Eco Color Kits

Ecoblue

About Ecoblue Materials 100% plant-based, reusable, and/or recyclable

blue butterfly pea flower powder: native to Indonesia, clitoria ternatea is a legume that’s been used for centuries as food (flowers, leaves, and young pods), medicine, colorant (flowers), and soil enrichment.  Anthocyanins, the source of its colors, are pH reactive, changing hue in the presence of acids (low pH: <7) and bases (high pH: 7+).  Clitoria ternatea is easy to grow in warm climates.  Learn more here and here. Visit my butterfly pea art gallery!

citric acid powder: natural, weak acid (low pH) with many uses, from food to health care and cleaning, generally recognized as safe (GRAS) but can be irritating for eyes and skin.  More information here

washing soda* (CAUTION! Not safe for kids/pets): sodium carbonate is a natural basic (high pH) compound used for cleaning; irritating to eyes, skin, and internal organs (don’t inhale it, eat it, or get it in your eyes; avoid skin exposure). More information here.

wood scoop: use to measure powders and/or drawing + painting

glass/rubber dropper:  use for adding liquid colors to palette, mixing, and drawing (try squirting drops and lines!)

pandanus paintbrush: fibers of edible fruit from pandanus tectorius (screw pine, hala) tree native to Pacific islands/Oceania.  Read more here.  Hold the smooth end and draw/paint/print with the bristle end; experiment with making different marks and shapes. Rinse and dry after use. 

bamboo stylus: collected locally (Gainesville, Florida).  Dip pointed end in color for writing and drawing; use round end to print/stamp circles.  Try creating a variety of lines and shapes! Rinse and dry after use. 

FSC certified watercolor paper: more information here

Yupo art surface: washable, reusable, recyclable, tree-free art surface for experiments + final work.  More information here and here

metal binder clip/art stand:  extend silver wire tabs and use as “feet” with paper placed inside metal clip; can also be used upside down, with tabs holding paper and clip as base!

Nori non-toxic, plant-based adhesive made from tapioca (cassava) starch is used for labels; more information here.

How do you make Ecoblue + more?

Mix butterfly pea flower powder with water to make ecoblue liquid paint/ink: about 1 tsp. powder to 1 oz. water.

Add a tiny bit (less than a pinch) of citric acid (low pH) to ecoblue for a color change!  More citric acid = more colors!  

Add a tiny bit (less than a pinch) of washing soda (basic/high pH) to another batch of ecoblue…more colors!  Varying amounts of citric acid or washing soda added = a rainbow of pinks, purples, blues, and greens!

You can make acid and base solutions by mixing water with citric acid or with washing soda in separate containers.  Add a drop of acid or base solution to blue color in your palette for a color change.  Try using your wood scoop to sprinkle a tiny bit of powdered citric acid, washing soda, or blue butterfly pea color on top of wet color on your paper.  Experiment with using your eye dropper to drop a small amount of water, of citric acid solution, or of washing soda solution into wet color on paper – watch it react! 

Add a few drops of peppermint oil to keep liquid color fresh.

Enso

Try an enso!  Based on traditional Japanese design and associated with Zen Buddhism, enso is a circle made with a single movement.  An open enso symbolizes the beauty of imperfection, continuity of natural cycles, and potential for connection.  Making enso is a meditative practice, allowing the mind to let go and freeing the body to create.  More about Enso here

Try using your pandanus brush, bamboo stylus, dropper, or finger to create an enso. You can draw or paint a single enso, or it can be the beginning of a visual poem with accompanying lines, shapes, or colors.    Relax and enjoy!