Discover the joy of creating colour through renewable, non-toxic and natural sources! We will educate participants about the fascinating history of colour production and how for thousands of years it was achieved through processes involving plants, invertebrates and minerals.

Participants will learn about the use and preparation of natural dyes and will have the opportunity to try them out themselves. The workshop begins with a session in papermaking and forming sheets to use for sampling and will progress to explore the use of various mordants, such as alum and iron and also plant-derived tannins as colour fixatives. Students will walk away with sample sheets of various dyes, such as indigo, cochineal, black walnut, dyer’s broom and logwood and will leave equipped with enough information about complex dye techniques to explore further at home.