Make Ink : A Forager's Guide to Natural Inkmaking

Imagine if the twigs, leaves, and bits of metal on the streets around you weren't waste but ingredients for a rich palette of unfolding color. Imagine that the oldest tool of communication—ink—could vibrate, grow crystals, or change color on the page. This is the world that Toronto Ink Company founder Jason Logan invites readers to discover in Make Ink . Part art book and part how-to, Make Ink is a color journey that redefines our everyday understanding of ink, and, in the process, teaches us to reclaim a lost urban wilderness. It's a journey that emboldens readers to get their hands dirty foraging for color in woodlands, back alleys, and city parks; mixing pigments in the kitchen; and testing out their homemade colors on paper in the studio. Clear step-by-step (and color-by-color) recipes draw on medieval alchemy, domestic science, and ecological cookery. Rebelling against the mass-produced ink of our industrial age, Logan's Totonto Ink Company makes small-batch inks that are sensitive to place and environment for fans and artists around the world. Featuring full-color artwork and handwritten notes from such collaborators as Dave Eggers, Margaret Atwood, and Marcel Dzama—as well as a conversation with international bestselling author Michael Ondaatje— Make Ink offers a new framework for thinking about the vital connection between ink, language, and art. It will change how you see and interact with the world around you. "The pigments he concocts from these humble beginnings are as fun to make as they are eye-opening to work with . . . the world never quite looks the same." —MarthaStewart.com A 2018 Best Book of the Year— The Guardian The Toronto Ink Company was founded in 2014 by designer and artist Jason Logan as a citizen science experiment to make eco-friendly, urban ink from street-harvested pigments. In Make Ink , Logan delves into the history of inkmaking and the science of distilling pigment from the natural world. Readers will learn how to forage for materials such as soot, rust, cigarette butts, peach pits, and black walnut, then how to mix, test, and transform these ingredients into rich, vibrant inks that are sensitive to both place and environment. Organized by color, and featuring lovely minimalist photography throughout, Make Ink combines science, art, and craft to instill the basics of ink making and demonstrate the beauty and necessity of engaging with one of mankind's oldest tools of communication. "Logan demystifies the process, encouraging experimentation and taking a fresh look at urban environments." — NPR "The book is full of inspiration and takes a lot of the mystery out of ink making, at least at its simplest level. And it also reminds me why I love ink—any ink or liquid color as much as I do." — The Well-Appointed Desk "Quite a few recipes . . . that use color from the kitchen: carrots, black beans, blueberries, turmeric, and onion skins all make beautiful ink colors." — Design Observer "Make Ink opens up about methods, providing an open source guide to DIY ink." — CityLab "The Toronto Ink Company was founded in 2014 by designer and artist Jason Logan as a citizen science experiment to make eco-friendly, urban ink from street-harvested pigments. In Make Ink, Logan delves into the history of inkmaking and the science of distilling pigment from the natural world. Readers will learn how to forage for materials such as soot, rust, cigarette butts, peach pits, and black walnut, then how to mix, test, and transform these ingredients into rich, vibrant inks that are sensitive to both place and environment. Organized by color, and featuring lovely minimalist photography throughout, Make Ink combines science, art, and craft to instill the basics of ink making and demonstrate the beauty and necessity of engaging with one of mankind's oldest tools of communication."-- Provided by publisher