A New Field
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Recipe

Soot ink

A black carbon ink from soot or fine charcoal, bound with gum arabic or flour paste.

Every A New Field recipe has been run in a domestic kitchen or community hall. Read the safety notes before you start and adapt for your venue.

What you’ll make

Deep matte black. Lightfast and water-fast once dry.

Flexible slots (flex around your material)

  • Pigment

    Natural pigment / dye1 tbsp

    Coloured plant, mineral or animal matter. Yields colour in water or alcohol.

    Examples Chimney soot, ground charcoal

Fixed ingredients

  • Gum arabic or flour paste · 10g
  • Water · 50ml

Equipment

  • Jar
  • sieve
  • stirring stick.

Refinements and variations

  • Use chimney soot for a coarse traditional ink, or grind barbecue charcoal for a finer version.

Source notes

East Asian sumi ink tradition, adapted.