How to Make Natural Paints & Inks From Plants

One of my favourite things to do creatively is to make natural inks and paints from plants. Just like natural dyeing & most creative practices, the process is soothing & meditative; it’s easy to lose time while absorbed in the simmering, condensing & alchemy that follows. Sometimes I will make the dye from leftover dye baths; other times I simmer up plants just to see the colours on paper. If you’ve been wondering how to make natural paint from plants, read on for a full step-by-step tutorial.

How do I make watercolour paint from plants?

The process itself is simple & involves simmering down your dye until you get a highly concentrated form of paint or ink. When your ink or paint reaches the consistency and saturation you’re after, you stabilise it by adding a binding agent. After working with large pieces of textiles & garments for so long, it’s refreshing to work on a smaller scale & watch the paints interact on paper. As with most things ‘natural dye’, I find the process of making natural paints & the result ridiculously satisfying.

Want to take your paint-making further?

This tutorial shows you the basic process, but there is much more to explore when it comes to getting stronger colours, working with different plant sources, modifying colour, storing your paints and troubleshooting the process.

I’ve put everything I’ve learned about making botanical paints into my self-paced Make Paint From Plants course.

Explore the course here →

How to make inks or paint from plants

Below you’ll find a very simple tutorial on how to make paint from plants using kitchen or garden ingredients. This is a wonderful project for anyone interested in natural dyeing & a great one to try with little ones. If you are interested in trying this at home, you could experiment with a variety of colour sources such as turmeric, yellow or red onion skins, rose petals, avocado stones, nettles, spinach, coffee, tea, black beans, elderberry or pokeweed berry.

What you need to make inks or paints from plants:

• Water
• Small pot
• Wooden spoon
• Dye or plant material
• Fine sieve or coffee filter
• Glass jar with lid to store your ink

How to make watercolour paints from plants:

1. Gather or collect your plant material (see suggestions above).
2. In a small pot, fill it halfway with plant material.
3. Cover with water, making sure there’s at least 1 inch of water above the plant material.
4. Bring to a gentle simmer; don’t let it boil & simmer.
5. When the dye extracts & the water become rich in colour text your liquid (it’s hard to give an exact time for this as it will be different for everyone). I like to dip my paintbrush in & test on a piece of paper. Others like to use strips of paper to test the colour.
6. When you are happy with the strength of your dye/ink/paint, remove it from the heat.
7. Using your sieve or a coffee filter, pour your liquid into a glass jar & enjoy your work!

From a helpful resource on plant identification, take a look at Kew Gardens: Plants of the World Online. I came upon this site recently & enjoy using it as a quick reference when I need basic information on a plant such as botanical name, origin, etc.

Ready to take your plant paint-making further?

My paint-making course covers turning natural dye sources like leaves, flowers, tree parts, kitchen waste, and dye powders into saturated, natural paint, with clear, practical lessons from start to finish. 

Explore Make Paint From Plants →

If you enjoyed this article or have any questions about making paint from plants, please let me know in the comment section below.

Kathryn x