From Foraged to Finished — An Online Course in Natural Ink-Making, Printmaking and the Bookarts
This online series follows one practice through a full season — from foraging and making your own colour, through to printing, collaging and binding it into a finished record. Seven sessions, live once a month from September to March.
How it works
- Live online, one session a month, second Wednesday, September–March 7PM British time.
- Every session is recorded, so nothing is lost if you can't make it live and you can rewatch the instructions at your own leisure, so you're never behind.
- Sessions cover the information you need for each topic. They aren't make-alongs though, which means you don't need to have the materials to hand to enjoy the live session.
- Each session comes with a PDF of slides and notes
- Sign up any time during the run — you'll get live access to sessions still to come, and recordings of any already held
What you'll learn
Part 1: Making Colour
- 9 September: Session 1 — Foraging and Other Sources of Colour. Where colour comes from before it's made into ink: finding colour in the hedgerow, and cityscape. Foraging responsibly, and reliable sources of year-round colour.
- 14 October: Session 2 — Making Water-Based Ink. Turning foraged and found botanical material into a working ink. We'll cover basic ink recipes and some of the additional colours that are possible with alchemy.
- 11 November: Session 3 — Making Dried Pigment. Transform botanical colours into a stable, storable pigment you can return to when your favourite colours are "out of season". Dried pigments can also be made into solid forms. We cover watercolour paint and printmaking ink in this course.
Mid-point
- 9 December: Session 4 — Getting Outdoors. This session will cover the creative prompts for the 100 Days Outside project.
Part 2: Crafting the Record
- 13 January: Session 5 — Printmaking. Relief printing with your dried pigments. Simple recipes and techniques for linocut and other forms of relief printmaking.
- 10 February: Session 6 — Collage. Bring print, pigment and found material together on the page. This session is perfect for creating new work from test strips, failed experiments, and other bits that didn't quite make the cut.
- 10 March: Session 7 — Bookbinding. Simple structures you can make with basic tools. This final session will teach you how to bind the season's work into a finished, holdable object.
Perfect for
- Makers who want to work with the natural world but would value a little structure around it
- Those with some experience already, who feel they're missing a piece of know-how or the confidence to trust what they've made
- Artists, printmakers and writers building a natural materials practice of their own
- Anyone who'd rather learn at a seasonal pace than all at once
Common questions
Are the sessions live or recorded?
Live, once a month, on the second Wednesday, September to March. Sessions are held in Zoom. Every session is recorded and sent to you afterwards, so a missed live date is never a lost session.
What if I sign up after the series has already started?
You'll get recordings of everything already run, plus live access to whatever's still to come. For example, if you join in November, you will immediately get access to the recordings and downloads for sessions for the first two sessions in September and October.
What if I find this after March, once the season's finished?
The full run of seven sessions, including recordings, slides and handouts, will be shared with you to work through at your own pace.
Do I need any special equipment?
Most sessions use kitchen-safe ingredients and materials you can forage for free. Session-specific equipment notes are included with each handout. For the collage session, we'll teach you how to make your own glue (you will, however, need a pair of scissors). For bookbinding, you'll need a needle and thick thread. If you have a cork, your needle can also be used as an awl.
Do I need prior experience?
No. The series is designed for makers at every stage.
What's included with each session?
The live session, its recording, a PDF of slides and notes as a digital handout.
How much does it cost?
£20 for the complete seven-session series. All live dates, recordings, slides and handouts included.
Can I have a viewing party?
Absolutely! You are welcome to have as many people in the room as you'd like to watch the live sessions. We ask, however, that you do not share the link as our Zoom room has a maximum capacity based on the number of registrants.
Wait, what? That's really good value. What's the catch?
No catch. We hope you'll join us.
Continue the practice
If you'd like to go deeper on any one stage between sessions, our instructional booklets cover single techniques in more depth. They're a good companion to work through alongside the course, or after it.
- 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 follows one practice through a full season — from foraging and making your own colour, through to printing, collaging and binding it into a finished record. Seven sessions, live once a month from September to March.
How it works
- Live online, one session a month, second Wednesday, September–March 7PM British time.
- Every session is recorded, so nothing is lost if you can't make it live and you can rewatch the instructions at your own leisure, so you're never behind.
- Sessions cover the information you need for each topic. They aren't make-alongs though, which means you don't need to have the materials to hand to enjoy the live session.
- Each session comes with a PDF of slides and notes
- Sign up any time during the run — you'll get live access to sessions still to come, and recordings of any already held
What you'll learn
Part 1: Making Colour
- 9 September: Session 1 — Foraging and Other Sources of Colour. Where colour comes from before it's made into ink: finding colour in the hedgerow, and cityscape. Foraging responsibly, and reliable sources of year-round colour.
- 14 October: Session 2 — Making Water-Based Ink. Turning foraged and found botanical material into a working ink. We'll cover basic ink recipes and some of the additional colours that are possible with alchemy.
- 11 November: Session 3 — Making Dried Pigment. Transform botanical colours into a stable, storable pigment you can return to when your favourite colours are "out of season". Dried pigments can also be made into solid forms. We cover watercolour paint and printmaking ink in this course.
Mid-point
- 9 December: Session 4 — Getting Outdoors. This session will cover the creative prompts for the 100 Days Outside project.
Part 2: Crafting the Record
- 13 January: Session 5 — Printmaking. Relief printing with your dried pigments. Simple recipes and techniques for linocut and other forms of relief printmaking.
- 10 February: Session 6 — Collage. Bring print, pigment and found material together on the page. This session is perfect for creating new work from test strips, failed experiments, and other bits that didn't quite make the cut.
- 10 March: Session 7 — Bookbinding. Simple structures you can make with basic tools. This final session will teach you how to bind the season's work into a finished, holdable object.
Perfect for
- Makers who want to work with the natural world but would value a little structure around it
- Those with some experience already, who feel they're missing a piece of know-how or the confidence to trust what they've made
- Artists, printmakers and writers building a natural materials practice of their own
- Anyone who'd rather learn at a seasonal pace than all at once
Common questions
Are the sessions live or recorded?
Live, once a month, on the second Wednesday, September to March. Sessions are held in Zoom. Every session is recorded and sent to you afterwards, so a missed live date is never a lost session.
What if I sign up after the series has already started?
You'll get recordings of everything already run, plus live access to whatever's still to come. For example, if you join in November, you will immediately get access to the recordings and downloads for sessions for the first two sessions in September and October.
What if I find this after March, once the season's finished?
The full run of seven sessions, including recordings, slides and handouts, will be shared with you to work through at your own pace.
Do I need any special equipment?
Most sessions use kitchen-safe ingredients and materials you can forage for free. Session-specific equipment notes are included with each handout. For the collage session, we'll teach you how to make your own glue (you will, however, need a pair of scissors). For bookbinding, you'll need a needle and thick thread. If you have a cork, your needle can also be used as an awl.
Do I need prior experience?
No. The series is designed for makers at every stage.
What's included with each session?
The live session, its recording, a PDF of slides and notes as a digital handout.
How much does it cost?
£20 for the complete seven-session series. All live dates, recordings, slides and handouts included.
Can I have a viewing party?
Absolutely! You are welcome to have as many people in the room as you'd like to watch the live sessions. We ask, however, that you do not share the link as our Zoom room has a maximum capacity based on the number of registrants.
Wait, what? That's really good value. What's the catch?
No catch. We hope you'll join us.
Continue the practice
If you'd like to go deeper on any one stage between sessions, our instructional booklets cover single techniques in more depth. They're a good companion to work through alongside the course, or after it.
- 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