After a long period of not blogging on this site due to a variety of reasons I would like to continue my natural dye journey with you as I have still been very busy in my dye garden and studio.

For many years I have enjoyed working with natural dyes grown in my own dye garden – dyeing wool, silk, cotton and other natural materials and have always been amazed at the beautiful colours achieved with this method.

Recently, I have made a lovely selection of lake pigments and then created a wonderful range of watercolour paints which I will – over time – demonstrate their beauty in the form of whimsical characters that I have copied/modified from the web. I am no artist, and I’m partially sighted therefore the images are to demonstrate the amazing colours available from natural dyes – though the images are quite cute and amusing.

A lake pigment differs from a dye bath in that it is insoluble in water whereas a natural dye can be dissolved in water.

A lake pigment is a natural dye combined with an inert binder (metallic salt) to make the dye insoluble in water. They are made from natural dyes and are a great way to use every drop of colour by converting it to a stable powder. They are useful for making a wide array of natural artist’s materials.

They are an ecologically and mindful way to make paints to use on paper or canvas.

I find it exciting to make and paint with these pigments.

Examples of lake pigment water colour paintings.

Made with weld, madder and Maya blue pigments

Painted with a selection of lake pigments including – woad, weld Maya blue and coreopsis.