Making natural pigments

The use for my project was beginning to develop. I liked the idea of creating some sort of creative craft facility for the incoming new residents of West Carclaze Eco Town. I wanted the craft to be something which linked to the landscape and utilised natural materials.

I was fascinated by the colours found in the clay- Pink from iron oxide and blue from the mica. I decided to look into making natural dyes from plants grown locally.

I bought some beetroot from the local market and dried it out in the oven for 6 hours. I then powderised the dried pieces to produce a vibrant red pigment to use in dyeing the clay and fabrics.