From Galls to Nettles: An Online Natural Ink Learning Series
This online series will teach you the fundamentals of ink making. We'll help you to build skills over seven sessions.
What You'll Learn
Each session dives deep into the topic at-hand and helps you to create a comprehensive foundation in botanical ink-making that you can apply to your art, writing, or creative practice. You can start at any point, and watch the recordings in any order. For each recording, you will also receive a PDF with the slides, comprehensive notes and a summary of the Q&A from the recording, allowing you to quickly skim the material and then jump into the recording at the part that is immediately interesting to you.
Recordings are available for all sessions; the live sessions are now completed. This means you can sign up at any time.
Session 1: Introduction to Wild Colour
Start your journey with an introduction to our Wild Colour practice at Princetown Press. You'll get an overview of where and how we make our inks and our fine art practice.
Session 2: Making Oak Gall Ink
Learn the classic technique that's been used by artists and writers for centuries. You'll learn how to find oak galls (or where to buy them if you're impatient), and how to make them into the same inks we use for our art practice at Princetown Press.
Session 3: Making Ink with Tannin-Rich Plants
Discover which plants in your area can create beautiful, lasting inks and learn the extraction techniques that bring out an incredible range of oranges, reds, and blacks.
Session 4: Ink from Kitchen Scraps
Turn everyday kitchen waste into extraordinary inks. Avocado stones, red cabbage, onion skins – your compost bin is full of creative potential.
Session 5: Modifiers for Botanical Inks
Learn to adjust pH, add iron, and modify your inks to achieve different colours and improve lightfastness and permanence.
Session 6: Ageing Inks – What to Expect and How to Deal with Older Inks
Understand how your inks change over time, spot the signs of natural ageing versus spoilage, and learn proper storage techniques.
Session 7: Nettle Inks
Welcome spring with fresh nettle ink – perfect timing as these misunderstood plants begin popping up in the UK and beyond.
Why This Series?
The darker months can be a perfect time to dive deep into new creative skills. While the days are shorter and the pace naturally slows, these monthly sessions give you something to anticipate, learn, and experiment with. By spring, you'll have a complete toolkit of natural ink-making techniques and the confidence to experiment with materials you find in your own environment.
At Princetown Press, we've spent years perfecting these techniques in my own artistic practice and teaching them to students worldwide. This series distils what we've learned into an accessible, step-by-step journey that takes you from complete beginner to confident ink-maker.
Perfect For:
- Artists wanting to expand their natural materials toolkit
- Calligraphers interested in growing beyond store-bought colours
- Writers interested in traditional ink-making
- Anyone curious about working with botanical colours
- Creative practitioners looking for new techniques to explore
- Those who want to learn at their own pace with recorded access
Equipment You'll Need
These will be watch-and-learn lessons. You don't need anything to watch the recordings.
Most of our recipes are kitchen safe, so you'll be able to use your own pots and pans and kitchen utensils. Most of the ingredients you'll be able to find in your kitchen, or outside, for free.
How Much?
£20 for the complete 7-month series. This includes complete recordings from seven webinars, handouts, slides, and supplier recommendations.
Refund Policy
If you decide at any time the workshop series is not for you, you will be given a store credit for £20.
Want to Go Deeper?
If you find yourself inspired by these techniques and want hands-on guidance, I also offer intensive in-person workshops at my Devon studio. These full-day sessions provide individual attention, professional equipment, and the chance to work with materials you might not have access to at home.
All of our papers are recycled, and British where possible. We can provide you specific details on certifications each paper has, and the mill where they were made.
All of our papers are recycled, and British where possible. We can provide you specific details on certifications each paper has, and the mill where they were made.
- Delivery costs will be calculated at the checkout
- Free UK delivery on all orders over £30
- You can return your order for a full refund or exchange within 30 days of purchase
- Delivery costs will be calculated at the checkout
- Free UK delivery on all orders over £30
- You can return your order for a full refund or exchange within 30 days of purchase
This online series will teach you the fundamentals of ink making. We'll help you to build skills over seven sessions.
What You'll Learn
Each session dives deep into the topic at-hand and helps you to create a comprehensive foundation in botanical ink-making that you can apply to your art, writing, or creative practice. You can start at any point, and watch the recordings in any order. For each recording, you will also receive a PDF with the slides, comprehensive notes and a summary of the Q&A from the recording, allowing you to quickly skim the material and then jump into the recording at the part that is immediately interesting to you.
Recordings are available for all sessions; the live sessions are now completed. This means you can sign up at any time.
Session 1: Introduction to Wild Colour
Start your journey with an introduction to our Wild Colour practice at Princetown Press. You'll get an overview of where and how we make our inks and our fine art practice.
Session 2: Making Oak Gall Ink
Learn the classic technique that's been used by artists and writers for centuries. You'll learn how to find oak galls (or where to buy them if you're impatient), and how to make them into the same inks we use for our art practice at Princetown Press.
Session 3: Making Ink with Tannin-Rich Plants
Discover which plants in your area can create beautiful, lasting inks and learn the extraction techniques that bring out an incredible range of oranges, reds, and blacks.
Session 4: Ink from Kitchen Scraps
Turn everyday kitchen waste into extraordinary inks. Avocado stones, red cabbage, onion skins – your compost bin is full of creative potential.
Session 5: Modifiers for Botanical Inks
Learn to adjust pH, add iron, and modify your inks to achieve different colours and improve lightfastness and permanence.
Session 6: Ageing Inks – What to Expect and How to Deal with Older Inks
Understand how your inks change over time, spot the signs of natural ageing versus spoilage, and learn proper storage techniques.
Session 7: Nettle Inks
Welcome spring with fresh nettle ink – perfect timing as these misunderstood plants begin popping up in the UK and beyond.
Why This Series?
The darker months can be a perfect time to dive deep into new creative skills. While the days are shorter and the pace naturally slows, these monthly sessions give you something to anticipate, learn, and experiment with. By spring, you'll have a complete toolkit of natural ink-making techniques and the confidence to experiment with materials you find in your own environment.
At Princetown Press, we've spent years perfecting these techniques in my own artistic practice and teaching them to students worldwide. This series distils what we've learned into an accessible, step-by-step journey that takes you from complete beginner to confident ink-maker.
Perfect For:
- Artists wanting to expand their natural materials toolkit
- Calligraphers interested in growing beyond store-bought colours
- Writers interested in traditional ink-making
- Anyone curious about working with botanical colours
- Creative practitioners looking for new techniques to explore
- Those who want to learn at their own pace with recorded access
Equipment You'll Need
These will be watch-and-learn lessons. You don't need anything to watch the recordings.
Most of our recipes are kitchen safe, so you'll be able to use your own pots and pans and kitchen utensils. Most of the ingredients you'll be able to find in your kitchen, or outside, for free.
How Much?
£20 for the complete 7-month series. This includes complete recordings from seven webinars, handouts, slides, and supplier recommendations.
Refund Policy
If you decide at any time the workshop series is not for you, you will be given a store credit for £20.
Want to Go Deeper?
If you find yourself inspired by these techniques and want hands-on guidance, I also offer intensive in-person workshops at my Devon studio. These full-day sessions provide individual attention, professional equipment, and the chance to work with materials you might not have access to at home.
All of our papers are recycled, and British where possible. We can provide you specific details on certifications each paper has, and the mill where they were made.
All of our papers are recycled, and British where possible. We can provide you specific details on certifications each paper has, and the mill where they were made.
- Delivery costs will be calculated at the checkout
- Free UK delivery on all orders over £30
- You can return your order for a full refund or exchange within 30 days of purchase
- Delivery costs will be calculated at the checkout
- Free UK delivery on all orders over £30
- You can return your order for a full refund or exchange within 30 days of purchase
