For thousands of years, artists around the world have used the earth as part of their creative exploration. Since the first humans, people have used crushed plants, rocks and minerals to leave written and visual messages, dye materials and even decorate their own bodies.
There may be other options out there these days, but natural pigments can still be used to create paints and dyes that directly tie your art to our precious planet.
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What Are Natural Pigments?
Earth Pigments
Plant Pigments
How To Use Natural Pigments
What Are Natural Pigments?
Natural pigments are made using plants or other naturally occurring substances. Still from Skillshare class Alchemy of Color: Turning Dirt & Rocks into Earth Pigment Palettes by Karelia Blum.
There's many different sources of natural pigments in the world but they typically come from one of two sources: the earth and plants. When crushed, these materials become a fine powder.
The colors found in natural pigments are as varied as the world itself. A meadow full of wildflowers isn't all one shade. Even grass is actually several hues of green when you take a closer look.
Earth Pigments
The earliest recorded use of natural earth pigments dates all the way back to when humans lived in caves. Until synthetic oil paints became a more popular choice for artists in the early 1800's, natural paint pigments were a standard part of any painter's supplies. In recent years, artists have found their way back to these organic tools in an effort to be more environmentally-friendly with their work.
Earth pigments can be mixed with water, egg or other binding agents to create paint and inks. Still from Skillshare class Creative Mindfulness: Amazing Earth pigments, Visual Art in Texture and Color by Mary Jane Miller.
Clay and Mud
All earth pigments are made of three elements: a mineral (where the color comes from), a secondary coloring agent and a color carrier such as clay.
Because of its flexible composition, clay is ideal for combining with minerals of all shades and colors to create the effect you're looking for.
Rocks
Sedimentary rocks like sandstone and shale are some of the easiest to grind into a powder, so are often a good place to start. If you're after unique colors, working with harder rocks can be worth the extra processing time.
Wood
Charring wood under extreme heat forms charcoal, a type of carbon graphite with a deep black hue. Once ground, charcoal can be added to other earth pigments to darken the color, or used alone as a black or gray.
Examples and Colors in Earth Pigments
Oxidized clay in warm climates makes a red or brown color for use as a natural pigment. Still from Skillshare class Alchemy of Color: Turning Dirt & Rocks into Earth Pigment Palettes by Karelia Blum.
Ochres are a type of clay earth pigment and come in a wide variety of colors. Bright red, brown, orange and yellow are usually made from this highly oxidized clay and many examples of Aboriginal, Native American and First Nations art use ochres as their base.
Marine clays form through deposits of sediments and minerals in oceans, rivers and lakes. When you're looking for green or blue pigments in nature, this is the material you should be looking for, thanks to increased levels of copper in these environments.
Take "ultramarine," for example. This shade comes from the lapis lazuli stone, which was originally found in the limestone of river basins.