Making ink
from oak ga lls
REBECCA
DESNOS
welcome!
Hi there,
I’m thrilled to share this ink-making tutorial with you. It’s one of
my favourite ways to play with plant dyes and is so simple.
This eBook is a chapter taken from my book called Plant Dye Zine,
where you can also learn how to bundle dye with flowers, eco-
print with leaves, hammer plants onto fabric, and lots more!
Hi! I’m Rebecca Desnos—a natural dyer in If you enjoyed this mini eBook, then I think you’ll love my other
the UK, a writer, a mother to three young offerings. I have a whole range of eBooks and paperbacks for
children, and an all-round plant lover. natural dyers and plant lovers, available via rebeccadesnos.com.
I’m passionate about making colours from ~ Rebecca
Por trait by Siobhan Watts / Background photo by Annie Spratt
plants and showing others how they can
do the same!
Get in touch New course!
Dye With Avocados is my
first online course. Join me
in my virtual studio and let’s
Do you have any comments or questions about this
make some beautiful colours
mini eBook? I’d love to hear from you!
together...
info@rebeccadesnos.com
rebeccadesnos.com
The following tutorial is an excerpt from my book
Safety guidelines called Plant Dye Zine, available in print and digital, via
rebeccadesnos.com.
These are some common sense guidelines to always
keep in mind with any natural dyeing:
• Use a separate set of equipment reserved for
dyeing – not your kitchen pots, sieve, wooden
spoons etc.
• When you are heating dye pots, make sure you
have good air flow. Keep a window open and
don’t stand over a steaming pot and breathe in
the vapour.
• Wear gloves to protect your skin from dyes.
• Wear thick gloves when opening steaming pots,
as the steam can scald your wrists quickly.
• Wear a mask when working with fine powders
such as aluminium acetate.
• Keep dyes away from children, pets and food.
• Carefully label any jars of dye that you store
in the fridge so that everyone knows it’s not
edible! Do the same for dye that you freeze.
• Take care when identifying plants and if
Background photo by Annie Spratt
you need help, consult a reliable book or a
knowledgeable friend. Remember that some
plants are toxic, so only dye with plants that
you can correctly identify. Be extra cautious
when children are helping.
PLANT DYE ZINE 103
Making ink from
oak galls
Did you k now that you can make black dye from
oak galls and iron? Just a small handful of oak
galls contains enough tannins to make a jar of
paint. I’ll show you how to thicken dye into the
consistency of paint which is per fect for printing
or painting. The black is incredibly colour fast and
the creative possibilities are endless!
You can use this method with any dye plant and
I’ll show you how to adapt the recipe ver y slightly
to make paint from coreopsis flowers. Then you
will be able to make paint from any dye plant that
you have at your finger tips!
What are oak galls? Materials
Oak galls, also known as gall nuts or oak • Approx. 10g oak galls (or a small
apples, are small swellings found on handful of what you can find)
oak trees and are particularly useful for • 2 cups of water
natural dyeing as they are exceptionally • ½ teaspoon ferrous sulphate
high in tannins. Gall wasps lay eggs on crystals
young shoots of oak trees and the tree • ¾ teaspoon gum tragacanth,
reacts to the invasion by growing new which can be bought from cake
plant material around the larvae. A hard decorating or herbal shops
round ball is produced – the oak gall – • Fabric, cushion covers or clothing
which becomes the larvae’s home. When made from natural fibres, e.g.
we collect oak galls from branches, little cotton, linen, hemp. Note that iron
holes can be clearly seen which shows us will eventually eat through animal
that the wasp has emerged. protein fibres, such as wool and silk.
The tannins in oak galls can be easily Tools
extracted in water and the high tannin
• Old pillowcase and hammer
content reacts with iron in a spectacular
• Stainless steel pot (don’t use
way to produce black dye. There is a long
aluminium as you will be adding
history of oak galls being used to make
iron into the pot and it will react
writing ink.
with the aluminium and potentially
contaminate all future dyes)
Tip for collecting oak galls
• Wooden stirring spoon
Wasps lay eggs on new branches, so look • Sieve & muslin cloth for straining
out for young oak trees which have low • A bowl for straining into
branches. This is where I’ve had the most • ½ cup and ¼ tsp measures
success finding them. If you haven’t had • Paintbrush and/or vegetables cut
luck spotting any, you can buy gall nut into shapes to use as stamps
extract from some natural dye supply • Piece of plastic or an old plastic lid
websites. to use as a paint tray
• Large piece of card cut to the same
Alternatively, make a paler grey dye size as your clothing or cushion
from other sources of tannin such as cover to slip inside, to prevent paint
acorns, oak leaves and bark. These from bleeding through the layers
contain lower levels of tannins than oak • Gloves to protect your skin
galls, so you will need larger quantities
of plant matter for a dark shade. If you Safety: please read the safety guidelines
don’t have oak trees near you, try other at the beginning of this eBook, and most
sources of tannin, such as black tea and importantly don’t dye using your kitchen
pomegranate skins. pot for dyeing.
Method and turn the dye black. Add ½ tea-
spoon of ferrous sulphate crystals
to your dye. It doesn’t matter if the
1. Wash your fabric in the washing
dye is warm or cold at this stage.
machine, then pretreat with soya
The colour will darken immediately.
milk then wait a week before
Keep stirring until the crystals have
painting fabric. Or mordant in
fully dissolved. (photo C)
another way, such as with alum.
10. At this point you can do several
2. Put your oak galls into an old
things with your dye:
pillowcase (or bundled up in an old
tea towel) and carefully crush them • Thicken with a gum to make
with a hammer. Continue until the paint, which we will do next.
pieces are small. • Dye wooden beads black in
this concentrated dye.
3. Add the crushed oak galls into your
• Dilute with water and dye
dye pot and cover with two cups of
clothing. Diluting the dye will
water. (photo A)
produce a paler grey shade.
4. Simmer for 30 minutes. You can • Add gum arabic and use as a
allow the water to evaporate a little, writing or painting ink.
but top up the water as necessary A C 11. Measure the remaining volume of
so the galls don’t burn.
dye. For each cup of liquid, you
5. Allow the oak galls to soak in the B D need approximately ¾ teaspoon
water for as long as you like. This of gum tragacanth. Reheat the dye
will further intensify the tannin in your dye pot, and sprinkle in
content of the liquid. the gum tragacanth powder. Stir
continuously to dissolve it fully.
6. After a few hours, or days (if you’re Watch as the dye thickens. It will
busy), strain the liquid through a thicken even more as it cools.
cloth to catch all the little pieces. I
like to line a metal sieve with an old 12. Take a spare piece of fabric and
muslin cloth. (photo B) paint a line (photo D). We are
looking for a crisp line that doesn’t
7. You can save the soggy oak gall bleed. If the colour bleeds, add a
pieces and spread them onto a little more gum tragacanth, then
piece of card and let them dry. paint another line to see if it is
Store the dry pieces in a paper bag crisper. Adjust the thickness of the
for a future dyeing session. paint to get the desired result. (My
paint was just right with ¾ tsp. gum
8. Wipe your dye pot clean and pour
tragacanth for 1 cup of dye).
the dye back in there.
13. Pour your paint into a jar, label it,
9. Next we will add ferrous sulphate
and keep in the fridge until you’re
which will react with the tannins
ready to use it.
14. When you paint fabric, you may other dyes benefit from waiting a Background fabric was
find that the fabric drags with the few days before washing. This can dyed with avocado stones
brush and paint bleeds through to help the fabric retain more colour, and iron to make grey-
the bottom layer. A simple solution but this isn’t such a problem with purple.
is to place a piece of cardboard oak galls as the dye is so potent.
inside your t-shirt or cushion cover,
19. As oak gall dye is very colourfast,
between the layers of fabric. Draw
you can wear and wash as you do
around your t-shirt on a piece of
your other clothing. The colour may
cardboard, cut out, and slip inside.
fade to a dark grey on some types
If your t-shirt is really stretchy, cut
of fabric. When you use this method
the cardboard a little bit bigger so
with other plant dyes, you will need
the fabric is slightly stretched. You
to take further precautions such
can tape a single piece of fabric to
keeping out of the direct sunlight.
the table so it doesn’t slip around,
or put a smaller piece into an
15.
embroidery hoop.
Think about the design you’d like
Further experiments
to create on the fabric, and test on Other gums to try include guar gum
a scrap of fabric first to get the feel and acacia gum (gum arabic). These will
for how the paint transfers onto the require different quantities to thicken to
cloth with a brush or stamp. You the desired texture.
may need to go over the pattern
a second time to fill in paler areas. You can use this simple method with any
Experiment with more or less paint kind of plant that is rich in tannins. The
to get different effects. When you’re principle is very simple: simmer the plant
feeling confident, paint or print matter in water, strain, then add ferrous
your final piece of fabric or clothing. sulphate to darken.
16. Finish your design on the front
Every plant will produce slightly different
of your top or cushion. Allow the
shades when it interacts with iron.
paint to dry before you turn over
Experiment with different plants and see!
and paint the back. When you have
To get you started, I’ll show you how to
finished, hang it up to dry.
make coreopsis paint on the following
17. Next, we will set the dye with a page.
hot iron. Iron over the print on the
hottest heat that the type of fabric
can handle.
18. Now put your fabric on a cycle in
the washing machine – ideally use a
natural laundry detergent. This will
wash out any traces of iron. Note:
Coreopsis flower paint the amount of dye you have. Per
third cup of dye, start with approx.
I used the same method as for the oak 1/8 tsp gum tragacanth. Pour the
gall paint, but heated the coreopsis dye into your pot and reheat. Then
flowers more gently to keep their vibrant sprinkle in the gum and stir to
shade. If we boil flowers, it can turn the dissolve and watch the dye thicken.
dye brown. I used a smaller dye pot this
5. Test the consistency of your paint
time, as I used less water. The aim is to
by painting a test swatch of fabric.
end up with a highly concentrated dye.
If the line bleeds, add a little more
Remember to pretreat your fabric in soya gum to thicken further.
milk or mordant in another way.
6. Pour the paint into a clean glass jar
Materials and label clearly. It can be stored
in the fridge, but likely won’t last
• a handful of coreopsis petals (dried as long as the paint that contains
or fresh is fine) ferrous sulphate.
• half a cup of water
• gum tragacanth 7. Wash your pot again, then pour
• ferrous sulphate in the remaining dye. Add a tiny
sprinkle of ferrous sulphate to
Method darken the dye. Watch as it changes
colour, and add more if necessary.
1. Simmer the petals in half a cup of
water for a couple of minutes and 8. Now thicken with gum tragacanth,
stir regularly. Then leave the petals following step 4. Pour the paint into
to sit in the dye pot for a while a jar and label.
longer (minimum of an hour, but
it can be as long as you like). Stir 9. Enjoy using your paint on fabric or
regularly to encourage the dye to paper. Iron fabric to heat-set the
extract into the water. dye and wait a few days before
rinsing.
2. When you are happy with the
colour of your dye, strain the petals Tip: After dyeing fabric, if you ever have
through a sieve lined with a piece a pot of dye that you’ve finished with
of muslin (or other fine fabric). but can’t bring yourself to pour away, try
simmering (or even boiling) the dye to
3. Wipe the pot clean, then pour half
leave a concentrated ink. This may brown
of the remaining dye into a bowl
the colour somewhat, but it’s a way of
and set aside. We will darken half of
making use of every last drop of precious
it with ferrous sulphate and leave
colour! Thicken the concentrated dye to
the other half yellow.
make paint, or keep it as ink.
4. Let’s thicken the yellow dye first.
Using your measuring cup, check
Por trait by Siobhan Watts
The ink-making tutorial is an excerpt from my book called
Plant Dye Zine, available in print & digital via rebeccadesnos.com.
Learn how to bundle dye with flowers, eco-print with leaves,
hammer plants onto fabric, and lots more!
I’ve just released my first online course Dye With
Avocados. Discover the secrets to beautiful pink dye
from just a handful of avocado pits and skins. Make
ink, paint and dye your own wardrobe of clothes.
Let's keep in touch...
This mini eBook is an excerpt from
Plant Dye Zine, published by Rebecca Join my mailing list for musings on plants, creativity &
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COPYRIGHT
Send an email: info@rebeccadesnos.com
All writings, illustrations and
photographs are the copyright of
Rebecca Desnos unless indicated
otherwise. No part, written or visual, of
this book may be reproduced, except
for short credited and sourced passages
for criticism or review, without written
permission of the publisher.
DISCLAIMER
Por trait by Siobhan Watts, background photo by Annie Spratt
Please take great care when gathering or
dyeing with any plants. Ensure you are
100% certain that the plant is not toxic.
Whilst the publisher takes every care
in checking the validity of information
in this eBook, it cannot accept legal
responsibility for its accuracy or liability
for any form of damages incurred by the
use of such information. The content
is for informational and enjoyment
purposes only. Please follow the safefy
guidelines included within this eBook,
but these should not replace your
own common sense. The publisher
has made every effort to ensure that
all instructions given in this book are
accurate and safe, but cannot accept
liability, whether direct or consequential
and however arising.
