Learn to Forage and Process Your Own Natural Pigments with ‘The Mushroom Color Atlas’

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Art
Books
Craft
Nature

#color
#color theory
#Julie Beeler
#mushrooms

August 21, 2024

Kate Mothes

an overview of mushrooms and materials used to make them into natural pigments and dyes, such as brushes and a pestle and mortar

All images © Julie Beeler and Chronicle Books, shared with permission

In terms of genes, humans are actually more closely related to mushrooms than plants! That’s because key characteristics—how we store energy, how our cells are built, and our ability to produce Vitamin D when exposed to the sunlight—are found in fungi but not trees or grass. And that’s only the beginning of our fascination with the mycological world, which yields an endless source of inspiration for avid forager, educator, and artist Julie Beeler.

Beeler’s new book, The Mushroom Color Atlas: A Guide to Dyes and Pigments Made From Fungi, dives into the chromatic world of mushrooms. Published by Chronicle Books, the volume is part field guide and part how-to, shepherding readers through identifying different species, harvesting, and distilling a range of hues. The author has collected 500 swatches to illustrate the phenomenal range of natural colors that can be made from different varieties.

While Beeler provides step-by-step instructions for making your own hues, above all The Mushroom Color Atlas emphasizes foraging and hand-processing pigments as a way to more intimately connect with nature, sparking the joy of discovery through creativity and exploration. Grab your copy in the Colossal Shop, and you might also enjoy browsing through the chromatic world of fungus on the project’s website.

an illustration of yellow and brown mushrooms that can be used to make pigments

an spread of a book about pigments made from mushrooms, showing an overview of mushrooms and processing materials like a knife and a scale

an illustration of yellow mushrooms that can be used to make pigments a spread from a book about mushroom pigments, showing pink and red color swatches

an illustration of different mushrooms that can be used to make pigments an overview of mushrooms and processing materials like a strainer, coffee filters, vials, and trays used to make natural pigments and dyes

an illustration of a mushroom shown with a cross-section

the cover of the book ‘The Mushroom Color Atlas,’ featuring illustrations of mushrooms and color swatches made from them

#color
#color theory
#Julie Beeler
#mushrooms

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