Coffee ink workshop: Strong Coffee, Slow Lines

Brew coffee, then make two inks from the grounds, a lighter one and a darker one, and draw with them. Screveton, five minutes from Bingham. When I first started making my own ink, I focused on the trees. I knew about oak gall ink, which has a long history of ink making in this country; the Magna Carta was written with it. But as I looked into the chemistry of why it works, I found out it's the tannins reacting with the iron that make a lovely rich dark ink. So I started experimenting with other things rich in tannins. I love a morning coffee, and I often have several, which is enough grounds for a small batch of ink. It still blows my mind that I can take a waste product that would go in the bin and make something beautiful out of it. When you arrive, there'll be coffee to grind and brew, and we'll enjoy it with a slice of cake before getting on with the real work. It'll smell amazing. Then the used grounds go into the saucepans to simmer. The longer they simmer, the more tannins come out and the darker it gets. We split it in two and change each one, so you end up with a lighter ink and a darker one, and bottle them up. The bottles look very similar, because I use amber ones so the ink lasts longer, but in the jars before bottling, and on your swatches, you'll see how different they are. Then we draw. The first time, I like to stamp circles, usually with the darker colour, then fill in the spaces where the circles overlap with the lighter one and a watered-down version of the darker one. It lets me see how the inks work together, especially where they touch and run into each other, and a few random splashes can do that too. After that anything is game: a fresh piece of paper, the inks, brushes, dip pens, other things to draw on top once it's dried, collage papers to stain. If you can make a mark on a page, you can draw. Everyone has different levels of skill, and yes, there are people who can draw things that look like the thing they're supposed to look like. But whatever your level of skill, you can play. You can make a mark on the page, consider it, and make another mark. What you end up with might be a complete surprise, but it'll be yours, not something you copied from someone else. What you take home You take home two bottles of coffee ink, a lighter one and a darker one, and the pages you drew. They do keep, and I'll show you how to look after them. There are only four seats because the studio is small, just the one table. It keeps things unhurried, and there's time to help each of you at the pans. Who it's for No experience needed; if you haven't drawn in years, this is the day for it. Under-18s are welcome with a parent or guardian who books a seat too and stays with them: one child per adult, around eight and up, but you know your child. A child's seat costs the same as any other, and anything hot is the grown-up's job. If you end up the only one booked, I'll email you two days before and you choose: move to another date for nothing, or come anyway and it'll be just the two of us. What to bring Nothing but yourself, and clothes that don't mind ink. Everything else is here, and there's coffee and cake. It runs over lunchtime but isn't lunch; Caffe Velo Verde is just opposite if you want to eat after. If you have allergies or access needs, there's a box for them when you book. Finding us Pod 3, The Eco Centre, Home Farm, Screveton, NG13 8JL. Directly opposite Caffe Velo Verde, with free parking on the farm by the café. Five minutes from Bingham, a quarter of an hour from Newark, about twenty-five from Nottingham by car; the nearest station is Bingham, a short taxi ride away. There's no step into the studio, and it's heated. There are toilets on site, including an accessible one with a ramp by the Eco Centre. I'll send you the rest of the details when you book. Changing your date Can't come? Cancel at least 7 days before for a full refund. Up to 48 hours before, you can move to another date instead, or send someone in your place: reply to your confirmation email. Inside 48 hours the seat can't be moved or refunded. If I ever have to cancel, you choose a full refund or a free move to another date. Buying it as a present? Gift cards are on louiseclark.art, and that's where you book with one. The Imperfect Circle is a trading name of Cassette Creations Ltd.