Rose Ink Plant Pigment Workshop w/ Annie Kyla

Learn the basics of plant ink-making in this 2 hour workshop using methods that can be replicated in the home kitchen with a variety of plants. We will brew a bright pink ink together using rose petals, and explore painting and drawing with our new plant ink. We will discuss ways to adjust the color, viscosity, stability, and other qualities of the ink. Additional artist-made inks will be available for experimentation, including marigold, goldenrod, black walnut, avocado, and more. We will explore a variety of mark making and ink painting with drawing tools such as fountain pens, glass pens, calligraphy and watercolor brushes, and more. Tips and techniques specific to plant ink work will be shared, as well as a general exploration of ink drawing and painting techniques.

Each participant will leave with new knowledge and experience with plant pigments and ink making, as well as a bottle of freshly prepared rose ink, and their paintings and drawings created during the class.

Additional plant inks will be available for purchase, as well as discounted signups for future plant ink workshops including rose petal ink and black walnut ink.

Artist Instructor: Annie Kyla Bennett

Annie has been creating art with plants since childhood. They began exploring with plant pigments and pressings in 2005 as part of their thesis project in art school, and continued experimenting with natural pigments while earning a degree in Chemistry. Annie really started honing in on the science of plant ink brewing in 2019 when their passion for foraging reignited an interest in plant pigments, inspiring Annie to perfect their own ink recipes with locally foragable plants.

Annie is a painter and mixed media artist whose studio can be found in The Canopy. They love to explore new media, and work primarily in botanical and earth pigments, oil paint, and found object sculpture. They are a co-founder of Art Garden AVL, and the current Vice President 2 of the River Arts District Artists Association. Annie is passionate about plants, mutual aid, and artist empowerment.