Make Your Own Botanical Ink From Flowers
Rebecca Desnos
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Get the VIP PassEssential Oil Disclaimer
Please note that essential oils, including wintergreen can be toxic, are highly concentrated substances and must be used with care. Always dilute appropriately, avoid ingestion, and keep out of reach of children and pets. Individuals with health conditions, sensitivities, or allergies should consult a qualified professional before use. We encourage mindful, informed use and do not accept responsibility for misuse of materials.
Learn how to transform flowers into rich botanical inks for painting on paper. In this gentle, beginner-friendly workshop, youâll simmer petals to extract their colour and create richly pigmented inks using simple ingredients â a method that also works beautifully with onion skins.
Materials
Important Safety Notes:
Even though botanical dyes are of course natural, there are still some safety considerations you need to take. This is not an exhaustive list so please also use your own judgement.
- Use a separate set of equipment reserved for dyeing â not your kitchen items because many dyes aren't edible.
- When you are heating dye pots, make sure you have good air flow. Keep a window open and don't stand over a steaming pot and breathe in the vapour.
- Wear gloves to protect your skin from dyes and mordants.
- Ferrous sulphate, which is an iron mordant, can irritate the skin, so do not let it come into contact with your hands.
- Keep dyes and ferrous sulphate away from children, pets and food.
- Clearly label any jars or bottles of ink that you store in the fridge so that everyone knows it's not edible.
Ingredients to make your ink:
- Half a cup of fresh or dried flowers e.g. coreopsis, marigolds, sulphur cosmos. Or you can use onion skins.
- One cup of water.
- Tea tree or wintergreen essential oil to preserve the ink.
- Liquid gum arabic to thicken the consistency of the ink (you can buy this from art shops).
Optional ingredients to make more colours:
These ingredients can be added to your ink to change the colour. From one plant, you can make multiple shades. These ingredients are called âmodifiersâ.
- Acid: lemon juice or vinegar.
- Alkali: bicarbonate of soda.
- Iron: ferrous sulphate.
The following tools need to be separate from your kitchen items:
- A small metal saucepan: stainless steel or aluminium, but NOT iron.
- A wooden spoon for stirring.
- For straining: a bowl, metal sieve and fabric cloth.
- Glass bottles or jars for storing the ink.
- Pipette for transferring ink to your bottle.
- A label for your bottle/jar.
- Plus, you will need access to a stove for heating your pot.
For a list of my favourite natural dye supply shops around the world that sell dried dye flowers as well as ferrous sulphate, download my free directory here: https://rebeccadesnos.com/favshops
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GET THE VIP PASS >Rebecca Desnos
Rebecca Desnos is a natural dye artist, author and educator based in the UK. For over a decade she has explored the colourful world of plant dyes with a particular love for foraging and the healing properties of plants. She often works with homegrown materials and simple kitchen scraps â avocado being her favourite â and has inspired thousands of people to try natural dyeing for themselves. Alongside raising her three children, she creates books, courses and resources that make this craft feel accessible and joyful. Her work is rooted in curiosity, connection to nature and a belief that colour can be deeply nourishing.