Natural color extraction experiment 天然色素試驗畫作

 

I wanted to test color extraction from natural materials. These are grey blue, purple and yellow.  

祗是三種天然物質作出的鮮明色調,  馬藍葉的灰藍與綠, 胭脂蟲的紫及姜黃粉的黃. 把馬藍葉子剪碎加石灰粉, 胭脂蟲晶體加明礬,姜黃粉加明礬, 各樣都要用溫水稀爛做出顏色塗上布料上, 在鍋上煮25分鐘, 數天後浸醋水定色, 雖然這不是最正確提取布畫顏料的方法, 但不防可作天然染料的來源.

 All from Strobilantes for grey blue, Cochineal for purple and yellow from Turmeric

 I chopped a few Strobilantes (馬藍葉) leaves. Poured 3 spoons of warm water, after a few hours fermentation then added little lime. Stirred to get oxygen to make the grey blue.

 Pink is from crushed Cochineal,  mixed with hot water and little alum.

 Yellow is from Turmeric mixed with hot water and alum.

 Here are the clear images of the color sources..... Green leaves of Strobilantes.

Crystal of Cochinel before crushed

 Turmeric powder

 After a few hours fermentation the indigo is getting blue, the Cochineal becomes purple immediately with warm water

 I used a brush to dip some indigo extraction for the mountain on the silk fabric.....

 from Cochineal extraction to brush the purple lavender field....

 After a few brushes of grey blue from indigo, I wiped with the fresh Strobilantes for the green,  

 Mogi doesn't like much the outcome

 Two days later I tested the colorfast by soaking into water.  Too bad......pink came out. So I colored again and bundled to steam for 25 minutes to fix the color.

 Washed and no breeding but Mogi seems do not approve it.
 Now  I know when heated the colors are fixed.

 

So I painted with cochinael for flowers and indigo for stems on the same fabric.

               After steamed for a while color fixed.  Know this is not a proper way to color silk but no harm for the trial with all natural colors.
A few days later I soaked the fabric in vinegar water to further fix the color.  It works.
 

 Talking about Strobilantes, it's strange ........ When I wrapped the frozen leaves on the fabric it's breeding with grey blue in room temperature.........

 But...... after heated it becomes purple / pink.   It's fun to play with natural color from plants. I will do some more experiments with this sort of leaves.

Handmade art journal 手作美術小本

 The art journal of different wool felt skills and the pages of assorted botanical imprints. 

This is a sample booklet for my workshops of wool felt and natural prints. The pages of assorted leaves prints on various fabrics and papers for reference. The cover is mainly of textural surface.  Most colors are from my natural dyes, some leaves and papers were from friends.  That's why I treasure it.  This collection of art journal I call it "Rhythm of the Ocean".  You'll see some of the pages below.

 Leaves prints on music sheets

 First page with oak leaf from Melinda

 The yellow camellia and pines I printed in Israel  

 Paper from India from Zeinab. Euc prints on organza

 The cover of yellow is from turmeric dye

 The  texture I cut it to show the contrast.

 The back cover of "tied balls". They're dyed scraps of logwood and turmeric.

 The corner is enclosed with shells I picked in the bay near my studio

 The book is enclosed with the "broken pottery" also picked in the bay.  This piece is washed  smooth by the sea.  Believe it was a broken pot used by villagers in the bay.

 The art book pages of different color of natural prints, some direct from leaves, some cut from the scraps I printed and glued on the pages.

 Some pages with chiffon, some with organze, some with knitted jersey.

 The rose leaves with iron mordant on knitted jersey are strong while the direct print on the right paper is not the same.

 Paper dyed in logwood pot thus purple.

 Different papers with assorted prints

 This page with a dried leaf and euc print on silk

 Page with dried leaf, prints on silk and paper

 Art book of assorted prints with some blank pages for writing

 A page with cats silhouette

 A page with rose leaves on a music sheet - The Jubilee Song"

 I took shots in the same bay where I picked the broken pottery and the sea shells.

 I listened to the echo of wave

 This is my artbook - "Rhythm of the Ocean".

Endeavor to change - Mustard dye 植物印染衣飾

 

 A botanical imprinted scarf / vest redyed to mustard color.  

This is the piece of prints I endeavor to redye for gradual color.

 I picked the Lagerstroemia Indica with some yellow, red and green.  Hope to get different shades from autumn windfalls.

 I laid the assorted leaves, a few eucalyptus and bundle boiled the silk fabric for 1.5 hours.

This is the picture of the layout and outcome.

 I intended to put some more leaves on the top of the square fabric to make it a vest / scarf, simply lined two arm holes and hemmed. A multi-style of vest of "upside-down".

 Prints of Lagerstroemia Indica are not much different in spite of green or windfalls of yellow . The long and orange prints are eucalyptus.

 With tannin of leaves and iron, the watercolor painterly effect is so pleasing but I sometimes this is only happy accidents.

 Prints on the collar as a vest .......

 Simply a scarf

 

I thought it's no harm to make mustard color on the lower part.

 So I redyed the fabric in the eco dye pot.

The left one is before and right one is after dyed.

 The scarf / vest of gradual green

 Left is undyed, the right one dyed

 

I've to admit the original undyed one is fair enough but keen on experiments I will get the idea of different effect.  

On and off people asked me about eco print / dye.  I'm happy to share common queries.  For my way of getting this mustard green on silk, I use turmeric + logwood + alum. 

 Before putting in the dye pot, I soak the fabric in water with alum.   I soak the logwood chips for a few hours then wrap it with a scrap of fabric, .  For a pot of about 1 L water, I put a teaspoon each of turmeric, logwood and alum.  All together bring to boil then simmer for 10 min.  The longer the stay in the pot the darker the color. 

That's what I got.

Have a nice day ! Until next time.