"All of the activities and materials described here are potentially toxic or dangerous," reads the introduction to Jason Logan's book "Make Ink - A Guide to Natural Ink Making." That the warning is justified, proves the anecdote of Logan's ink, which exploded in the office of bestselling author Stephen King. But more on that later.
The Canadian came to ink because he was looking for non-toxic ink for his work. Since then, Logan has been constantly searching for ingredients that he can process into ink in his kitchen. Meanwhile, in his home laboratory, he also processes material that people from all over the world send him. He uses lichen that grows on stones, burnt peach pits, blackened Japanese teacups, petroleum, wild wine, rusty nails, plaster dust and even gunpowder.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Logan, the motto of your "Toronto Ink Company" is that you make ink out of everything. What did you last turn into color?
Logan: That was a fraction of Roman road, a few thousand years old. A friend from Rome sent it to me by mail. For me, the heart of a city lies in its streets and paths. I liked the idea of a historical Roman street ink. By the way, I'm still working on it.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Sounds like a rather gray shade ...
Logan: Oh, yes, pretty. I really like the color gray, though! People often ask me, "I love this or that color, how do I get it?" - and I usually can not help. For me, the color alone is not necessarily exciting, but the story behind it. I like to start with the raw materials and let myself be surprised what comes out of it. If I grind this debris sample, add a binder, then I go all the way in that process. I love dealing with a single plant or material so nerdy.
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Grinding, mixing, cooking: this is how ink is madeSPIEGEL ONLINE: They encourage people to find their own color palettes - to match their city or environment. Any recommendations for beginners?
Logan: Whatever works are nuts, berries or yellow flowers. I also love stones and everything that has to do with rust, because iron is a great material. Just like copper and cigarette butts.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Not necessarily the prime example of natural, non-toxic ink.
Logan: That's right, I have to go back a little bit: When I started to make inks, I really wanted to use non-toxic materials, and all the worldly things you find in a city. At some point I also experimented with chemicals. And I always like to quote Buckminster Fuller: He said that pollution is just something we have not learned to handle.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Is there a childproof version?
Logan: Of course. You can find tons of great plants, grasses or berries in the city, which are ideal for the production of natural ink. Perhaps the easiest way: crushing colored berries.
Jason Logan
Drawing of copper oxide ink
SPIEGEL ONLINE: In your book you also show how a single material can create a whole spectrum of colors.
Logan: Oh yes! Take purple colors, beetroot or blueberries, for example. Their pigments are called anthocyanins. A bit of lemon turns it pink, with baking soda it can turn into a blue color. Not to mention sea buckthorn. I love sea buckthorn!
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Tell me!
Logan: Here in North America the shrubs are considered a nuisance, everyone hates them. It's a very invasive plant imported from Europe, by the way ... but as a dye it's interesting: sometimes the resulting ink looks almost gray, sometimes greenish. This depends heavily on the pH of the respective substrate. You can also use different parts of the plant. If you take the berries and add some lye, it turns a beautiful yellow, almost like gold.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Things do not always go smoothly: trial and error are part of it, but so are explosions that can be exploited. How was it when you sent ink to Stephen King?
"Ink lives"Logan: If you send homemade ink every once in a while to famous people, it ends up with their assistants first. And if you put something in a glass bottle with a rubber pipette and you accidentally ferment it, and the ink spreads out ... it's a very, well, alive thing. It changes.
So I sent some varieties to Stephen King, including one from wild grapes. And because I was a little upset, I did not sterilize the bottles as usual. Instead: quickly filled and off to the post office. At some point I got a message from King's assistant: The ink had fermented and exploded in the glass bottle. Not such a nice story.
Whereby these "ink mishaps" are not that rare with me: To break shellac, I once put it in the microwave. That gave another nice explosion. My kitchen has become quite a laboratory.
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Jason Logan
Make Ink: A Guide to Making Natural Ink
Publishing company:
Haffmans & Tolkemitt
Pages:
191
Price:
EUR 30,00
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SPIEGEL ONLINE: You occasionally work as an illustrator. Do you use your own inks?
Logan: A while ago I drew a kind of glossary for the "New York Times", about the new "Twin Peaks" stats. For that I used materials that are somehow related to the series - coffee, certain berries. I'm convinced: Just use a surprising material and it will add a new layer to your drawing, your story!
SPIEGEL ONLINE: And do your clients notice the difference?
Logan: Even if you do not consciously realize, maybe people will feel that something about this illustration is a little different .... At least I want to believe that.