Process.

Source.

We are surrounded by color. Artists have been using pigments from the land throughout history.

To make natural earth paints, I’ll start by sourcing these pigments derived from the earth. I collect them from various sources like clay deposits, rocks, minerals, or even organic materials such as plant extracts.

Close-up of a rugged, yellow ochre-colored rocky cliff against a clear blue sky.

Frozen waterfall cascading down red ochre rocky cliffside with snow-covered ground and scattered rocks at the base.

Crush.

To break the source material down, I’ll use a mortar and pestle to crush things down into smaller chunks. At some point the particles are fine enough where they start becoming airborne. Upon which I’ll introduce water and start wet milling the material down into finer and finer particles. This then becomes a paste, and I’ll often store this paste into jars until I’m ready to begin separating the material by particle size.

The process of wet grinding red ochre pigment in a stone mortar and pestle.

A close-up of a mortar and pestle grinding a brown powdery substance

A stone mortar with crushed rock pigments

Levigate.

The process of levigation is using gravity to let the heavy particles fall to the bottom and then extracting the lighter, smaller particles. So I’ll transfer the pigment in solution from jar to jar until the particles so small that they take a very long time to separate.

The levigation process. Three glass jars with remains of red ochre slurry

Two glass jars with pinkish-orange liquid sitting on a windowsill near a window with a blue sky and clouds outside.

Filter.

A mason jar filled with pinkish liquid with a tea bag steeping inside, placed on a white countertop.

After levigating, the pigment-water mixture needs to be filtered to remove any remaining impurities or sediment. I’ll usually do this by pouring the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or coffee filter. Filtering ensures that the pigment is free of any debris, allowing for a much smoother final paint consistency.

Used coffee filter with dark chocolate powder on it, placed on a white paper napkin, near a window ledge.

Dry.

To remove excess moisture, I'll pour the mixture out on a flat surface or place it in a shallow container, keeping in a sunny spot. Drying times vary depending on the pigment and environmental conditions.

Close-up of a hand-drawn image of a flower with black outlines, on a beige surface inside a container or box.

Top-down view of a glass container filled with a brown liquid that has cracks on its surface.

Collect.

After the pigment is dried, I’ll collect it and store it in airtight containers to prevent moisture absorption, which could affect the paint's quality over time. Labeling the containers with the pigment name and date of preparation helps with organization and identification.

Chopped chocolate shavings in a baking dish with red powder on the sides.

Inside a clear glass jar, wooden brown powder, with a white background and beige countertop.

A glass container with a black lid containing a red-pink powder, placed on a kitchen windowsill with various items and a view of buildings and trees outside.

Mull.

I’ll use a stainless mortar and pestle to grind the dried pigment further and break up any light clumps. Then mulling involves grinding the pigment using a glass muller with the binder to achieve a smooth and consistent paint texture. Traditional binders like gum arabic, honey, egg yolk, or vegetable oils such as linseed oil can be used, depending on the desired paint properties. Most paint I’ve mulled using walnut oil as the binder.

Paint.

A small glass vial labeled 'ultramarine blue' with a black cap, placed on a wooden table, with a skull-shaped glass object and other art supplies in the background.

Now the natural earth paint is ready to use, and I’ll store the paint in aluminum tubes for use in the field.