From Plant to Pigment
From Plant to Pigment
Signed by the author
From Plant to Pigment: How to make your own vibrant inks, pastels and paints
by Natalie Stopka
Skittledog Books, 2025
“The many plants that surround and sustain us are rich with color. With a little alchemical know-how, you can transform the brilliant hues of our botanical companions from liquid dye to granular pigment, supplying myriad artistic uses as paint, ink and pastel.”
Today’s art suppliers are stocked with very refined and chemically pure colors. But for those of us seeking sustainability and ecological connection, they are very far removed from nature. Inspired by the history and craft of color-making, Natalie Stopka is an artist and educator known for her explorations of handmade, homegrown pigments. In From Plant to Pigment she invites us into her studio, sharing the ways she has divested her practice of non-renewable synthetics in favor of the craft of handmade, homegrown, local color.
Natalie's recipes transform natural dyes into vibrant and stable lake pigments. Explicating the fundamental techniques and chemistry of lakes, this book extends the applications of natural dye colors into expanded artistic media. Artists are empowered to concoct their own pigments, paints, and pastels from botanicals, with sections including:
Botanical sources: cultivating, foraging, harvesting and storing dye plants
The studio larder: essential equipment and ingredients
Lake pigments: including Natalie’s master lake pigment recipe
Other plant pigments: charcoal and indigo
Artists’ materials: using your botanical pigments to make an array of artists’ materials
This copy is signed by Natalie! When prompted at checkout, please enter the recipient’s name and/or message for a personalized note.
Estimated shipping date October 21.
