Woad pigment

Natural pigment, handmade from Woad (Isatis Tinctoria) plants. It is made on a small scale from our plants therefore it is 100% natural and in limited quantities. Plants are grown in a small town in my parent's garden and we do not use any harsh chemicals for them. The process of creating this pigment takes several days after the leaves are ready for harvesting - woad leaves are hand-picked, washed, boiled, oxidized and then the pigment is settled and dried.

Name: woad pigment

Latin name: Isatis tinctoria

Type: vat dye

Part of the plant used: leaves

Main color: blue

Purpose: natural dye for textiles, leather, wood, candles, and other natural materials. Can be used for making botanical inks, pastels, watercolors, printing paste, etc. 

• This pigment is different from other natural dyes; it is not soluble in water. Therefore, a few specific steps are required before it can be used to dye textiles in its signature wonderful blues. Various methods, created by ancient civilizations and contemporary masters, are available online, making it easy to find recipes such as the henna vat, ferrous vat or fructose vat.

• Each batch can be a little different so the final color can be a bit darker or lighter than those shown in a listing.

• In additional photos, you can see some moments from the process of creating pigment and some photos of final colors on wool and silk.

• Woad is one of the most marvelous, tricky and yet rewarding natural dyes. Its history started thousands of years ago and it has a place in almost every culture from all over the world.