Some tips on making and using homemade ink

1.     You can use soft fruit and berries to make a child friendly ink, using just the juice and no other additives.   You can extract the juice from the berries using a juicer or a pestle and mortar, or even a small bowl and the side of a small jar or the end of a rolling pin (but note, the ink is likely to stain any wooden equipment used).

2.     Natural plant pigments are usually “fugitive” which means they are likely to fade quicker than other mediums like professional watercolours.   So, bear this in mind when creating and displaying your artwork.  As with all artwork it is less likely to fade if placed out of direct sunlight.  For ink work that you would like to keep for as long as possible it is better to be stored in a closed drawer or book.  Although some inks will change colour over time anyway.  For any work that you might want to keep a copy of either for longer or to retain its original colours it is worth photographing or printing a copy of it.

3.     We use two methods to make plant ink: pressed (unheated) or heated. For the pressed method, crush “soft” petals (e.g., tulip or hyacinth work well) with a pestle and mortar, add a little water until juice forms, and optionally add alum for more colour; dry the concentrate for preservation. For the heated method, simmer the plant material (broken into small pieces) in water, and add soda ash if desired, to extract colour.  If you are unsure which method will work best, try the pressed first as if that does not work can transfer the mix to a pan and try the heated method. 

4.     Use equipment dedicated for ink making or other crafts – spoons, pestle and mortar, pans etc.  You can usually pick up the items needed easily in charity shops/thrift stores.

5.     To preserve your ink, if using the pressed or unheated ink – let it dry out thoroughly noting it make take some time depending on the temperature.   If using the heated method or where you have a very liquid ink you can add 1-2 dried cloves or a few drops of anti-bacterial essential oil to act as a preservative like clove oil, thyme, rosemary or lavender oil.  You may need to add more overtime.  If you do get a little mould growth, it may be possible to carefully remove it and then add more preservative and the ink should be fine to use, but prevention works best, as it is not a pleasant task.

6.     When making an ink for the first time its worthing using regularly to see if the colour changes and keep it in the dark in a cupboard or drawer to exclude the light.  Although some do become more vibrant in sunlight so its worth putting a swatch out in daylight to see if and how it changes.

7.     For storing ink, I prefer small, wide-mouthed jars like miniature jam jars, as they make it easy to use a dip pen or brush.

8.     To help your ink adhere to the paper better you can add a few drops of liquid Gum Arabic, but do not use with a fountain pen as this may clog the pen.  We have not tried using fountain pens with our inks – preferring to use dip pens or brushes.  Note the ink may react differently depending on the paper you use so its worth experimenting as the colour may alter.

9.     Experiment: the results can be surprising, with unexpected colours and colours that change as they get exposed to the oxygen in the air or as they dry.  You can also add modifiers like iron, copper, lemon, soda ash to alter the colour or mix colours to create new variations.