LAKE PIGMENTS
Lake pigments have the ability to confuse from start to finish, however, they are an excellent and very historical way of turning a plant dye or ink, into a pigment. The first confusion is the name, it bears no relation to lakes and points more to a species of insect, kerria lacca, which, confusingly, is not used in this process.
The spectrum of colour achievable through this process is incredibly joyful and it’s truly a wonder to see these vibrant plant colours, coming to life and in turn, used to make beautiful paints and other art materials.
Going through the magical process of making lake pigments is a profound way of learning about colour and the chemistry of plants.
Once we have made the lake pigments, we can use them as paints and for marbling as they are mostly very light and float relatively easily.
For an open garden event at Threave Gardens, we made a beautiful yellow paint from their daffodils which were about to go over.
In order to make a satisfying paint for people to paint with, we added some extra chalk and a good thick and gloopy binder.
Have a look at our workshop program to find any upcoming lake pigment making workshops. If there aren’t any currently, let us know you would like to attend one and we can let you know when the next is planned.