Art
Painting nature with nature
This week we’d like you to get creative in making your own natural paints. Use these to paint a nature scene or secret garden!
Did you know you could use fruits and vegetables grown in allotments to make your own natural dyes? You must give it a try!
You will need:
- Plain flour
- Warm water
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Food colours (optional)
Dyes:
Spinach, kale, swiss chard = green
Strawberry, beets, grenade, blueberry, raspberry = red
Blueberry, blackberry, red cabbage = blue / purple
Carrot, orange peels, yellow onion skins = orange
Method:
- In a small saucepan, mix 2 cups of water with 1 cup of each fruit or veg.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat and leave to simmer for about one hour.
- Turn off the heat and allow the water to cool to room temperature.
- Strain the juice into glass containers.
- Paint directly with the dyes to create a watercolor effect OR mix the dyes with flour and water to make a thicker paint-like texture. Alternatively you can add food colouring for a more vibrant colour.
Get creative!
Collect stones/pebbles and paint them with vibrant and unique patterns.
Use canvas, wood or paper to paint a nature scene of either your own garden or the secret garden itself!
Why not paint using sponges at home? With permission, you may want to cut them into shapes or small pieces for a textured effect created through dabbing.
You can even paint with crumpled newspaper. See link!
