4. Biochromes¶
This week I learned about biochromes and used that information to develop a natural dye and ink.
Natural Avocado Dye¶
Materials¶
Textile/Fiber of your choice (Natural preferred)
Avocado pits and skins
Water (4 CUPS) Pot
Salt (1/2 CUP) Stove / Heat plate
Spatula
Bowl
Measuring spoons
In Montreal, food scraps have to be composted, so I started freezing all avocado pits and skins; this inspired me for this week’s assignment. This week I was also quarantining, so I didn't have access to a solid internet connection, the lab, or the ability to get cooking tools that weren't for cooking. As a result, I’ll be following along this online recipe , because it’s a food-safe process.
Development¶
To start, I defrosted the skins and pits in warm water for an hour. I still had leftover avocado on my skins and pits which then was removed after soaking. I highly recommend either using fresh skins/pits or cleaning them before freezing so that this step can be skipped.
In a pot, add 4 cups of water and add 1/2 cup of salt. Once brought to a boil, add skins and pits and allow to simmer for 2 hours (check-in every 30 minutes to stir and check the color)
Remove from heat and at this point any textiles/fibers can be added and can be left for anywhere from 2 to 22 hours. Once done soaking, run through cold water and it’s done! The following images are of the swatches I let soak for 2 hours.
Treated cotton
Untreated cotton
Avocado Ink¶
Materials¶
Avocado pit (2-3 chopped into small pieces) Water (1 CUP) Pot Soda Ash (1 TSP) Stove / Heat plate Honey (1/2 TSP) Thyme essential oil (3 drops) Jar
The great thing about Avocado pits/skins is that they’re VERY pigmented, so this ink was made right after the dye with the same pits. I’ll be using this online recipe as inspiration.
Development¶
To start, bring 1 cup of water, a 1/2 teaspoon of soda ash, and the chopped pits to a simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the pits and then whisk in the 1/2 teaspoon of honey (this is an at home-friendly version of Arabic gum! Allow it to cool, and pour into a jar, add 3 drops of thyme essential oil, and then shake to mix.
Here is a final image of the ink on paper!
