!
Instant sub since were lowkey on the same handmade journey!
Haha love it!! We're on this journey together 🤓
i made acorn cap ink it was a tannish brown and I've made a yellow ink using ferns i used vinegar honey water and plants to make them they're decent :)
That's awesome!! I had no idea you could use vinegar to make inks. That's definitely much more accessible that alum/washing soda. Did your inks end up being quite dark/pigmented?
@@JuliRoxArt yes actually theyre wonderful!!! they go on light then get super pigmented :)
totally loved this video! I also love BC!! So much fun to have your 'Bestie' be a part of your adventure! TFS!
Thank you so much! I normally have to convince my sister to hang out with me, but on this day, she was more than willing 😆
❤❤❤😂
Be patient, sisters ARE always sisters!! My sis is my BESTIE forever!! Sometimes we just need to sit back and let them be who they are ❤❤❤😉
You pronounce Potash like this: pot ash. Like a cooking pot, and ash from the fire. Can't wait to try to turn EVERYTHING I SEE into ink now ! Thank you thank you!
Haha ah thank you for correcting me. YESSS experiment away. Embrace the mad scientist in you 😉
Dream place is a homestead where eventually i hire a person or 2 or 3 to take care of the animals and modt of the large garden, and another person is hired to sell my crafts so i have room to make more and i just dive into making what crafts i want with several others to help certain things to not seem like too much of a chore.
Butterfly pea flowers tea reacts to acidic matter. If you add lemon juice, or anything that it turns purple. I add red hibiscus to one as well (also for drinking) and get a gorgeous purple!
Yesssss I’ve done that too!
The drawing you made and painted turned out really well! I think you are definitely on to something with the inks! Keep experimenting and you may surprise yourself 😃
Ahh thanks so much Britt! In glad you like it. Have you ever played with botanical inks? It's so interesting :o
@@JuliRoxArt you’re welcome! And I haven’t tried them but they look really cool!! I’ve only used the regular inks like sumi India ink types haha
Yes!! India ink is so fun to work with. I haven't tried the Ph. Martin's or any colored inks though, just plain black. So I'm not sure how these homemade ones would compare 🤔
@@JuliRoxArt that could be a future video idea!! Comparison of homemade vs store bought haha
Try using white vinegar you can get more changes in colour eg red cabbage you can get pinks to blues using the caustic soda and vinegar.
I've been wondering if pine sap and wild cherry sap can work as binders. Ps. Potash and soda ash are diff. Potash is potassium vs sodium. Potash is obtained from wood ash
I'm not sure about pine sap, but you can use cherry sap and plum sap as binders, too.
@@Galaxy-gr7ic thanks! I have a good feeling you can use pine sap, I've seen it used as a varnish for violins and such. I just personally haven't tried it yet. I'm sure it's just the nature of tree resins
Strawberry tree tastes good you should try one of the fruits!
Do they really? That was the first time I ever saw a strawberry tree. What do they taste like? Next time I stumble across one, I'll give it a try 😄
Oh when I was young I was madly in love with Vancouver : cheap , beautiful, little traffic .
Now not so much I get in and I get the hell out.
Sorry for the late response. I'm just seeing this now! Times have really changed, eh? The cost of living here is out of control 🫠
Thanks for sharing your experiments!❤
Thanks for watching!
My aunt has a painting that was painted with natural pigments in the early 1800’s in France by an ancestor and the colors still hold. I wish I knew the secret.
Wow that's so neat! To have a painting that old that's still lightfast.. if you ever figure it out, please do tell 🤭
If the painting was made from earth pigments, the pigment longevity would make sense in my mind. Other factors also can play into it, like what was the pigment mixed with, how the painting has been stored (out of direct sunlight, cool and dry, can create an ideal environment), if it has a varnish of any kind on top of the paint, and if the painting is behind glass when displayed.
All of these factors can offer the colors protection from uv light, which accelerates the fading process, so combined, these factors offer great longevity and are reasons why we have paintings that are hundreds of years old in museums and the like.
I hope this helps
I bought some gorgeous and very fibrous handmade cotton rag paper. Weirdly you could get it in A2, A3 and A4 sizes at nearly the same price so I got A2, x4 bigger than A4. I love the look of those natural colours but I think the lightfastness issue would bug me too much... Unless I can do art in black and white and use it as a vague colour wash and it doesn't really matter if it fades away
@ZadenZane The colors of the ink definitely change over time! Unlike homemade lake pigments, they surprisingly didn't fade like I thought they would. I uploaded a follow up video if you're curious with how they turned out over three years. Some of the inks really surprised me: ua-cam.com/video/iPkjGhRbvOs/v-deo.html
Yup! You’re definitely a fairy! 🧚♀️ ❤️🧚♀️👍🏽
I absolutely love your art and i cant believe you live so close to me❤️
Thanks for the comment! Are you from BC?
@@JuliRoxArt I live in Abbotsford!
Ahh nice! I think you're the first local to comment on this channel. It's lovely to e-meet you 🤓 The weather's been gorgeous lately, I hope you're making the most of it~
Do these fade much?
They didn't necessarily fade, more like the colors shifted. I posted an update video recently if you want to see how much the colors changed: ua-cam.com/video/iPkjGhRbvOs/v-deo.html
@@JuliRoxArt Thanks for the info. Gonna try it now
Could these work with fountain pens?
To be safe, I'd say no, although I'm not too familiar with fountain pens 🤔
Would adding more gum Arabic make the ink suitable for calligraphy?
Hi Vic 👋🏼 You can use these like you would any water-based inks, though I would avoid using them in fountain pens because I'm not sure if the pigment particles would clog the nib. Adding a bit of gum arabic would help them adhere onto paper, so I definitely recommend a small amount for calligraphy work!
Wow I love the piece you created! What is the black fine liner pen are you using with ink (I’m surprised it doesn’t smudge when you wet it) thanks x
Thank you!! I used a Sharpie Pen for the line work. You can get them in a two pack from Wal-Mart, Target, or any place that sells office supplies 🤓
Oh, so washing soda is ash soaked in water for a day or 2.
Looks like i don't need to buy anything for this.
what is the ingredients again?
Great video! Have you ever used these in a fountain pen?
Just my grain of "salt"... I'm pretty sure that washing soda itself makes these very alcaline. Which is corrosive for metal. So metal parts in the fountain would be vulnerable. If I was to try .. I'd use alum which is more acidic and try to get my ph as close to a mild acidic and not use them in my good ones ;)
@@unefleurdecactus I wonder if white vinegar would help at all? pH-sensitive colors would change for sure but vinegar is acid so it could balance the pH... Color ph strips would be needed to make sure it's safe for the pen and maybe the vinegar would not be able to act as a preservative since it's being nullified by the washing soda... but it might be a worthy experiment
I love your videos :3
Ah glad you like them!
thak you for the information😁❤
My pleasure 😊
how long it can last based on your experience using it?
I wish I could answer this accurately, but I left the country a few months after filming this. My inks are back home 😅 I doubt they'll still be good to use by the time I return, but will keep you updated in about 10 months 😂 Thanks for watching.
Idk how but i took alot of violet flowers and it came out green
LOL what a surprise!! You really never know what you're good to get. I guess that's part of the fun 😜
@@JuliRoxArt yee 😜
It came out green because you boiled it, temperature is key
@@elenastennett8660 Actually, violets are very pH sensitive.
How to preserve the paintings from fungal attack?
I added clove oil which has antifungal properties. They're still well preserved at this point (no mold). Though I've read that if you refrigerate them they can last even longer!
@@JuliRoxArt what would the ratio be of adding clove oil to your watercolor?
@@derickofstad8833 I just added a couple of drops per bottle of ink. After 6 months they were still good. Though I'm not too sure of how long the inks would last passed that.
this is valid as hell
Does anyone know if this could be used for tattoo ink?
No definitely not. These are natural inks for creating art on paper only. Sorry!
just because something is natural doesn't mean it's safe. the tea ones might be safe (I would side with caution and say: don't try) but the colors are definitely not permanent anyway so even if they were safe, I don't think it would last much.
My grf like do it everything own hand i need send her this video
Haha I know the feeling 😂
I see tim hortons 🙃
Of course!! We wouldn't be Canadian without it 😂
please be our teacher, the main problem I have had is stability, durability, lets work out a way to use natural pigments and not pollute the earth
💜💙
Too much jiggly camera. It is not easy to concentrate on what is going on when too much movement.
Thanks for the feedback! I agree, it's a bit shaky. When you're filming, you don't really notice. I'll try to steady my hand next time 👌🏼
HI, First, (1st) *Mistake* is Face "Mask"! sorry, no offense, just trying to SAVE [you] 'face' & *YOUR RIGHT to Your Life.*
LOVE the Colors! All good, Even NOT Knowing Plants gathered, others will just discover for self.