THE LANSDOWNE HOUSE

Protected: Make Ink, a technique to make ancient ink using Oak gall and Ferrous Sulphate

Ecoprint on paper for Art the PDF

If you order this PDF you will receive a receipt for your order and within the next few hours an email with the link to the method. This is been sent manually to you please remember I live in what is may be a different time zone than you… If you have not received your link 24 hours after purchasing the method please email me bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com

My name is Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw I am an Eco printing and Natural dyed artist from Glasgow Scotland. I was trained by Christies in Decorative Arts… I was for many years a stenciller … that might just be why I like working with paper and I think the result shows.

In this pdf I will share my techniques of Ecoprinting on paper and some of the variations I have created during the past few years to make striking and colourful prints. I will also share a way to create a discharging paste that you will be able to use to print and stamp on your prints. Your final results will be a reflexion of your creativity and the botanical elements around you.

This PDF is perfect for beginners and more experienced printers. It allows you to work in your own speed and you can access it for life

In this PDF 10 000 words, 6 video links, many photos including a step by step showing how to produce each type of bundle.

In my method I am taking you by the hand wether you are a beginner or a more experienced printer:

I am sharing with you how to:

Extract natural dye using original dye matter to make dye bath
How to collect leaves and store over winter season
How to understand and prepare your equipment, (pots, steamers, mordant containers)
How to understand the material you choose to work on … what type of paper…
How to work with your mordants and dyes to obtain certain colours
How to create texture in the background of your prints
How to use tannin to create background or marks
How to create a discharge paste to add further marks on your paper prints.

My method has been tried and tested by myself for the past 5 years and by hundreds participants online live on zoom over the Covid year and in a PDF format… Participants from every regional geographic location in the world… participants using different type of vegetation and dyes…

You will as well as the PDF obtain my constant help via a Facebook group or by emails and some regular live sessions.

Ecoprinting on paper for Art the PDF

In this PDF instruction I will share with you my technique developed over several years of Ecoprinting on paper to get clear and colourful prints using Botanical material and Natural dyes. We will explore via the PDF text and a number of videos 3 methods (simmering in dyes, dyes and tannin blankets, Iron blanket, steaming with blankets, texture blankets) on a variety of paper using several natural dyes or tannins. You will learn to: – Select paper – Understand your leaves fresh and dried. – Understand mordants and dyes and extract your dyes from nature – Put together your equipment – Print your paper – Learning to discharge text or designs from your prints – Finish and seal your paper so you can use it for making books, putting on a frame, using for greeting cards…

£49.00

Make Tea and Print – Ecoprinting on paper workshop PDF and Video

This is about a simple Botanical Printing workshop I ran in December 2020 during my first ever online Virtual Open Studio in Glasgow with about 100 registered participants. During that day I welcomed in my studio many from the comfort of their own home and we shared about being safely at home and enjoying the creativity in the comfort of our own home. Participants from places as far as the USA, Thailand, Hongkong, Norway etc… took part. Some lovely friends teachers of craft from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Sakhon Nakhon in Thailand “visited” and shared their experience of teaching creativity in time of Covid online… some lovely participants from Glasgow and South Carolina in the USA also shared about how creativity even online helped them through life crises… There was such a buzz about this meeting.

And I shared with all a method of printing on paper using Tea Tannin as a dye… after drinking a cup of tea… If you would like to share this method please purchase the PDF using the link below. It will give you access to the list of ingredients and the Video recording of the event. I look forward to see your results…. and remember Tea always make things better.

Love Betty x

Drink Tea and make print eco printing on paper method

This simple but effective method allows you to print on paper using botanical elements such as tree leaves and a simple tannin… Tea… So to join in make a cup of tea and sit back … watch the video and follow the simple method.

£10.00

Protected: Make Tea and Print

BOOKS … hand made ones !

Each of my Eco prints on paper is unique and is a reflection of a moment, working with Botanical elements, with dyes and tannins I have discovered in my local environment or my travels… hand dyed … hand knotted with hand waxed strings and individual trinkets brought back from far away places.

I would love to share those with you… the fact is that there are so many books one can use for writing or sketching… so those books below are available for you to share… They are hand knotted, the cover is made with Eco-printed hand made paper with Scottish leaves and using natural leaves, the inside is made with recycled paper from coffee cups and I love each of them.

SOLD OUT

This book cover was Ecoprinted using Scottish leaves in Mangosteen dye. 18 pages, that is 36 sides in one signature, white suitable for writing, sketching 14 cms x 28 cms Hand tied with waxed linen and hand made in Thailand green ceramic beads, chinese coins

£39.00

SOLD OUT

Identical as above but for delivery overseas… if unsure email me bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com

£49.00

EUCALIPTUS (UK shipping)

This book cover was Ecoprinted using Eucalyptus leaves using a hand made cotton resist and a Mangosteen dye.on hand made paper, cover decorated with vintage 19th century Victorian paper 18 pages internal, that is 36 sides in one signature, white suitable for writing, sketching 10 cms x 28 cms Hand tied with waxed linen, a vintage rusty washer and hand made in Thailand glass and china beads

£39.00

EUCALYPTUS (Identical above but for overseas shipping)

£49.00

Protected: Starter packs for organisations …

My teaching for groups and organisations

I run individual workshops for groups and organisations. I cover the subject of Ecoprinting and Indigo vats (Fructose, Ferrous and Hydrosulfate). I work on cellulose fibers and protein fibers as well as paper.

Wether you are a weavers’ guild or a community group I will tailor a workshop for your needs and deliver in person (whenever possible) or virtually using the Zoom platform to your group.

If delivered in person I will provide all material and equipment, I will quote to provide starter packs to all participants or provide a material list. I will supply a set of pre workshop instructions and some instructions after the workshop. I deliver flexible timings from half days to week end workshops.

If delivered virtually I will provide the platform and both pre-workshops instructions and PDF instructions for participants to follow after the live event. I record all events and share for up to 4 weeks. If the workshops is delivered to UK participants it is an option for me to provide starter packs. Please note that good speed internet is needed to attend to a live zoom session and it is best to use a lap top.

I can provide prices upon request for quotation and availability please email bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com

From Nearly Black to White lets do Tannin

If you want to take part in my online block of 4 workshops exploring the beautiful techniques you can achieve with tannin and iron look here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/black-and-white-a-four-week-printing-workshop-using-tannin-and-iron-tickets-116794470405

Did you know that Oak galls (or Oak apples) were used in Roman times to make black ink and that between the Middle ages and modern times coupled with Iron it was the main source of black writing ink. A tiny little hard growth on the Autumn tree is so precious and so powerful and produces the greatest tannin on Earth. A substantive dye (that means it does not need mordant to colour cloth or fibers) it reacts with iron sulfate to create shades of grey to nearly black.

I love working with Oak tannin although there are many different tannins available from Chestnut of the European forest to Myrobolan of South East Asia, depending on what part of the World you are located. I use it to create wonderful background for my eco prints. Just look at those… on linen and silk some of my local leaves eco printed using the tannin/iron relationship.

This is a traditional technique known to eco printers and we will start there, but we will go further in our four sessions, we will learn to create printed words and images and discharges using tannin and resists pastes you can use with stencils, screens and stamps. After three weeks of great creativity we will end the program by going back in time and make ancient Gall/Iron ink for your calligraphic or free hand writing.

When I work with tannin I like to forage but I also like to use a traditional product in my work and my Oak galls come from the Themazi family, since the 1950’s in Turkey, they have been producing the best Aleppo oak galls. Aleppo oak galls give the strongest tannin. If you want to see what they offer look here http://themazi.com?aff=13

My workshop will be run on zoom in the comfort of your home, it is a simple platform to use and all you need is access to a device (laptop, tablet or phone) and a good internet level. The workshops are live but they are always recorded, so if you live in a different time zone you can use the video replay to work.

Learning in a virtual workshop means you can interact and ask questions, thing you cant do when you learn from just a video. What we miss in an online workshop is a big reveal … which is why I always plan a “show and tell” session. It is when we show each other our results and answer any last minute questions.

I hope I will see you there and enjoy working “together” in my virtual creative bubble.

In the meantime dont forget to go for a walk in the woods… its a great pastime in the Autumn.

Love.

Betty x

Sharing my Studio Space with you #shareyourcreativespace on Instagram

Recently I have been speaking to a few friends again on the phone and this week starting making grand plans to teach online an amazing collaboration workshop with my most creative friend Cassandra Barron … Its like a black cloud has lifted from over my head…. Covid is not over but I am connecting again… What am I talking about !!! I have been connected creatively non stop since the beginning of lockdown, I have ran more workshops than I would normally do and going “all online” has opened the world to me.

My lovely participants come from Alaska, Sydney Australia, Paris, North Carolina, California as well as Edinburgh and Cambridge… My face to face participants have booked my online workshops to keep the creativity flowing and I have met online many more who now cant wait to meet me face to face… Covid has been my nightmare and my saviour as far as work is concerned… So where is the problem… Why do I feel everyday is the same as before and why do I lack energy every morning…

I am a people’s person before and foremost and I love meeting and greeting, I like welcoming people in our home and when it is work related I realised now that I have catered my studio like a home… When you come to a workshop with me in my own space … you are not coming into my studio… you are coming into my life. All around me are bits and bobs that have come from somewhere I visited… No affectation there… Only the memories of good time, bad time, shared time and time to come… That brush I bought in Hongkong in this little alleyway and I can still smell the smell and feel the heat and the sweat running down my back. That Indigo paste I extracted from my friend Mann’s Indigo leaves in Northern Thailand… come and experience with me… I cant share the time I collected it but I can share the story. I am a story teller… I want to share…

But off course now I cant share… My creative space has shrank into a table space with all included on it and from there I teach you my techniques online (check here… https://thelansdownehouseofstencils.com/category/learning-with-me/)

Dont get me wrong I am enjoying it and I love meeting you Pat from North Carolina, Bridget from Cambridge, Alva from Sweeden, Moira from Sydney… but how I wish I could make you tea with that Green tea I brought back from Northern Thailand…

Not that it will be the same but I decided to make an effort to keep on sharing my stories and my studio space with you… From today I will run for 30 days postings on my Instagram page @bettysbeautifullife about stories from my creative space. The stories of my learning, of my travelling, of my sharing, of my collecting, of my meeting with lovely people face to face… and why dont you share yours? 30 days of your love for your space and what it means for you… Join me on my https://www.instagram.com/bettysbeautifullife/ every day to discover my short story. It will be tagged #shareyourcreativespace … why dont you share your own creative space on Instagram? It wont be completely like being in it but… not far… I cant wait to discover yours… will you come to see mine?

In the meantime find me online before I can meet you again…

Have a great Wednesday, I am sending you a virtual HUG.

Betty xx

Kits for an easy make

Creativity can take many forms but sometimes you lack confidence and need a little help to get started. If you want my helping hand along the way but cant make it to a workshop then one of my kits will help you to start your journey into Indigo or Eco Printing.

My kits come with full instructions and great ingredients, lovely organic dyes, hand woven silk and cotton scarves from South East Asia and India. The Instructions are yours to keep and adapt to your own material and ingredients.

Enjoy creating in the comfort of your own home using Indigo and Natural dyes… If you decide to take your creativity further you can join one of my online classes https://thelansdownehouseofstencils.com/2020/06/28/learn-with-me-my-workshops/

Silk Scarf printing Indigo Shibori Kit for UK delivery

Indigo blue is one of the most beautiful colour on Earth. Praised by many it has the reputation to be hard to get… Many cant face building an Indigo Vat and yet it is possible to put together a simple small vat to produce beautiful crisp patterns…. My Indigo Kit will allow you to build a small vat of 5 Litres of dark blue Indigo even if you are a beginner. The Hydrosulphate vat is almost guarantee to “work” and will give you a deep blue without having to go through the trauma of many dips. It comes with all ingredients needed to built the vat and a beautiful natural Silk scarf produced in lovely small communities from Northern Thailand. With simple instructions you will be able to put together a small vat in a 5 litres container and fold and tie the scarf to dip it in the vat. You will also hear about the finishing technique. From this pack you will get: – Two new skills (indigo vat building, and Indigo tie dye. – An Indigo vat to use for more projects. – A tutorial. You will be able to reuse your vat after your scarf is dyed. After receiving your pack you will get a link to my online instructions.

£45.00

Silk Scarf printing Indigo Shibori Kit for Overseas delivery

As above Silk Scarf and Indigo kit but for delivery from the UK to Overseas destinations

£65.00

Silk Scarf and Natural Dyes kit for UK delivery

This kit offers eco printers and natural dyers (even the beginners) the perfect tool to create a beautiful and unique eco printed and natural dyed silk scarf. The ingredients are ethically sourced in South Asia and South America and quite unique. The Silk scarf is made in a local community using the finest local silk (weft) and cotton (warp), and will take any colour beautifully. They will allow to create a unique scarf using the botanics in your area if you decide to Eco print it. The dyes are in their original wood form and as such will allow you to extract up to 5 dye bath each. The mordant will allow you to treat up to 1 kg of cloth (cellulose and silk). It contains: – a beautiful 45 cms x 140 cms, hand woven scarf from Northern Thailand, sourced in Chiangmai during my recent travel there. – 25 grs of Sapan wood, a sustainable dye, ethically sourced in Northern Thailand during my recent travels there which produce a beautiful range of pinks and reds. – 25 grs of Logwood, a sustainable dye, ethically sourced in Mexico and brought to Europe using a low carbon footprint route. It will give you strong blue to lovely pale violet depending on the dye bath. – 140 grs of dry mordant ready to mix to help creating great colours and give light fastness to your piece.. a set of instructions. I am a textile artist and work with Eco Printing and Eco Dyeing all year around teaching physical classes in Scotland and online workshops and travelling to Asia to swap skills with local groups. I have developed a mordant for cellulose and silk fibers which will give you great results with clear prints and vibrant colours from your leaves and dyes. If you are a natural dyer you will like playing with my two wood dyes, they will give you a range of colours if you modify the PH of the dye bath. If you are an eco printer you will love the brightness of the work you can achieve using my elements. My wood dyes can be reused several times unlike dye extracts. You can choose of the two colours for your silk scarf and use the other dye for material you have at home, I think the Logwood looks quite spectacular with the silk but its a personal choice.

£45.00

Silk Scarf and Natural Dye Kit for Overseas delivery

As above but for delivery from UK delivery to Overseas destinations

£65.00