You can find out more about the maps and sampler book below and read more about iron gall ink in our British Science Week blog Galling ink!

A 2018 Best Book of the Year-The GuardiannnnThe Toronto Ink Company was founded in 2014 by designer and artist Jason Logan as a citizen science experiment to make eco-friendly, urban ink from street-harvested pigments. In Make Ink, Logan delves into the history of inkmaking and the science of distilling pigment from the natural world. You start seeking out hopeful green spaces under a highway overpass or in a back alley,” says Logan. It’s humorous, full of beautiful images, and left me feeling super inspired and excited to chase my curiosity.The book arrived on Wednesday and since that time I have already foraged oak gall from local bur oaks in anticipation of concocting some oak gall ink. His work has been recognized by the AIGA, SPD, the Centre for Social Innovation, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Poison sumac has clusters of white or light-green berries that sag downward on its branches, while the red berries of harmless sumac sit upright. As part of my commitment to a more sustainable art practice, I’m exploring creating my own art materials. You can throw almost any pigment-rich base ingredient into an old pot with vinegar and salt, boil it up for an hour or two, add a couple drops of gum arabic, and voila—you have an ink.I collected them from the ground and many had been half eaten by squirrels, but that doesn’t matter at all. In Make Ink , Logan delves into the history of inkmaking and the science of distilling pigment from the natural world. One can invest in fancy chemistry filter papers, or coffee papers, but I've found a simple 2-ply tissue will do fine for most cases. It is very informative, useful, entertaining, beautifully made with lovely pictures and so much inspiration I can’t wait to start making ink!