Advanced Historical Paints & Pigment making Thursday 11th September 2025 10am - 4pm
*MAXIMUM NUMBER FOR THIS WORKSHOP IS 12*
Advanced Historical Paints & Pigment making
To get the most out of this workshop we recommend participants to attend our Ancient Paints and Pigment Making workshop first, though it is not a requirement.
In this advanced session, we aim to explore additional, exciting, paints recipes and pigment making techniques, still very much based on archaeology and traditional practices. Hint: fire is required!
Starting the day with a quick presentation of Prehistoric to Medieval painting techniques and what we know of them, the morning will focus on producing pigments using fire: making bone white and bone black, roasting ochres to alter their colours, creating carbon black and/or drawing charcoal from vegetals. If needed, participants can take a break away from the fire to make eggshell white.
The afternoon will concentrate on making use of these pigments by exploring two paints recipes that require to be "cooked". These are suitable for many wall materials, interior and exterior, as well as for Arts and Crafts: casein paint (milk-based, similar to chalk paint), used in Spanish cave art, depicted in Medieval treatises and still widely used nowadays. Also Scandinavian "Falu" red paint (starch and oil based, excellent for wood), which evolved from a long tradition of using local flours to make a paste and linseed oil to paint on and preserve woodwork.
These will be tested on small ply board panels that the participants can take home, along samples of these paints.
Your tutor: Caroline Nicolay is an archaeologist and heritage interpreter specialising in bringing historic techniques and crafts to life, from paint making in early history to open-fire cooking using clay pots. Her research was focusing on Iron Age wall paintings and evolved towards historic and natural building techniques.
Mainly working with museums and heritage sites, she has been running courses for a number of years, hoping to share widely some techniques that are both thousands of years old and increasingly popular in our 21st century as sustainable arts & building practices.
Accommodation is not included but if required it is available within the local area, some suggestions can be found on our 'local accommodation' page - please arrange this yourself. Refreshments are provided on the day but not lunches.
Toilet and classroom all easily accessible from the car park
*Please bring a packed lunch*
Attendees must be over 16.