Fundamentals of Natural Paintmaking

Ever wonder where artists would source their colors before synthetic pigments and paints? From plants, minerals, insects, mushrooms, and earths. Hunting color was one of the most important jobs of the artist - which also added a historical and cultural dimension to the work. 

In this workshop, you'll learn to extract color from locally abundant plants and turn them into pigment, which can be transformed into various styles of paint. Then there will be  time to explore the paints, playing with color modifiers and application techniques.  

The workshop structure will be as follows:

- Introductions

- Extracting a spectrum of color from local plants

- Creating lake pigments to turn the soluable color into solid pigment. 

- Recipes for turning a dry lake pigment into watercolor, tempera, and oil paints.

- Color modifiers 

- Painting directly on fabric 

- Unstructured creative time to paint to your heart's content 

Using natural paints in your own art practice can be a truly fulfilling way to make your art practice more sustainable and meaningful. Not a painter? No worries, I never thought I was either! However, I've found that playing with natural paints has been a fun and intuitive way to be creative. Natural paints have an incredible ability to look great no matter what you do! 

All participants will go home with a color palette of the paints we made, samples of the wet lake pigments, their artworks, and a detailed digital booklet to continue making natural paints from home.  

All materials are included, even snacks and tea!

Please note, this is the first time I teach this workshop so the ticket price is a reduced value to account for a learning curve. I'd appreciate as much feedback as possible on the workshop and paint recipes so I can improve for next time.  

FAQ:

How do I get there?  Como chego lá?

The workshop will be held at Tinctorium Studio in Abóboda, São Domingos de Rana (close to Carcavelos). By car, it's about 20-30 minutes fom Lisbon and 20 minutes from Cascais. By public transport you can take the train from Lisbon to Oeiras or Carcavelos (Cais do Sodré-Cascais line) and several busses that get you very close (4 min walk) from these train stations. I'll create a group chat on whatsapp with all the workshop participants so you can coordinate rideshares or sharing an uber.

O workshop decorrerá no Tinctorium Studio em Abóboda, São Domingos de Rana (perto de Carcavelos). Em carro, fica a cerca de 20-30 minutos de Lisboa e a 20 minutos de Cascais. De transportes públicos pode apanhar o comboio de Lisboa para Oeiras ou Carcavelos (linha Cais do Sodré-Cascais) e vários autocarros que chegam muito perto (4 minutos a pé) destas estações de comboio. Criarei um chat em grupo no Whatsapp com todos os participantes do workshop para que vocês possam coordenar boleias ou partilhar um uber da estaçāo.

What language will the workshop be taught in? Em que idioma o será workshop ?

The workshop will be taught in English and Portuguese and the digital booklet is available in both languages.

O workshop vai ser em inglês e português e livrete digital está disponível nos dois idiomas.

Do I need to bring anything? Preciso trazer alguma coisa?

All materials are included in the enrollment price, but it's recommended to bring a pen and something to write on, appropriate clothing that can get dirty, and a hat or sunscreen since we will be outside. Feel free to bring your own brushes / art mediums if you'd like to experiment.

Todos os materiais estão incluídos no valor da inscrição, mas recomenda-se trazer caneta e algo para escrever, roupas adequadas que possam sujar e chapéu ou protetor solar, pois estaremos ao ar livre. Pode trazer seus prorpios pineis, papel, ou materiais de arte para fazer suas experiencias. 

What if it rains? E se chover?

Tinctorium Studio now has a physical studio where the workshop can take place regardless of rain. Should the weather prevision call for rain, please bring a rainjacket so we can still go out to get some plants.

O Tinctorium Studio agora conta com um estúdio físico onde o workshop pode acontecer independente de chuva. Caso a previsão do tempo indique chuva, traga uma capa de chuva para que ainda possamos sair para apanhar algumas plantas.

How many people will there be in the workshop? Quantas pessoas estarão na oficina?

The workshop will run with a minimum of 5 participants and a maximum of 8 so everyone can work comfortably and I can give attention to all.

O workshop decorrerá com um mínimo de 5 participantes e um máximo de 8 para que todos possam trabalhar confortavelmente e eu possa dar atenção a todos.

What if I have to cancel? E se eu tiver que cancelar?

Ticket purchases are fully refundable up to 7 days before the start of the workshop, cancellations in the week leading up to the workshop will not be reimbursed but can be credited to a future workshop.

There is an enormous amount of preparation, planning, and material purchasing that goes into each workshop so, unfortunately, I'm unable to fulfill refunds in the days leading up. If you can't make it last minute, I recommend finding someone who would love to spend the day creating color from plants to take your place or you can apply the credit to a different date. 

If I cancel the workshop, all tickets will be fully reimbursed. Thank you for your understanding.

Os bilhetes são totalmente reembolsáveis ​​até 7 dias antes do início do workshop, cancelamentos na semana anterior ao workshop não serão reembolsados, mas poderão ser creditados a um workshop futuro. 

Há uma enorme quantidade de preparação, planejamento e compra de materiais envolvidos em cada workshop, por isso, infelizmente, não consigo reembolsar nos dias anteriores. Se não puder assistir de última hora, recomendo encontrar alguém que adoraria passar o dia criando padroes a partir de plantas para ocupar o seu lugar ou pode aplicar o crédito em uma data diferente.

Se for eu a cancelar o workshop, o valor total será rembolsado. Obrigado pela sua compreensão.