Natural Inks and Quills

This week we showed participants how to use natural materials for drawing or writing with. For the first part of the session we talked through the process for making natural plant inks.  For the second part of the session we demonstrated how to make quill pens from feathers.

 Watch recording of live event by clicking on image above.

Below we have researched links to others that inspired our making as well as recommendations for further research/reading:

Making Natural Inks 

Making Ink by Muddy Faces: 

https://muddyfaces.co.uk/activity/making-ink-with-the-4-elements/  

Make Your Own Natural Inks by The Roots Project: 

https://therootsproject.co.uk/resources/make-natural-inks  

Oak Gall Ink by Woodland Ways: 

https://www.woodland-ways.co.uk/blog/primitive-crafts/oak-gall-ink  

7 Galls to Spot This Year by The Woodland Trust: 

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2018/07/galls-to-spot-this-year/  

Making Quill Pens 

Making a Quill Pen by Ridsmuseum via Instructables: 

https://www.instructables.com/Making-a-quill-pen/  

Making a Feather Quill by Medieval Journey: 

https://medievaljourney.com/2014/12/27/making-a-feather-quill-step-by-step-tutorial 

Painted Feathers by LittleBird SOS: 

https://dharmaflyer.blogspot.com/2020/09/painting-feathers-dream-catchers-part-1.html?m=1  

Of Interest

Leonardo da Vinci used oak gall ink for his drawings.  A Life in Drawing by The Royal Collection Trust:  

https://www.rct.uk/about/news-and-features/leonardo-da-vinci-a-life-in-drawing#/  

Book Recommendations 

Wild Color by Jenny Dean

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/3988/9781784725532 

Wild Dyer by Abigail Booth

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/3988/9780857833952 

Suppliers 

Gum Arabic – www.jacksonsart.com  

For further info and natural dye supplies go to: 

https://m.wildcolours.co.uk/ 

Keep an eye on our website for forthcoming events via our website.  In the meantime check out our ‘Getting Creative’ section where you will find lots more ideas.