The “Cools” Wild Ink Set 2024

With this being the second year of creating wild ink sets for folks to experiment with, I reviewed what colors I could create sustainably given some environmental variables and time constraints with my practice. This set features four ‘cool’ colors to work with.

Buckthorn berry: This year I learned the value of waiting to harvest buckthorn berries (buckthorn is an invasive understory tree) until they’re very ripe to get the deepest emerald green color. Last year’s buckthorn ink was a lovely grass-green, but this year I’m in love with the deep green hue. Alum was added to shift it green and make it more colorfast.

Copper oxide: This perennial ink has been going strong with the same scrap copper in the same jar in my garage for at least two years! I keep adding a little more water and white vinegar to let it oxidize. It’s one of my favorite inks to work with.

Red cabbage: If you’ve dyed easter eggs with natural colors, this is one of them you’d recognize. It goes from a red-violet to a lovely blue-violet with alum, or straight blue depending on how much alum or pigment is present.

Chokeberry: Another new ink this year is this chokeberry red-violet, which can be a deep violet at times. I harvested these from chokeberry bushes we have in lakes country, leaving plenty for wildlife! Alum was added for colorfastness and to shift it more violet. This is similar to last year’s wild grape ink.

Each ink (except copper oxide, because it doesn’t require anything!) contains a couple drops of clove oil to preserve the ink, as well as gum arabic for painting quality.

Remember to shake each bottle before opening and painting. Have fun!