I am earmarking Crocus tommasiniaus Roseus for inks and also Iris reticulata (this one was beheaded by the weather I think and it only came up yesterday of course...
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What about pressing flowers in a flower press in order to then decide whether to use the flowers for ink or for something else like a pressed flower arrangement? Maybe that makes no sense!
I press quite a bit but I don't think I could press enough (in books etc) enough to generate ink or dye. For that it's probably better to just dry the petals in quantity and use the pressed flowers for cards etc. When drying petals lay them out flat on a plate or such and turn them every day for a few weeks so they don't get mouldy. Same for 'tulip sculpture' ☺️. It's gutting to check with carefully harvested petals and find a mouldy mess. Easily done.
I am earmarking Crocus tommasiniaus Roseus for inks and also Iris reticulata
Maybe take a petal or two and squeeze them and see if your fingers are stained. It's gives a good idea of working with small quantities - for stencils etc.
May be a bit off piste, but a long time ago my hubby did some foundry work at Blists Hill, and Coalbrookdale asked them to make some casts off of originals in their museum. We had several pieces lying around for years and he finally assembled a cast iron walking stick holder in the shape of a dog holding a whip. However it looked brand new, so he aged it with a load of oak galls ground up with vinegar to make a tannic acid to paint on the cast iron. This gave it a nice black patina. They made about two dozen off the originals at the time, the main difference between originals and the later casting is that because they made the moulds off an original, and metals shrink on cooling , the later versions are slightly smaller.
I have been experimenting with amarylis petals - such strong colour squishes out. I put about ten fresh petals in a pan with a bit of water. Simmered for about 30 mins to stew and reduce, then left overnight. I ended up with a small pot of liquid (pic right) that started out the colour of red wine and ended up closer to the colour of blood (see pic). I added some iron nails to darken the tone. You can always count on me to lower the tone (boom/tish).
Left overnight in the mini dye bath: white cotton (left) and scoured silk (right). Not mordanted (to fix the colours) as I am just playing around with colour at the moment. I will mordant things when I am preparing a final project that I want to keep and use. You could use alum to fix colour well.
The left over quarter-cup or so of dye colour I could reduce down to make more of a paint for drawing or printing with. Add some whole cloves to help keep off mould (it does kind of work), seal in airtight pot and keep in the fridge if not using right away. Good to label with full details. If you only have a few handful of petals, I find inks are the easiest thing to make.
Just to note: I use a dedicated dye pot that I don't use for anything else so I don't have to worry about toxic la las getting where they shouldn't be. Ventilate the space well.
Ooh exciting! Good that so few petals gave you such vibrancy. Glad you successfully lowered the tone as well 🥳 The cotton reminds me of a brick and the silk of rose petals. Really good to see the comparison of two different fabrics and their responses to the dye.
Whole cloves? What a great tip and it must really add to the whole experience. Would putting whole cloves into the pan when simmering have a good effect too do you think? (Was thinking of the scent filling the room).
Good point about saving unused dye in the fridge etc. (Or freezer if necessary I suppose?).
I might have enough iris reticulata for inks only, so thanks for your reminder.
I am now really glad that I have kept old saucepans etc. 🙂
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Would putting whole cloves into the pan when simmering have a good effect too do you think?
I don't know but it would interesting to try. I did make early ink solutions and stored them in the fridge and they go mouldy after some months. To later batches I added whole cloves to pots in the fridge and over a year later they are fine.
Good point about saving unused dye in the fridge etc. (Or freezer if necessary I suppose?).
I read that freezing is good for raw plant material. I imagine it would be fine for dye solution too. It would be interesting to try.
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This is a print with dried stock petals on cotton.
Very helpful, thank you! Your print with dried stock petals reminds me of an abstract Paisley print.
You have achieved good variation in tones I think, which for me, makes the endeavour more interesting and a good part of the charm of the process and end result.
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
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The cotton reminds me of a brick and the silk of rose petals. Really good to see the comparison of two different fabrics and their responses to the dye.
Whole cloves? What a great tip and it must really add to the whole experience. Would putting whole cloves into the pan when simmering have a good effect too do you think? (Was thinking of the scent filling the room).
Good point about saving unused dye in the fridge etc. (Or freezer if necessary I suppose?).
I might have enough iris reticulata for inks only, so thanks for your reminder.
I am now really glad that I have kept old saucepans etc. 🙂
Would putting whole cloves into the pan when simmering have a good effect too do you think?
You have achieved good variation in tones I think, which for me, makes the endeavour more interesting and a good part of the charm of the process and end result.