Recipe: Natural Relief Printing Ink

Make Your Own Professional Quality Relief Ink with printmaker, Vanessa Jo Bahr!

With just a few natural ingredients, you can create a completely non-toxic, archival and professional quality, oil-based printmaking ink with this easy step-by-step tutorial.

Image of all the ingredients needed to create your own natural relief printing ink from Natural Earth Paint Pigments including glass muller, palette knife, ink knife, a carved block, oil binder and more!

Ingredients:

Supplies:

Step 1: Scoop out 1 part pigment (e.g. 1 tsp.) into a mound and press down to make an indentation.

A pile of Natural Earth Paint's black ochre Earth & Mineral Pigment with an ident in it.

Step 2: Add ¾ part (e.g. ¾ tsp.) #00 burnt plate oil to the pigment.

A white measuring spoon pouring oil into the indented pile of black ochre Earth & Mineral Pigment.

Step 3: Using an ink knife, mix oil and pigment together until evenly distributed. You will know it is thoroughly mixed when you achieve a shiny ink without any loose powdered pigment.

A metal ink knife mixing up mixing up the pile of black ochre pigment with the added oil.
Metal ink knife continuing to mix the pile of black ochre pigment with the oil binder until it is evenluy distrubuted.

Step 4: Using a glass muller, continue to mull your ink mixture (rubbing in circles, then scraping ink off the bottom and repeating). The purpose of mulling is to evenly distribute the oil binder among the pigment particles. It is not meant to grind the pigments; therefore, you don’t need to use excessive pressure.

Pile of properly mixed pigment and oil sitting next to the metal ink knife.
Glass muller being used to further disperse the oil binder among the black ochre pigment particles.

Step 5: The more time you spend mulling, the better your ink will be. At least 3 rounds of scraping the ink off the muller and re-mulling is best. The more ink you are mixing the longer you will want to mull. This ink was mulled for about 5 minutes in total.

Person's hand using a metal ink knife to scrape ink off of a glass muller after mixing.

Step 6: Add 1 part magnesium carbonate (e.g. 1 tsp.) to your ink mixture. After mixed, mull your ink one final time to assure proper distribution of ingredients.

Ink knife being used to add magnesium carbonate into the the mixture of oil and pigment.

Step 7: OPTIONAL – Add a couple drops of gum arabic solution to your ink mixture and mix thoroughly. Introducing gum arabic will make your ink adhere to the paper better and less likely to rub off.

Step 8: Roll out your ink using a brayer.

Black ink rolled out on a glass slab using a brayer with the glass muller and palette knife in the background.

Step 9: Ink up your block.

Inked up brayer being used to ink up a hand carved linoleum block.

Step 10: Place your paper on top and run through the press. Alternatively, you can hand burnish using a spoon, or barren then pull your print!

Inked up linoleum block sitting on a press bed with a person's hand laying down a kraft brown piece of paper.
Person's hand pulling up a print from a block print made from Natural Relief Printing Ink.

Step 11: Clean Up: Use Eco-Solve (a plant-based and non-toxic solvent) to clean blocks, glass surface, muller, brayer and ink knife. Use Pinerite (a plant-based hand cleaner) to clean ink off hands and skin.

Finished print leaned up on the press next to the linoleum block that made the print.
Artist Vanessa Jo Bahr sitting in her studio holding up a relief print she made with a black and white dog on her lap.

Find more of Vanessa's beautiful work using natural materials at....

Instagram: @VanessaJoBahr

Website: https://vanessajo.studio Scavenger Studios: https://scavengerstudios.net

 

Image of all the ingredients needed to create your own natural relief printing ink from Natural Earth Paint Pigments including glass muller, palette knife, ink knife, brayer, a carved block, oil binder and more!

What is "Burnt Plate Oil"? Burnt plate oil is linseed oil (aka flaxseed oil) which has been heated until it has become thick and viscous. The higher the number, the thicker the plate oil. We don't carry it but it's available online.

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