Weeds, witchcraft and folklore combine as nettles and mugwort are brewed into natural printing ink.
Join London-based artist Gal Leshem as she forages for these remarkable plants and transforms them into handmade ink, before creating a striking woodblock print inspired by historic midwifery, apothecary drug jars and medicine bottles.
Discover the herbal knowledge and medicinal history surrounding these plants, alongside the combination of modern and traditional printmaking techniques used to bring the final artwork to life.
🎧 Pop on your headphones to experience the unintentional ASMR of Leshem's process.
- 00:00 Magic, witchcraft & plant lore
- 00:55 Foraging for nettles & mugwort
- 01:50 Properties of nettles
- 02:37 How to forage responsibly
- 03:23 Are nettle stings good for you?
- 05:32 Properties of mugwort: lucid dreaming
- 06:16 Turning plants into ink
- 08:05 Magic, witchcraft & herbal feminine knowledge
- 09:29 Creating different ink colours
- 11:07 Testing the plant pigments
- 11:27 Filtering and adding iron sulphate
- 12:53 How do you thicken ink? Gum tragacanth
- 14:06 Designing the print
- 14:56 Against Classification at the V&A
- 15:18 Midwifery, apothecaries & medicine bottles
- 16:12 Digital Photoshop collage
- 16:54 Laser cutting the woodblock
- 18:23 Printing with handmade plant ink
- 21:04 The final reveal
- 21:38 Reclaiming the domestic
