Hello, if you don’t have any types of milk to use, you can just do the iron mordanting when we get to that part. Or if you really want to try a protein mordant, you can blend up some dried soybeans or nuts in water, strain and use the liquid.
How long should you actually heat the paper in the water with the jars and cans? Some of my paper has been breaking down when I am unrolling it. What is the best temp for the heated water. I’m sorry if I missed that.
I do between a simmer to a boil, for about 1 hour, and then let them cool in the pot. Maybe let the bundles dry for a while before you unwrap, so the paper isn’t so delicate. If any of the leaves stick to the dry paper, resubmerge it in water and rub gently to help get them off. That paper may also just not be so suitable for eco-printing and you need something stronger.
I don’t have a pot that I don’t use for cooking. Is it necessary to only use a pot that wouldn’t be used eventually for cooking? Is there a way to clean the pot after using it for dyeing that would make it safe for food prep again?
When you are using iron mordant, and non-edible plants, I really don’t recommend reusing the pot to cook with later. If you don’t want to sacrifice a pot, you could try solar dyeing by putting your bundles in a glass jar, covering with warm water and leaving in the sun for a few days.
Mahalo, I’m so excited to jump into this process! We have such a wide variety of dye stuff and different plants here in Hawai’i. A lot that are recommended plants we don’t have but I’m hopeful to find comparable or related plants to experiment with.
I use a few houseplants in the first paper video – they are good for relief prints, but probably won’t give colour. Add in some onion skins, turmeric or other kitchen dye stuff and you’ll be able to get some kind of marks!
Hello! Just joining this course very late, but so excited to learn about this technique. I’m I’m Louise, a dabbler in all of the things, living in Wiltshire in the UK. I’ve had a lifelong love of nature and foraging, as well as arts and crafts, but I’ve only recently started tentatively exploring the potential to fully interweave the two to make my own inks and pigments from found and foraged materials. I’m currently facing redundancy from a job that I have loved for many years, so having some stressful thinking to do about the shape of the future right now. Exploring another route to connect nature and art is definitely the therapy I need right now!
Hi Louise, so lovely to have you hear, and I think many of us relate to your love of nature and arts & crafts, and wanting to combine them. Eco-printing is so perfect for that.
Yes that’s fine. In fact if you have good ventilation (e.g. exhaust fan, open window), it’s fine to cook them inside when using the mordant too. Some people don’t like the smell of the mordant or of particular leaves such as eucalyptus, which can get a bit heady. But good ventilation will help with that anyway.
28 Comments
Hi Louise, I have never used whey as a mordant, would Milk Kefir whey work too?
Yes, I reckon it would work, definitely worth trying! I look forward to seeing how it goes.
Exciting!
Exciting. Can’t wait!
Hi Louise, I don’t use milk, sometimes (rarely) I use oat milk…
I only drink herbal tea, is it ok?
Thanks
Hello, if you don’t have any types of milk to use, you can just do the iron mordanting when we get to that part. Or if you really want to try a protein mordant, you can blend up some dried soybeans or nuts in water, strain and use the liquid.
Thank you
I don’t have white vinegar. Have you every used apple cider vinegar to make rusty cans?
Thanks.
Hi Liz, yes that should work fine. You can water it down if you don’t want to use large amounts of ACV.
How long should you actually heat the paper in the water with the jars and cans? Some of my paper has been breaking down when I am unrolling it. What is the best temp for the heated water. I’m sorry if I missed that.
I do between a simmer to a boil, for about 1 hour, and then let them cool in the pot. Maybe let the bundles dry for a while before you unwrap, so the paper isn’t so delicate. If any of the leaves stick to the dry paper, resubmerge it in water and rub gently to help get them off. That paper may also just not be so suitable for eco-printing and you need something stronger.
Hi Louise,
I don’t have a pot that I don’t use for cooking. Is it necessary to only use a pot that wouldn’t be used eventually for cooking? Is there a way to clean the pot after using it for dyeing that would make it safe for food prep again?
When you are using iron mordant, and non-edible plants, I really don’t recommend reusing the pot to cook with later. If you don’t want to sacrifice a pot, you could try solar dyeing by putting your bundles in a glass jar, covering with warm water and leaving in the sun for a few days.
Thank you!
I hope you’ve found a pot. I’ve been given many by friends and locals when I spread the word that I needed one, people often get rid of old pots.
I’m really interested to see what effects I will get with the tropical plants here in Singapore…
I’m very excited to see what results you get from tropical plants! I’ve never had the opportunity to experiment with them.
Mahalo,
I’m so excited to jump into this process! We have such a wide variety of dye stuff and different plants here in Hawai’i. A lot that are recommended plants we don’t have but I’m hopeful to find comparable or related plants to experiment with.
How wonderful, I look forward to seeing what plants you use – I’m sure they will be new to me!
Grateful that these lessons will still be available to me once the snow melts- no plants here yet…wait- will any houseplants work?
I use a few houseplants in the first paper video – they are good for relief prints, but probably won’t give colour. Add in some onion skins, turmeric or other kitchen dye stuff and you’ll be able to get some kind of marks!
Hello! Just joining this course very late, but so excited to learn about this technique. I’m I’m Louise, a dabbler in all of the things, living in Wiltshire in the UK. I’ve had a lifelong love of nature and foraging, as well as arts and crafts, but I’ve only recently started tentatively exploring the potential to fully interweave the two to make my own inks and pigments from found and foraged materials. I’m currently facing redundancy from a job that I have loved for many years, so having some stressful thinking to do about the shape of the future right now. Exploring another route to connect nature and art is definitely the therapy I need right now!
Hi Louise, so lovely to have you hear, and I think many of us relate to your love of nature and arts & crafts, and wanting to combine them. Eco-printing is so perfect for that.
Excited to experiment those materials. I did some experiences before. It will be great!
Excited to put some ‘junk’ from the garage to use! ha!
Haha yes eco-printing is good for that! You can make use of the strangest things.
Hi Louise, can you cook the bundles inside if not using an iron mordant?
Yes that’s fine. In fact if you have good ventilation (e.g. exhaust fan, open window), it’s fine to cook them inside when using the mordant too. Some people don’t like the smell of the mordant or of particular leaves such as eucalyptus, which can get a bit heady. But good ventilation will help with that anyway.