This is my second exploration of eco dyeing. This time I tried continus (smoke bush) leaves as they seem to be popular for this method. There are several of these bushes in the park near me so I didn't have to trek far for my raw materials. These leaves are very fresh and green at the moment, but turn to a bright scarlet in the autumn - will definitely have to try them again later in the year.
I used Hahnemeuhle 265 gsm mixed media bamboo paper this time, soaking it with water before laying on the leaves and a few bits of onion skin, so it would be easier to tightly roll round my piece of plastic pipe and securely tie with string. I also added a few rusty screws to the vinegar water and set it gently boil for just over an hour.
The cooked bundle was an alarming charcoal black when it came out of the water, but once dry there are some very subtle hints of pink, purple and blue/green, plus patches of orange from the onion skin.
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| The paler sample is from my first dyeing effort last month - this was on thinner drawing paper |
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