Join experienced artist Fiona McIntyre on this day workshop to learn how to make ink from plants.

In this workshop Fiona will teach you how to transform flower petals, leaves and tree material into three primary colours plus a black and brown using mordants. You will learn about the alchemy of mordants which enhance colour, and in some instances change it to a second or even third hue. You will use plants that have been used for centuries to extract dye for fabrics and to make inks for painting with. Fiona will also give some background to these ancient recipes and their historical significance.

You will spend the morning in preparing your inks which includes grinding in a pestle and mortar, soaking and steeping in hot water, straining and mixing with mordants. In the afternoon, you will transform the plant mixtures into beautiful inks and paint them onto cotton rag paper.

You will leave this workshop with an understanding of making your own plants dyes, their sustainability as a medium and will be provided with recipes to take home to experiment further with this historical craft. You will have a wider understanding of the history of these materials and how they relate to our evolution as humans.

Tutor: Fiona McIntyre
Date & Time: Monday 27th October, 10am - 4pm
Venue: Brush Studio, New Brewery Arts
Price: £85 (£0.00 VAT)

Please note that this workshop is for those aged 18 and over.

You are welcome to bring a lidded bottle of water with you but we kindly ask that you do not bring food into the studio.

Refreshments are available at our on-site café Blend until 4pm.

For more information:
Visit our FAQ page

Who is this workshop for?
All abilities welcome.

What you will need:
Please bring an apron or wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Gloves will be provided.

All materials and equipment are included. The materials are seasonal and this will be reflected in the workshop. None of the materials are toxic and Fiona has chosen the most lightfast plants to work with.

Accommodation: 
Residential option available. Find out about our accommodation, costs and how to book here.

Meet Your Tutor - fiona mcintyre

Fiona McIntyre was born in Kenya and brought up in Ireland and England. She is an experienced artist, tutor and speaker focusing on art/ecology/landscape and trees. As a tutor she believes passionately in the importance of drawing and understanding principles of colour and intuitive expression.

After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art with a BA Hons in Drawing and Painting she moved to Sweden for seven years to learn the language and practice at studios in Malmo, and studied printmaking at Grafiskskolan Forum under the influential Surrealist artist Bertil Lundberg. Her education culminated in an MA at Winchester School of Art studios in Barcelona.

Fiona has been in over 40 exhibitions in UK, Scandinavia, Spain, Gibraltar and France, and she is represented in public collections including Ashmolean Oxford and Bohuslän Konstmuseum. Fiona is an elected member of the Royal Society Painter-Printmakers (ARE); and a founding member of The Arborealists who are a contemporary group of artists collaborating on ecological issues.

Fiona has conducted residencies at the Hosking Houses Trust and the Sidney Nolan Trust leading to a solo exhibition 'Dreaming The Land' at the former home of Sir Sidney Nolan .