Eco-Printing and Painting with Pigments

Learn all about natural pigments for creative processes! During this weekend workshop, students will learn the basics of eco printing and painting with locally foraged plants and food waste onto different types of fabric and paper, as well as beginner book arts techniques to create small, folded and stitched books. The interconnection of nature within these practices will be focused on as time will be offered to create inside and outside of the studio space. This immersion into the farm campus and current season will help to inform creative experiments throughout the two-day class. Participants will be encouraged to bring a couple fabric items from home to ‘jazz up’ and recycle into a new printed garment that holds memory of the weekend and season using plants. This class offers a combination of outdoor foraging, printmaking, photography, bookmaking and fiber processes, thereby offering a realm of possibilities that allow for full exploration with each mode of making.

Students will first learn how to properly prepare different fabrics to mordant; a crucial step to ensure consistent lightfast and washfast colors. After an introduction to mordanting and discussion of slow fashion, students will create their own unique eco prints and paintings using local pigments. Exploring the vast realm of possibilities within this technique, students will print and paint onto cotton, linen, and silk fabrics as well as watercolor paper to understand the scope of creative potential when using varied materials. Once printed and dried, students will engage in mindful stitching techniques in response to the prints and enjoy moments outdoors to soak in the beauty of the region. Students will be encouraged to work intuitively by embracing mistakes and releasing perfection. In addition to learning the basics of sewing and embroidery by hand, participants will create hand-bound pamphlet stitch journals and accordion fold books using their printed papers. Incorporating methods for making handmade natural inks for painting helps to highlight the true interconnectedness of these dye processes! These meditative techniques yield unique, one-of-a-kind results, and provide opportunities to let go while collaborating with nature. All levels of experience are welcome!

Skills and Techniques:

• Sustainable & mindful foraging techniques
• Suggestions for proper plant identification & safety
• Basics of mordanting (fabric pretreatment)
• How to create both indoor and outdoor prints with cyanotype printing
• Bundling and fabric preparation techniques that yield different printed results
• Suggestions for crafting handmade natural inks & storage/care for the pigments
• A list of suggested regional plants to utilize seasonally
• Pamphlet stitch & accordion fold book binding techniques
• How to care for your printed fabrics
• Resources for continued making & learning on your own

Materials Fee: $50 paid directly to the instructor at time of workshop.

Special Tools or Equipment students should bring: Apron & rubber gloves (optional to keep clothes & hands clean), sketchbook or phone for note-taking (optional; full recipes & instructions will be provided digitally and in print), foraged plants (Optional; many will be provided – A full list of suggested plants will be provided prior to the workshop, any personal sewing supplies desired to work with (please note basic materials such as sewing needles, sewing and embroidery thread, marking pens, cutting mats and rulers are provided), any personal painting supplies desired such as brushes, palettes, containers, etc. Though some will be provided, please bring your own cotton sewing thread and embroidery thread if you are passionate about utilizing certain colors.

Please be sure to read our policies before you register for a workshop which can be found here Workshop Policies