Watercolor Paint from Scratch

Watercolor paint is an ancient medium, originally created with simple recipes of powdered pigment and tree sap. The paint recipes we use today are derived from those original formulations. From natural earth pigments to indigo-based color, students will explore a wide variety of natural pigments in this 3-hr workshop led by artist, Carolyn Sweeney. Starting with an introduction to commercially available natural pigments such as Armenian Purple Ochre, Venetian Red and Bone Black, students will be instructed in the process of making watercolor paint from scratch. Students will practice mulling watercolor paint on a glass slab and mixing paint using Carolyn’s custom watercolor binder recipe. She will also share tips for sourcing low cost tools, and students will experiment with a variety of natural pigments. Each student will leave with their own set of handmade watercolor paints.