Registration always open. This is a self-directed course.
(You can register for this course as a stand alone or, if you register for the Canada Day 2024 3-for-1 special, you will be automically enrolled in this course, along with Modules 1 & 2.)
PREREQUISITE: experience with making a dye bath, understanding of mordants and modifiers.
TIMELINE:
course commences on your date of registration, with new lessons available every three days for approximately one month
students have one year access, from date of registration, to all course materials
“I’ve taken many natural dye courses, and the ones by Mamie’s Schoolhouse are by far the most comprehensive. She makes even the most complex processes easy to follow and replicate, both through the written and video instructions. I look forward to learning with Mamie’s Schoolhouse for many years to come!”
natural colours for visual art…
In this course, we will create a range of beautiful visual art materials, using only what Nature provides. Learn to make coloured pigments from scratch using plants and minerals, and learn how to use natural dyes and pigments (lake pigments, earth/mineral pigments, and indigo pigment) to make a range of inks, paints, and stains for application on different surfaces.
These are the methods writers and visual artists used for millennia, before the introduction of synthetic art mediums. Every fresco, drawing, painting, and written document prior to the 19th century was created using Nature’s beautiful palette. In this course, you will keep this amazing heritage alive by learning important historic techniques, including how to make Maya Blue pigment, historic black inks, and how to use carriers other than water, as well as various modifiers, to expand your resulting palette.
stability & longevity…
Gain an understanding of the basic chemistry that can make natural writing and visual art materials vibrant and long-lasting.
Learn to use the correct ingredients and processes to make your inks, paints and stains no longer water soluble (so they can not be degraded by ambient humidity), and to ensure strong adherence to your substrate (the material on which you create your work - this can be paper, parchment, canvas, wood, or cloth).
You can work with any natural dyes or earth/mineral pigments you may have purchased from a supplier, and you can also work with many foraged plants and earth/mineral pigments. Guidelines for ethical foraging are provided in the course.
course structure…
Course Launch…
equipment & supplies list
safety practices
responsible foraging guidelines
definitions
making lake pigments (video demonstration & written instructions)
finding and processing earth/mineral pigments (video demonstration & written instructions)
Every 3 days …
new demonstration videos and detailed written instructions are released in accordance with the curriculum shown above
an email is sent to you to let you know each time new course content is available
You have one year’s access to all course materials, so you may choose, instead, to spread out your time commitment to suit your availability. That’s perfectly fine, too.
The online platform used to teach this course, Teachable, allows for comments and image uploads by students for each lesson, which facilitates timely discussion of student progress, any issues, etc. There will also be a group Zoom session, if students would like one. This will be discussed inside the course.
course results…
An understanding of the fundamental chemistry of creating stable, long-lasting natural inks, paints, and stains.
A toolkit of methods for creating an endless rainbow of natural inks, paints, and stains, to use with different surfaces/substrates.
values…
This course prioritizes your safety, ecological protection, evidence-based techniques, and respect for the amazing visual art lineage of which we are just the latest beneficiaries.
registration & pricing…
Students with a billing address in Canada must register through this link, where the relevant Canadian provincial/territorial taxes (if any) are automatically collected and remitted to the government.
Students with a billing address outside of Canada must register through this link, where the relevant tax for the student’s jurisdiction (if any) is automatically collected and remitted to the appropriate government.
