natural paint

[vinemaplebows]

Does Oregon grape, or salal grow there? If so the roots make a yellowish paint.

[killir duck]

nope Oregon grape doesn't grow here. thanks CMB I will give it a try

[loefflerchuck]

Oregon grape grows in most of Montana. Looks like a little holly plant. Get a book on primitive earth paints.

[M-P]

My brother made dye stain by adding steel wool into a jar of white vinager after two weeks to a month it turned dark red, he put it ond a osage bow and it made it look like red oak stain finish.

Iron in vinegar is something I use to stain oak.   On oak  ( and perhaps other high tannin woods) the result is a dark gray to black.     Ron

[JackCrafty]

The most stable paints will be made from ground mineral pigments.  Plant dyes will change color over time.

Charcoal is good for black.  Soot is 10 times better.  Artists call soot "lamp black".
Rust is good for, well, rust.  You can try heating the rust for a different shade.
You can get various brownish colors from good 'ole dirt. Mix with oil for a darker color.

These three colors (black, red, brown) are the most common colors seen on Amerindian artifacts, for obvious reasons.

For other colors, the easiest thing to do is go to your local supermarket and cruise the juice isle.  You can find mostly purples, reds, and oranges there.  Cruise the condiments isle next.  Mustard makes a great yellow dye. 

[killir duck]

just looked at oregon grape on wikipedia and i'm sure i've never seen it around here before, but i'll keep my eye open for it. this morning i tried making paint out of a piece of scorio rock first i took a piece of glass and scraped the rock until i had about 2 tablespoons or so of very fine dust then i mixed it with warm hide glue i tried it on a scrap of HHB and it worked really good it's a real dark red and looks great. i'm still working on the charcoal but so far it looks great.

[M-P]

  Mustard makes a great yellow dye. 

I believe the color in most "yellow mustard"  comes from the addition of turmeric.    Just using turmeric alone might give a brighter, or more stable color.     TRon