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After experimenting with using natural pigments and including them into samples, I came to the conclusion not to ise them in my final outcome. This is due to the lack of variety in colours I was able to achieve. I experimented with the possibility of using watercolours in my work but came to the conclusion that they went against my original concept of sticking to naturally found resources. To achieve this I plan to use the natural pigment produced when dried flower petals bleed into the paper I make myself. This is achieved by embedding the dried flowers into my paper. By using the natural pigments I stick to using earthy and raw tones which they achieve, along with leaving the paper edges rough, giving the whole piece a more organic look.  On the right is the basic composition I plan to create, creating 5 columns of paper held together by clear thread, to give the illusion of it floating. When concidering the composition of my piece, I chose to use this formation as it looks less...

After doing more research on natural pigments, my attention was drawn to flowers. After seeing floral patterns in William Morris's work and seeing the vibrant colours they come in. I decided to experiment with embedding flowers into my paper. To add some colour and design to my paper, without using anything unnatural or artificial. Below is a video I made showing the process of how I get the flowers into the paper. I find this technique easiest as it seals them into the paper so they did fall out once dry. I found that I had to ensure the flowers had no moisture in when adding them into the paper, or else they'd warp and wouldn't stick to the paper. The piece on the left is the paper from the above video still wet. The pigment from the petals hasn't bled and the paper still has a rather smooth texture. The piece on the right is the same piece of paper with the embedded flower in but dry. I then photographed it on a lightbox. This gives an extra layer to the pape...

When considering natural inks, I first reflect upon the inks I made myself. I found that I only had a limited colour palette, I want to do more research into more natural painting and how pigments are made and sourced. Looking at what goes into paints I found earth pigments are used. Earth pigments are naturally occurring minerals which contain metal oxides. These earth pigments have been used for hundreds of years in order to produce paint and inks. The process of making Earth pigments: (reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_pigment) The minerals are usually mined, and once mined the minerals are ground into a very fine powder. Once ground the pigment is washed which removes the water-soluble impurities, these impurities are dissolved into the water and rinsed out. It's then left to dry and then once again ground into a fine powder. In some cases, certain pigments (Sienna and umber particularly) can be deepened in a process called calcination, its where its h...

After making my own inks, I felt the colours matched those used by william morris but felt I needed to do more research into his work. Morris was a textile designer and I feel the tones my inks give match a similar colour scheme to his. The purple tones contrast the yellow undertones of the green which I used to fill in the leaves. I layered up the purple tones to give a deeper tone. The fact the ink is quite watery means it can be built up to create darker marks, but the lighter marks behind these lines add more shadows and give the piece more depth. When comparing it to my experiment to Morris's work, below, I found he keeps his work relativly 2D. To try and maintain this I will try to have a solid background, which will conceal any bleeding of inks which might give the illusion of a shadow.  The piece to the right is titled' 'Molly Blue Swatch' and I find the colour palette similar to that which is achievable using my inks I made myself. In response to this I did ...

Following on from looking at Mithu Sen's work, I decided to look more at skeletal structures. I got some bones of various animals, birds mainly. To look at and draw. I found the structural angles and the contours of the bones gave detailed shadows which gave a great tone variation. Especially with some of the more complete skeletons as they still have remains of different layers of their body, from the skin to muscles and each layer has decayed differently and has different textures. Some are smooth, like the bones, the skin is more coarse, due to the skin follicles where feathers would have attached. It gives smaller bumps of texture. The texture of the paper gives my sketches more texture and by blending the different pencil tones which adds more depth to the piece. By using my handmade paper it adds more of a layered and organic feel, which matches that composition of the bird body and the weathered surface Looking at a more delicate structure, this smaller birds skull ...

Following on the looking at Mithu Sen's work, I decided to make my own inks, so to continue with the natural theme of my work, instead of using synthetic inks. Using a spoon to catch the impure carbon, a product of incomplete combustion I decided a good place to start was black ink.  From my existing knowledge of chemistry, when incomplete combustion occurs, soot can form as a result. Soot is impure carbon and is black in colour. Burning a candle is an example of incomplete combustion, and by using a spoon to collect it, the soot can be scraped off and placed in a pot. It can then be mixed with water to produce a black (or very dark grey) ink. Next, I made a yellow ink. I have fond memories of cooking with my nan, and one of my favourite spices has always been turmeric, and I remember as a child always having yellow stained hands. Therefore I felt turmeric would be best to use for yellow ink. To make the ink I mixed ground turmeric into water and put it in a pan ...