The Organic Artist: Make Your Own Paint, Paper, Pigments, Prints and More from Nature

This is a super book. I live on a very tight budget and needed some art supplies and here is this book telling us how to make our own paints etc. with such common ingredients as coffee and beetroot water! I actually had a friend who did similar things once and the level of specification you can get when you make your own is excellent, you can even choose whether to have large pigments or small pigments with many things, it just depends how finely you grind them. This book also tells you how to make paper, prints and presses too. It will keep you supplied with paints etc. for the rest of your life. Its surprising how many things you have around you can be used. The author suggests empty bones can be used to store paints and I have many that have had the marrow chewed out of them by our dogs and these would do perfectly. But if you want to supplement the books ideas with, for example, gum arabic or different pigments Cornelissen in London have everything. This book would be good for people who re-anactors and people who do living history and want to use authentic ink, paper etc. the details of how to make it are all here.

I am an environmental artist that also teaches 16-19 year olds, and this book lives in my classroom as an invaluable resource in engaging students with the material of art-making, with a strongly eco-friendly slant.Students have throughly enjoyed making their own paints and crayons using Neddo's instructions, and this book has been highly useful in guiding them in independant investigation and experimentation, environmental thinking and material heritage.A very worthwhile addition to my library!

Absolutely brilliant book, it's a real treasure

Really informative book.

There are some great ideas & techniques in this book and most can be done. It looses a star as some are either undoable in an urban setting (fire kiln) or because it requires animal material. Many can be adapted but some can not. I look forward to trying the vast majority of these techniques out and I'm excited to see the art that comes from organic, homemade paints and materials.

A enjoyable read. Very clear written instructions with expert photography not drawings, leaves the reader/student in no doubt what is being explained.An excellent reference book.

I have to be careful when reading this book as I immediately want to make the things that are contained inside. In terms of charcoal, this is perhaps not the wisest idea. It's brilliant in motivating you to lead a more ecological life though.

I bought it for a present for someone else, but it’s certainly very original and interesting.