Creating Natural Paints for Crafts with Caroline Nicolay
Monday June 16th
In this workshop, participants will dive into the art of crafting natural, traditional, and historical paints, tailored for creative and craft-based projects. Free from plastics and VOCs, these paints are made using simple, affordable, and eco-friendly materials that can often be found in your kitchen or foraged locally.
This knowledge goes beyond sustainable construction and historic preservation—it’s perfect for personal creative endeavors! Whether you’re decorating handcrafted items, enhancing natural materials with vibrant hues, exploring traditional art practices like watercolors, or creating local-environment-inspired crafts, this workshop will equip you with the skills to make sustainable and beautiful paints.
Day Program
Exploring Pigments:
Begin by identifying and selecting natural pigments from minerals, clays, sands, and soils—many sourced locally from around the UK. Learn methods to extract pure pigments, making use of natural materials to bring authentic colors to life.Crafting Paints for Any Surface:
Discover a variety of traditional binders and paint recipes, tailored to different uses. Learn how to create paints suitable for canvas, wood, ceramics, paper, and more. Recipes will include:Milk Casein (a versatile natural binder)
Egg Tempera (a centuries-old art medium)
Wheat Paste Paint
Falu Red (a traditional Swedish wood paint)
Cherry Tree Gum Watercolor
And even beer glazes!
You’ll also learn to make your own casein from milk—in just minutes!
Making Natural Paintbrushes:
Get creative crafting paintbrushes from natural materials such as wood, feathers, animal hair, plants, and cordage. Whether foraged or shop-bought, these brushes will add a unique touch to your painting process.Interactive Q&A and Sharing:
The day will end with open discussions and Q&A. Whether you’re curious about the historical uses of paints, modern applications in art and craft, or want advice on your own projects, we’ll do our best to guide and inspire you.
Feel free to bring your own samples of clay, earth, sand, or rock for insights into their pigment potential!
About Caroline
Born in Eastern France, it is after two Masters in Archeology and Heritage management & interpretation in France, that Caroline focused on the idea of living history and the newly recognised ''experiential archaeology'' being fantastic ways to get visitors who might not have an interest in archaeology to connect with this often complex and misunderstood science.
Monday June 16th
In this workshop, participants will dive into the art of crafting natural, traditional, and historical paints, tailored for creative and craft-based projects. Free from plastics and VOCs, these paints are made using simple, affordable, and eco-friendly materials that can often be found in your kitchen or foraged locally.
This knowledge goes beyond sustainable construction and historic preservation—it’s perfect for personal creative endeavors! Whether you’re decorating handcrafted items, enhancing natural materials with vibrant hues, exploring traditional art practices like watercolors, or creating local-environment-inspired crafts, this workshop will equip you with the skills to make sustainable and beautiful paints.
Day Program
Exploring Pigments:
Begin by identifying and selecting natural pigments from minerals, clays, sands, and soils—many sourced locally from around the UK. Learn methods to extract pure pigments, making use of natural materials to bring authentic colors to life.Crafting Paints for Any Surface:
Discover a variety of traditional binders and paint recipes, tailored to different uses. Learn how to create paints suitable for canvas, wood, ceramics, paper, and more. Recipes will include:Milk Casein (a versatile natural binder)
Egg Tempera (a centuries-old art medium)
Wheat Paste Paint
Falu Red (a traditional Swedish wood paint)
Cherry Tree Gum Watercolor
And even beer glazes!
You’ll also learn to make your own casein from milk—in just minutes!
Making Natural Paintbrushes:
Get creative crafting paintbrushes from natural materials such as wood, feathers, animal hair, plants, and cordage. Whether foraged or shop-bought, these brushes will add a unique touch to your painting process.Interactive Q&A and Sharing:
The day will end with open discussions and Q&A. Whether you’re curious about the historical uses of paints, modern applications in art and craft, or want advice on your own projects, we’ll do our best to guide and inspire you.
Feel free to bring your own samples of clay, earth, sand, or rock for insights into their pigment potential!
About Caroline
Born in Eastern France, it is after two Masters in Archeology and Heritage management & interpretation in France, that Caroline focused on the idea of living history and the newly recognised ''experiential archaeology'' being fantastic ways to get visitors who might not have an interest in archaeology to connect with this often complex and misunderstood science.
Monday June 16th
In this workshop, participants will dive into the art of crafting natural, traditional, and historical paints, tailored for creative and craft-based projects. Free from plastics and VOCs, these paints are made using simple, affordable, and eco-friendly materials that can often be found in your kitchen or foraged locally.
This knowledge goes beyond sustainable construction and historic preservation—it’s perfect for personal creative endeavors! Whether you’re decorating handcrafted items, enhancing natural materials with vibrant hues, exploring traditional art practices like watercolors, or creating local-environment-inspired crafts, this workshop will equip you with the skills to make sustainable and beautiful paints.
Day Program
Exploring Pigments:
Begin by identifying and selecting natural pigments from minerals, clays, sands, and soils—many sourced locally from around the UK. Learn methods to extract pure pigments, making use of natural materials to bring authentic colors to life.Crafting Paints for Any Surface:
Discover a variety of traditional binders and paint recipes, tailored to different uses. Learn how to create paints suitable for canvas, wood, ceramics, paper, and more. Recipes will include:Milk Casein (a versatile natural binder)
Egg Tempera (a centuries-old art medium)
Wheat Paste Paint
Falu Red (a traditional Swedish wood paint)
Cherry Tree Gum Watercolor
And even beer glazes!
You’ll also learn to make your own casein from milk—in just minutes!
Making Natural Paintbrushes:
Get creative crafting paintbrushes from natural materials such as wood, feathers, animal hair, plants, and cordage. Whether foraged or shop-bought, these brushes will add a unique touch to your painting process.Interactive Q&A and Sharing:
The day will end with open discussions and Q&A. Whether you’re curious about the historical uses of paints, modern applications in art and craft, or want advice on your own projects, we’ll do our best to guide and inspire you.
Feel free to bring your own samples of clay, earth, sand, or rock for insights into their pigment potential!
About Caroline
Born in Eastern France, it is after two Masters in Archeology and Heritage management & interpretation in France, that Caroline focused on the idea of living history and the newly recognised ''experiential archaeology'' being fantastic ways to get visitors who might not have an interest in archaeology to connect with this often complex and misunderstood science.