Blog

Where do our pigments originate from? Our pigments originate from all around the world! Here are the stories of three of our natural Earth & Mineral Pigments, Venetian Red, Yellow Ochre, and Terre Verte. Venetian RedVenetian Red has been in use since prehistoric times and is found and used around the world. It's a natural earthen clay that is tinted by iron oxide and is composed of a naturally calcined form of the mineral hematite -...

Looking for the perfect creative, unique, sustainable gift for your loved one this holiday season? Let us help you - check out this holiday gift guide we have created just for you! Stocking Stuffers Eco-Friendly Fine Art BrushesEarth & Mineral Pigment Sample PackPalette KnifeEco-GlitterGift CertificatesNatural Face Paint JarsFor The Kiddos Natural Earth Paint KitNatural Face Paint KitEarth Flags Craft KitWooden Egg Craft KitFor The Eco...

All of our recipes to create your own art supplies break down into 2 main ingredients - pigments and binders.Creating your own art supplies can seem daunting and complicated at first. But don't fret- it is easy once you break the process down into 2 simple steps!Making your own art supplies requires 2 main categories of ingredients:1. Pigments2. BindersPigments give the art supply you're making color, and binders are the ingredients that cre...

When it comes to edible projects like dying Easter eggs, nothing is more important than food safety. Our Natural Egg Dye Kit uses natural, food-grade extracts made from spices and veggies, unlike many conventional egg dyes on the market that contain toxic chemicals that shouldn't be ingested. But what's so bad about those chemicals, anyway? In this post, we'll provide the facts about some of the most commonly used dy...

Real talk, Natural Earth Paint family: 2022 is the year of embracing imperfection. We've spent years perfecting our packaging aesthetics and eco-friendliness, and as a green business, we've come a long way (you can learn more about our eco-friendly packaging and practices here). But recently, we realized that many of our customers aren't actually looking for perfect packaging; they just want the quality of our pigments deliver...

December 5th is World Soil Day! We celebrate this day annually to raise awareness about the importance of healthy soil and advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources. "Soil salinization and sodification are major soil degradation processes threatening ecosystem and are recognized as being among the most important problems at a global level for agricultural production, food security and sustainability in arid and semi-arid regi...

Looking for eco-friendly gifts for the littles in your life? Ahead of the holiday rush, we've rounded up our top 10 eco-favorites for kids of all ages. Get your holiday shopping done early and protect Mother Earth, too! Plus, our earth-conscious gift guide partners have graciously provided a few coupon codes for our Natural Earth Paint family–check them out below! Happy holidays!Christmas Stories Stamps by AilefoThis stamp set...

So you've got your hands on some Earth & Mineral Pigments, or maybe even foraged your own. Congratulations! But how do you know which binder to use with them?There's a variety of natural binders and mediums out there, and so the real answer is, there is no single right answer––it all depends on context. We've outlined the details of our favorites below (in no particular order), so you can make the right choice for you!Gum ArabicOur ...

Earth pigments have been used around the world from the earliest cultures of India, Africa and Australia all the way up to the present day. The oldest human artworks we’ve discovered were made with earth pigments 250,000 years ago and the same materials have been used by every culture and on every continent since then. A recent discovery of an earth pigment paint making factory in a South African cave was dated at 100,000 years old.Call...

Many artists will tell you that making and sharing art are good for your health, but these claims are also substantially backed by science. Art is proven to help us:relieve stress, develop critical thinking skills, improve our memory, and explore our identities (1). These benefits can be heightened when natural materials are incorporated into your practice (4). Earth-based materials are grounding for artists and their audiences and help individua...

One common misconception about natural fine arts supplies is that they cost more than toxic conventional paints. Fortunately for artists making an effort to clean up their creative practice, that's only a myth! If you're looking for quality, investing in Natural Earth Paint actually saves you money compared to using the conventional paints on the market today that have a comparable quality. Not convinced? Let's get technical:...

We've created a few easy-to-follow tutorials for our pottery lovers, both amateur and professional! Enjoy the vibrance of Natural Earth Paint's Earth & Mineral Pigments in your clay body with our "Colored Clay Crosshatch Bowl" tutorial or in your "Decorative Colored Slip"!Colored Clay Crosshatch BowlSupplies: Low-fire clayEarth & Mineral PigmentsStep 1: Make 3 quarter-pound balls of low fire clay.Step 2: "Wedge" one teaspo...

Tasha Cathey, one of our lovely affiliates, shared with us her simple yet stunning natural oil paint tutorial featuring our versatile Earth & Mineral Pigments and Refined Walnut Oil; we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!Step 1: Gather supplies.Walnut or Linseed OilEarth & Mineral PigmentsGlass PalettePalette KnifeGlass MullerThe dropper is optional, it just makes it easier to apply the oil. A glass palette i...

As many of you know, we're introducing new home-compostable pouches for our pigments so you can enjoy a whole new way of storing Natural Earth Paint the eco-friendly way! But how did we get here?Since our humble beginnings, we've been committed to eco-friendly products and practices. We operate out of a fully solar-powered facility in Southern Oregon that also serves as a community drop-off site for bubble wrap and other packi...

Celebrate the season with this lovely reindeer face paint tutorial, shared with us by Kate Dascoli. We were blown away by her wintry look, so she showed us just how to recreate it with our Natural Face Paints!Supplies: Brown, white, black and red Natural Face Paint, makeup sponge, and brushes.Step 1: Using a brush or sponge, add brown Natural Face Paint to the cheek bones and around the hair line. Line the...

The wait is over! Now you can feel good about using acrylic paint with our all-new, first-of-its-kind, plant-based Natural Acrylic Medium. This product is made with naturally archival ingredients to provide a permanent, water-resistant and non-yellowing finish that dries crystal clear. This product is truly non-toxic, plant based and contains ZERO petroleum byproducts. Just like conventional acrylic mediums, this medium has many uses in...

Watch artist Elisa Wagner mix encaustic paints with natural pigments to create stunning effects!Interested in learning more about Natural Earth Paint artists? Visit our Eco Artists page!Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more natural inspiration....

Why buy Organic Cotton artist's canvas?Organic cotton is cotton grown without using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, or defoliants on land that has been free of these chemicals for at least three years. Organic agriculture is better for workers and the environment.Benefits for the EarthWith organic cotton the soil is treated with care so that it continues to thrive and to give the cotton everything it naturally needs....

Leah's Eco-friendly Oil Painting Guide: How to Eliminate All Toxins from the Oil Painting ProcessSolvents such as turpentine, paint thinner, mineral spirits, and varnish emit toxic Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as they dry. When poured down the sink, they send harsh toxins into our water supply. They also continue to off-gas from your finished paintings. The use of solvents as a paint thinner and brush cleaner is a relatively recent developme...

We are proud that Natural Earth Paints are one of the safest paint products on the market. They are safe for you, your child, and the planet. Because of their undiluted purity, these paints have a time-tested durability of thousands of years. Here are some of their benefits: Archival: Pure pigments are the most permanent of all pigments, lasting thousands of years.Superior Quality: There are no added fillers, additives, preservati...

For a waterproof fabric paint that is completely natural and non-toxic, we have two recipe options.Option 1: Natural Acrylic Paint: By mixing Natural Acrylic Medium, with our Earth & Mineral Pigments you make a beautiful, non-toxic, permanent, and waterproof fabric paint! See video tutorial below or blog tutorial here.Option 2: Traditional Soybean based Fabric Paint: This is an ancient and traditional recipe that has been used for centur...

Making your own natural oil paint is not only super quick, easy, and economical, but it also makes the most archival, vibrant and pure paint on the planet. Unlike tubed conventional oil paints, these paints don't have fillers (bulking agent), toxic preservatives, heavy metal or petroleum-based pigments, solvents or chemical additives. These paints will last for thousands of years, be 100% lightfast and humidity resistant,...

Natural Cold Porcelain Clay is a perfect substitute for toxic polymer clay and allows for even finer detail and ease of sculpting. It's also incredibly inexpensive and super simple to make. The clay is air-dried so no need for baking and it dries to a light weight, luminous, stone-like texture. Perfect for kids through professional artists. The DIY cold porcelain recipes that we found online all called for conventional gl...

Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd! Here are a few creative ideas for eco-friendly activities you can do with your family.1. Admire a few eco-friendly artists (or become one yourself!)This article in Huffington Post highlights a few incredible artists who focus their artwork on sustainability and environmentalism. Many of the pieces are created with either natural materials or recycled plastic! You can also become an eco-artist yourself!...

 For all the expecting and new mothers out there, here's how to bring some natural color and earthy creativity to your baby shower with Natural Earth Paint!Natural Baby Shower Gift BasketsWhat could be a better gift for an expectant mother than a basket of Natural Earth Paint Kits? Try belly painting with our Natural Face Paint Kit, announcing your little one with our Earth Flags Craft Kit, and introducing your...

Earth Day arrives every year on April 22nd, inspiring mindfulness and gratitude for our Earth. There are many simple ways that you can celebrate Earth Day in your own home, work space, or art studio.Here's our list of the top 5 things you can change in your art studio for Earth Day to get you started!1. Reduce, Reuse, and RecycleThese three actions are crucial to protecting Mother Earth, since waste has an insidious effect on our natural en...

Our Natural Earth Paint customers often ask us, why should I use natural dyes for Easter eggs if I'm not eating the egg shell?1. Conventional dyes can leech toxins into your eggs.When you dye eggs, the dyes seep through the egg shell into the hard boiled egg, and then the egg is eaten! Have you ever seen that little bit of color on the egg when you peel it after dying it? Toxins from conventional egg dyes can be in your eggs even if you can'...

Creating eco-friendly painting surfaces is one way of making your painting practice a little greener. Here's how to stretch and prime canvases with our Certified Organic Raw Cotton Canvas, plus find seven more sustainable surfaces to paint on!Supplies: Certified Organic Cotton Canvas Stretcher bars* Eco Gesso Kit Paint brush Staple gun & staples*For the stretcher bars, you have a few options: Build your own.Hire...

Mixed up a batch of eco-friendly oil paint and don't know what to do with it? Here are a few options that will help you extend the life of your paints and store them for the short-term and the long-term!Option 1: Aluminum FoilAt the end of a day's painting, scrape any leftover colors into small squares of foil, and fold the foil over so that the paint is airtight. Smudge a little bit of the color onto the outside of the fo...