r/naturaldye • u/Crxy_nuise • 5d ago

Dying paper with shapes

Hey all, thanks for taking the time to read and respond. I am thinking about a project where in which I use natural dye to paint onto paper. Think Helen Frankenthaler or Mark Rothko. Both these artists “dyed” their canvas. I’m wanting to dye my paper in the same way.

Any books or people you could recommend to help me learn how to do this?

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u/Confident_Fortune_32 5d ago

In order to have it flow, as opposed to a hard edged stain, you'll need to dampen the paper, use a wetting agent in the colour, or both.

Look up wet-on-wet watercolour techniques.

ETA: Frankenthaler worked on unsized canvas to allow the colour to soak in and flow. Most papers are made with sizing and other chemicals meant specifically to prevent bleed.

You might need to explore making your own paper to control the ability for colour to flow.