My first attempt at making oak gall ink. Something I’ve wanted to try for ages. Knowing my parents go on walks nearly every day back home in California, I asked them (half-jokingly) to collect oak galls, acorn caps and wild grape vine for me. And boy, did they come through! Only took them a couple of days to collect a box full of material which they sent me for Christmas.
So I had a go at making oak gall ink- using a recipe from the MAKE INK book by Jason Logan. The ink comes out brown and magically turns deep black with oxidation. It’s actually quite magical. I was so excited by this until I read that it will eventually eat away at plant-based paper. Logan suggests using it on vellum. I am curious what other surfaces might withstand its corrosion. Or do I simply embrace its degrading qualities as a reminder of impermanence of nature?
