The True Colour of the Cotinus, how to make blue eco-prints from Cotinus leaves

THESE METHODS ARE RESULTS OF THE 2021 ONLINE WORKSHOPS.

IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEM USING THE PAYPAL OPTION PLEASE EMAIL ME ON bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com I will send you a separate payment link

The True Colour of the Cotinus is a Global Online Eco-Printing project I have launched in 2020 just after the Covid crisis kicked in. With the aim of bringing together Eco-printers from various time zones to test together the colour we could obtain from Eco-printing with the Cotinus leaves (Smoke bush). One live workshop bringing together 100 live participants to print on paper (some on video replay if the time zone they were in made it too difficult…) A Facebook group supporting the posting of results…. We generated a lot of work… a real buzz and the Cotinus plant became the “to print” plant.

A few of us printed blue… A further summer workshop again with 100 participants tested a refined method and a lot more of us got blue… again a real buzz in the FB group due to participants sharing tips… what plant, how long, what paper… some starting growing, some starting testing at different time of the year. And a LOT of blue prints appeared on social media… I was asked if we would test on fabric.

And COVID was still there…

In 2021 we started working on fabric… cellulose with linen and protein with silk… gradually I realised the pigment of the leaves was of the essence to bring success and off course the type of plant, and most days in 2021 since plants have grown leaves I have been printing. We ran two workshops to keep the original pattern of elimination of methods which only brought low results… and the final one on 26 August tested a method I have put together after studying all results posted.

In November 2021 I exhibited pieces printed this year using a paper and tannin method at the yearly AMELAND Art Festival in the Netherland. I have decided to share this method with participants who would like to try it. You can order here a copy of the online method together with the replay video of my latest online live workshop.

I have now a high percentage of success and I want to share this with you via those PDF methods… If you click the link below and purchase those methods you have in your hands a good tool to select your cloth, and plant, process your cloth and run through your process and achieve a blue print. Or prepare your paper, mordant it and print great blue prints.

Different blues because different plants, different water, different time of the year… I learned so much through this process on what to look for…

But it is not just about getting blue prints… You will also learn about mordants, why does one leaf print blue on one and not the other… why do you have to use a certain plant… this project has brought me a chance to connect with 100’s ecoprinters over the past two years and make them think about their process… With this process hopefully you get a good blue print… but certainly you will get a good print as this is a good method for printing your leaves… you will get good tips on mordanting, scouring, selecting your leaves and finishing your fabric.

Hope to see you in the group soon.

Love… Betty xx