the MAIWA BLOG: April 2024

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MAIWA WORKSHOPS ONLINE

These are in-depth workshops delivered through engaging high-definition videos. Our instructors skillfully guide students accompanied by detailed notes.

Workshops commence in May but students are free to work at their own pace. New content is delivered on a weekly basis until the course is complete. Students have access to workshops for three years from the date of purchase.

Our workshops are delivered on the teachable platform. To get a sense of how it works you may enrol in any of our free workshops or watch our documentaries as free lessons.

Click the button below to see all our online workshops.

maiwa.teachable.com

The first workshop of its kind.

A pathway through modern science organized around the study of natural dyes. From the atom and molecular diagrams to the reduction and oxidation of indigo, to acids and bases, and all the way up to the complexity of tannin-mordant dye chemistry.

Learn why the study of natural dyes is one of the most engaging ways to investigate matter and materials.

In this workshop students will open up one of the most colourful mysteries of all time — why plants give colour and how this colour is preserved on textile fibres. The course will bring students along on a voyage of discovery through human ingenuity and exploration.

We will follow the history of scientific progress alongside the development of craft, and the materials of craft: the production of alkalies from burning plants, the production of pigments by putting these alkalies to use, the production of dye molecules inside plants, why oxidation happens and how it transforms an indigo leaf from green foliage into a blue pigment. How a few functional groups (the magnificent seven) explain the formation of tannins, solubility and acidity. We journey to the very heart of colour and discover what it is that produces the hues we love — at the molecular level.

This workshop will most benefit the experienced dyer, or the artisan who has a strong curiosity about materials — especially mordants. It will also benefit those who work alongside natural colour — teachers, archivists, conservators, researchers and historians. Our explorations will be mainly process based, and qualitative, if you can handle weight of fibre calculation — you will be comfortable in this course.

This is an ideas-based workshop driven by wonder and curiosity about dyes, dyeing, and the natural world. There are no textile projects in this class.

Over 130 lessons in 18 modules covering everything from ions to indigo.

Comprehensive videos for each module, providing clear explanations with animated diagrams and text.

Over 220 pages of fully illustrated course notes available as downloadable PDFs, including references and links to both video and print support materials.

An online quiz for each module so that you can review key concepts.

Natural Dyes: Alchemy, Chemistry, Craft

See the trailer here.

Learn to successfully mordant cellulose and protein fibres. Work with cloth and yarns to achieve vibrant, clear colours using classic natural dyes.

In this workshop students will make over 18 separate dye-baths on a variety of fibre types (including wool, cotton, linen, silk, and hemp/cotton). The results will be shifted with iron and indigo for a complex palette. Exhaust baths will be used and these will also be shifted with a modified indigo vat. Students will receive an introduction to shaped resist and indigo dyeing. Throughout the course students will receive professional instruction from Maiwa founder Charllotte Kwon and her daughter Sophena Kwon.

45 evocative instructional videos.

Work with 11 natural dyes including indigo.

Build dye pots from 18 recipes, shift colours with iron and overdye with indigo.

Complete the course with close to 100 different colours ... and a whole new appreciation for the magic of natural dyes.

The Natural Dye Workshop

See the trailer here.

If you could paint with natural dyes

— imagine what you could do.

See natural dyes in a whole new way. Join us as we unlock the secrets of how to place mordants and dyes exactly where you want them.

Learn to make a paste out of either a mordant or a dye and place it on cloth with paint brushes, stencils, printing blocks or brush pens. Experience the dramatic contrasts available from ferrous and tannin combinations. Learn how to effectively finish your work and how to combine immersion techniques with direct application. Feel your creative world expand as you gain the power to blend all the beautiful colours that mordant dyes can give.

Over 40 detailed instructional videos with written instructions and downloadable PDF's.

Over 25 demonstration projects.

Preparation of dye extracts, mordants, and printing pastes with clear, step by step instructions.

Works taken from blank cloth to finished piece so you can see the entire process.

Print & Paint with Natural Dyes

See the trailer here.

Discover the power of oxides to create incredibly textured patterns. When combined with tannins and the blue potential of indigo, a new creative world opens up.

In this workshop students will rust print with flat metal and learn bundling techniques to work with sculptural pieces. The class will make two tannin baths to selectively shift colour while working with binding resist. Additional immersion techniques will be taught with ferrous, tannin, and calcium. A special rust-tea bath will be used to give dramatic results on cloth. Finally students will explore the magic of an iron-reduced indigo vat. This is a very creative exploration of the transformative power of materials to create novel marks and patterns.

38 evocative instructional videos.

Work with 7 unique immersion baths including indigo.

Learn a variety of binding techniques including clamp, wrap, and shaped resist.

Complete the course with a body of work exploring the remarkable patterning potential of tannins, oxides and indigo.

Tannins, Oxides & Indigo Workshop

See the trailer here.

Learn the process of making both pigmented and non-pigmented inks, including classics like iron gall ink as well as inks made from natural dyes like cochineal and lake pigments like weld.

In this workshop students will make a range of inks including water soluble and waterproof inks. The workshop will explore papers, and the basis of pointed pen (flexible) writing. Students will learn how to generalize the procedure of ink making so that it may be applied to any organic or mineral matter. The workshop will also present a discussion of journaling, writing, books, and creativity.

21 documentary-style instructional videos.

Work with a range of materials including indigo, carbon black, cochineal, weld, gum Arabic and shellac.

Learn about ink making as a way to explore materials.

Consider the history of writing and ink and the future of your own creative practice

The Ink Making Workshop

See the trailer here.

Learn to build a range of indigo vats including organic vats made with fruits, the iron vat, and vats made with plants. Learn a wealth of introductory and advanced shaped resist techniques on silk, linen, and cotton. Learn how to handle materials in the dye vat to get the most from indigo.

In this workshop students will be taken, step-by-step, through the process of making a number of indigo vats, including three organic "fruit vats." Students will learn not only how to make a vat but also how to maintain it, revive it, and put it to bed. The different vats will be explored through the use of many forms of shaped resist - including bound, clamp and stitch resist. An astonishing array of patterning is possible through these techniques. Students will learn how to adjust vats for different fibre types and conditions.

35 detailed instructional videos.

All shaped resist techniques shown with clear, step by step instructions.

Works taken from blank cloth to finished piece so you can see the entire process.

An in-depth explanation of the chemistry of indigo extraction and indigo vats so you can learn how and why they work.

Discover why indigo is the worlds most magical dye.

Journey Into Indigo

See the trailer here.