Technical Reference Guides
Studio Resources for the Ecoprinter
I have been working with natural dyes and ecoprinting for long enough to know that the technical side of this practice is genuinely hard to find good information about. What exists is often scattered across forums, buried in books that are out of print, or written for an audience that already knows half of what they need to know before they start reading.
These guides exist because I got tired of not having them. They are written for the maker who is serious about understanding what is actually happening in the dye bath or the mordant solution — not just what to do, but why it works, what to do when it does not, and how to make decisions rather than just follow recipes.
They are written from practice, not from theory. Everything in them has been tested in the studio at Il Baciarino, in the specific conditions of working with natural materials in a real place. They are honest about what is uncertain, and they do not pretend the work is simpler than it is.
One winter in Tuscany, I set out to find out what colour existed in the plants growing around me. Not purchased dye stuffs. Not plants from a supplier. The ivy berries, the rosemary, the eucalyptus, the olive prunings from our own 1200 trees.
This guide is the record of that journey. It covers ten plants gathered from the Maremma in December and January — what each one gives, how to prepare the fibre, how to run a basic dye bath, and what happens when you take the results further with indigo and iron modifiers. It includes botanical notes, harvesting guidance, historical uses, and honest accounts of what worked and what did not.
It is not a comprehensive guide to natural dyeing. It is an invitation to step out into your own backyard and find out what is already there. You do not need to be an expert. You need to be curious and willing to get it wrong.
Based on the principles of reciprocity — going local, harvesting ethically, giving back to the land — from Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass.
During the 2025 October ecoprinting retreat, Fay Sheppard, one of the participating artists took the most wonderful notes. I couldn’t resist but ask her if I could scan and share her wonderful capture of her learning. So here it is. 40 little pages of information and art. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Eco-Printing 101 — A Reference Guide for the Studio and Beyond
The answer to how did it do that — the question everyone asks when they peel open their first bundle.
This guide covers the full technical foundation of ecoprinting: the chemistry of why a leaf leaves its mark on cloth, the variables that shape every result, the four main mordants used in the studio, and seven enhancements for building prints of real depth and complexity. Written to live in the studio, be written in, and returned to when something unexpected happens on the cloth.
Originally the reference companion for the Art Cloth, Naturally retreat at Il Baciarino. Assumes no prior chemistry — only curiosity.
What the Leaf Holds — A Field Guide to Ten Ecoprinting Plants
Ten plant profiles, one page each — what the plant looks like, where to find it, something of its history, and what to expect from it in the bundle. Oak, Tree of Heaven, Black Locust, Blackberry, Rose, Silver Wattle, two Eucalyptus species, Italian Maple, and Cleavers — all growing within walking distance of Il Baciarino in the Tuscan landscape.
Each profile covers how the plant behaves on iron, alum, and titanium mordants, and what changes between seasons. There is space for notes, because the most important part of any ecoprinter's knowledge is not in any book. It is in the bundles she has opened.
Use it as a starting point. Argue with it. The plants will have the final word.
The Printer's Field List — Plants Known to Ecoprinters Around the World
Ecoprinting doesn't require a specialty supplier. It requires a walk. This list is a starting point for knowing what to look for.
Organized by where you are most likely to encounter each plant — trees, hedgerow and meadow plants, garden plants, and weeds — with enough information to identify each one and a sense of what it offers in the bundle. It covers temperate Europe, North America, the Mediterranean, Australia, and the tropics, compiled from research into what ecoprinters around the world have found to work.
Not a guide to technique. Not a guarantee. A door into your own backyard.
Leaf Notes — A Template for the Ecoprinter's Plant Record
The best ecoprinting knowledge is not in any book. It is in the notes made after opening a bundle and looking carefully at what happened.
This is a template for building that record — one page per plant, starting with a sketch and a few facts about the plant itself, then space for the observations that only come from working with it directly. Where to find it. What colours it gives. Which side of the leaf performs. How it responds to different mordants and blankets. How consistently it delivers.
Fill it in over time. The longer you work with a plant, the more useful the record becomes.
Other Guides, Recipes, and References
Not everything made in a studio is made from dye and cloth. These resources come from the other parts of life at Il Baciarino — the kitchen, the ceramics studio, the table where the two tend to meet.
The cookbook gathers recipes from the retreats: the dishes that have fed students at the end of long studio days, the things we cook together on cooking retreat days, the food that is as much a part of the Il Baciarino experience as the making itself. It is written for people who want to eat well and understand why Italian food works the way it does.
The ceramics guides are for throwers and hand-builders who want to think more carefully about their practice — not just how to make things, but how to be in the studio in a way that makes the best work possible.