The Mystery of Organic Pottery Paint

[@freebirdcraftshop8339]

I have been watching your videos with my children this week as a homeschool unit for them. They are obsessed and so excited to try this out! We are in AZ so they noticed clay in our own backyard! Then we mentioned your videos to my dad and it turns out he has been to one of your workshops! Small world. Thank you for these amazing videos and the work you do! They are bringing great value to our family.

[@marrzcapanang]

So happy to have found your channel, I am a beginner with pottery - right now Im building my own kiln to be able to start with my envisioned projects. I can learn a lot from your videos, and especially I am happy you are into ancient process - just grateful!

[@AncientPottery]

Thank you so much.

[@danaitchison3232]

Thank you for another great video Andy, I especially enjoy the inclusion of the history and archaeology. You had mentioned that it was worth experimenting with other plants. I've heard of sunflower stalks being used. Is there a common characteristic between the plants that were preferred that would help seeking out other sources to experiment with ie. supposed high iron content, dark colored vegetation as opposed to light, etc? Thanks again!

[@AncientPottery]

The plants that the Pueblo Indians use are edible greens, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant and Tansy Mustard. But sunflowers aren’t edible so who knows.

[@chanaheszter168]

Wow, never thought about firing without a "proper" kiln until I saw your videos. No clue why not, obviously early people did not have electric Skutt kilns. I really want to try this now.

[@AncientPottery]

Do it! And thanks for watching.

[@henrikkiss3805]

I love indian culture and prehistoric ceramics and This is really good content! I like it so much! Thanks! Greetings from Hungary! :)

[@AncientPottery]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@seanjanescheerschmidt4585]

Glad I found your channel. I'm trying some wild harvesting out here in the great lakes area...in winter lol So much to learn!

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks for watching. There is definitely good clay to be found in that area although I imagine winter would make it a bit harder.

[@stauffap]

Very informative! Thanks!

[@AncientPottery]

You are welcome.

[@tonysoaresnativeclays1434]

Super Andy!

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks Tony!

[@kgm4349]

Well done- good information.

[@AncientPottery]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@andreslopez2427]

Que bien video, gracias por compartir, muy inspirador. Me encanta experimentar con sustancias organicas y que mejor que hacer una pintura diferente.

[@AncientPottery]

Gracias

[@ghadeerabuayyash9289]

Im soo glad i found your channel! Im so excited to learn and experiment new ways in clay... thank you soo much

[@AncientPottery]

You are welcome. I’m glad you are enjoying my content.

[@credenza1]

Very informative and inspiring.

[@AncientPottery]

Glad you think so!

[@janinacherin2523]

Wow I didn't know I would find something so amazing today while researching for my school project. I may not do this for it (I think it would be too time consuming at this point) but I'm definitely going to learn more about outdoor firing and creating organic pottery paints from plants! I live in Florida so I don't know how well this stuff can be done here, but I'd be interested in learning more! Thanks for sharing such cool and interesting work :) PS this was posted on my birthday

[@AncientPottery]

I'm so glad you enjoyed my video. There are probably a lot more videos you would like on my channel.

[@tonisee2]

Great info, thank you! Is the process of creating organic paint basically like reducing a sauce? I.e boiling plants or their parts in water till almost no water is left and then draining solid parts out? How long that paint can be stored or does it have to be stored in fridge?

[@AncientPottery]

I guess that sounds right although I have no experience with reducing sauces. It can be stored indefinitely if it is stored in the open, not covered. If it is sealed up it can ferment.

[@muzzammilmakrani1719]

Thanks sir for video Now i will try to make my own Paints

[@AncientPottery]

Go for it

[@sergiogonzalez6105]

Hi Andy, thank you for sharing, can you comment where I can buy the brushes you use for panting?

[@studiolomandra]

You are brilliant! I have learned so much!!! I'm in australia, I will be trying these techniques with iron bark and gum leaves

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks you, I hope it works out for you.

[@Markerface]

Please let me know how this goes and contact me if you could please send some il send some mesquite pods for you.

[@eric8527]

Great video, thank you Andy. How short should the firing process be- approximately?

[@AncientPottery]

Maybe a half hour or even less. It’s not so much about the time as the pot reaching temp and then having a very brief soak. Check out this video showing the firing process for organic paint kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWaagZmMiMmIi6M

[@velvis101]

Andy - another informative and enjoyable video. Thank you. I don’t know of a local source of smectite clay in my vicinity. Are there any commercial clays that will work?

[@AncientPottery]

Bentonite is a smectite clay that is commercially available, so is montmorillonite.

[@derwaldmensch5618]

How long should I fire the pot if I don't want the paint to burn of? Do I have to use cover scherds? Cool video!🙂

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks. You do not need cover sherds. Keep the fuel minimal to keep the fire brief, it’s a balancing act I am still trying to perfect. I have a video coming out a week from tomorrow (Nov 18) that you will want to see.

[@moh33]

thank you!

[@AncientPottery]

You're welcome!

[@tinaashworth8282]

I wonder if I can find light colored clay for slip here on the south Umpqua river area. Or around the Umpqua area valleys.

[@143meansily]

Thank you Andy, this helps out tremendously. I am working on traditional Mayan polychrome right now and I was curious if you knew how to incorporate other colors? The Mayan used five different.

[@AncientPottery]

I only have experience with black, white and red. Clint Swink has done some work recreating Mayan pottery, swinkart.com

[@Markerface]

The website has been compromised and is being used to gather your info you should warn the person who created this website

[@monicabalarezo4404]

I am really a beginner, maybe is very silly to ask but can I use charcoal to paint?

[@AncientPottery]

No, what I am doing in this video, using organic paint results in carbon (charcoal) painted designs.

[@brandengillette7794]

Perhaps you could use bentonite clay, which mainly consists of smectite. This can be easily sourced from unscented unused cat litter.

[@AncientPottery]

Yes, I have experimented with bentonite in the past, it can work but has a weird texture and can be difficult to apply as a slip.

[@fiddlefarts]

Fascinating, I live in Guaymas Sonora México, I was wondering if you would ever enlighten us on pottery on the other side of the border, Yaqui, Seri, Mayo styles of pottery. Great channel btw, I look forward to your future videos, especially on dyes.

[@AncientPottery]

I wish I knew more about the pottery of Sonora. I love traveling to Sonora and have been to Guaymas many times. Right now I need to see my dentist who is in Mexico and can’t cross the border. My book that I finished recently talks a bit about the Opatas of Sonora. Have you seen this video about Seri pottery? kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2Lcm3-sfcSHopI

[@fiddlefarts]

@@AncientPottery No I havent, but thanks for the link! I can imagine why you would come to Mexico for dental care, dentist in the states are oscenely expensive. Take care.

[@brendavanhandel8289]

🤔so..let me think this thru with you Andy...if we fire too hot , then the organic paint can fade off...so is that a good indication that you had a good hot fire.? And the pottery should be pretty much ceramic...unless your clay was not up to par ? I recently did a test fire and some of the organic black burned off, but left a shadow , and some of the test bowls were easily broken...so I was thinking ,the fire was not hot enough. Some shards I've found break easily into with my hands...and some of the same size ,I could not break unless I used a hammer. Is that because of the hot enough fire , or the grade of clay ?

[@AncientPottery]

Yes, hardness is an indication of temperature but can also be effected by the quality of the clay and the amount of temper (more temper = weaker pottery). The key takeaway from this video though is that you need the right kind of clay to apply the organic paint to. If you are not using a smectite clay you will not get black designs.

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

Thank you for another fascinating and informative video! I’ve heard that the pigments used in mineral paint need to be mixed with some sort of organic component(s) to bind them to the pot during firing. Is this true?

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks. You can add an organic binder, it helps the paint stick to the pot before firing and gives the paint more viscosity to stick to the brush and flow onto the pot etc. But it is not required. I have a couple of videos on mineral paint that covers this subject in depth.

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

Andy Ward's Ancient Pottery Thanks!

[@6bonjour]

Very informative and well done, thank you. With a quick low temp firing what effect does it have on the clay. Does it vitrify? How strong is the pot?

[@AncientPottery]

No, I don't believe it vitrifies, it produces a rather soft earthenware. But that is what they used for everyday pottery at that time. They probably just planned on replacing pots frequently.

[@germancardenas5331]

So nice. Thanks Andy. Do you know what the plant must contain so it works?

[@AncientPottery]

I have heard potters say that iron in the plants is the key ingredient but I am not convinced. There needs to be more science done to understand what is going on with this organic paint and exactly why it works like it does.

[@germancardenas5331]

@@AncientPottery Thanks for your reply Andy. What do you think we can use here un South America?

[@immanuelypsi4151]

Thank you for your response on my question about Black Walnut. Living in Michigan I am not able to make a quick trip to AZ to get the Smectite Clay to make the slip. I remember in one of your videos you mentioned a resource for the materials you use but cannot find it again. Can you please give me that resource again. Also thank you for the instructions on make the Puke

[@AncientPottery]

This might be the resource you are looking for a page that lists what you need to make primitive pottery and commercial substitutes ancientpottery.how/primitive-pottery-supply-list/ Also, I just put a smectite clay slip on my store today, this may allow you to try organic painted pottery. The secret ingredient to making organic paint work isn’t the paint itself, almost any plant will work and I recently has a successful test using Mrs Butterworth syrup. The secret is having the right clay slip which this is. ancientpottery.how/product/smectite-clay-slip-for-organic-painted-pottery/

[@immanuelypsi4151]

@@AncientPottery Thank you. I noticed your addition and purchased some for experimentation. Having just started this type of pottery I have found what looks to be a good clay source. After processing it I found it to be very plastic, rolled well and circles the finger with no issue. However, when I pat it out into a pancake and lay it over a 6 in ball it cracks bad. I think I may have too much temper (but I measured carefully) I am processing a new batch and will try mixing some fo the two together to dilute the percentage of temper.

[@dogsdroolllquinavancepasre6756]

I just learned that in Morocco they use pine tar to paint pottery. Would you know how that process is done I can’t find anything on it?

[@AncientPottery]

A lot of Native groups in my area used pine tar to seal baskets. I would be worried about it tainting the flavor of food or water in the pot, but I think it would work. Here is one video I found kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGemmmWQbqeoirM

[@dogsdroolllquinavancepasre6756]

@@AncientPottery Thank you 😊

[@chickadeeacres3864]

I love all things primitive. Thanks for sharing. Question: Are you just adding water to your organic paint? It seems counter intuitive since you had to double boiler heat it to melt/soften it.

[@AncientPottery]

Yes, just add water to rehydrate it, then leave it out and it will dry back into a plastic-like substance.

[@royjulian1002]

Hi Andy-great video on the paint! I have finally obtained some white smectite clay (bentonite) and have levigated it as you instructed, but I cannot seem to get the nice, yogurt-like or almost mayonasse-like texture that you have in your white paint. Mine is either quite watery or if I let more of the water evaporate out it quickly becomes thicker, and sluggy but not creamy like yours seems to be. Any suggests as to what I am doing wrong? Are there any other additions to the white paint that help with the texture. Thanks Much!

[@AncientPottery]

All clay is different and I have experienced a wide range of textures in slip clay. I purchased some Wyoming bentonite through Amazon a couple of years back and it had a very odd texture which made it difficult to apply as a slip. I can't say I have an easy fix for you, do your best with what you have or go out and try a different clay slip.

[@judycook9]

What part of a sunflower plant would you use to boil for paint?

[@AncientPottery]

Everything but the roots. Stems, leaves, buds, seedheads, everything.

[@precidesmartinez1368]

Can you apply it a dry pot or even a fired one.

[@AncientPottery]

I always paint on dry pots but have never tried painting on a fired pot so not sure how that would work.

[@swethaajith162]

Your videos are so inspiring and i am very happy to found your channel.I have one doubt.Is this ancient painting method can be used for glazed pottery..???Is there any natural method for that glazing effect..?Can you please reply me..?

[@AncientPottery]

The only way to achieve glaze at the low temperatures achieved through outdoor pottery firings is with lead based glaze. Which of course carries health risks.

[@swethaajith162]

@@AncientPottery Thank you for your reply.

[@baidarka-guy]

If you happen to leave it to long and burn off the organic paint, does it work(will it bond) to repaint the organic part and refire it? Or is it a one time shot at getting it right? Thanks

[@AncientPottery]

I have never tried repainting so not sure

[@marioncodner]

awesome video !!

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks!!

[@aristocrat_000G]

have you ever fired the pots in a weber grill?

[@AncientPottery]

No but I believe it could be done

[@aestheticenergyinc.9614]

is it food safe also any colored options

[@AncientPottery]

"Food safe" is a funny term. I will explore how to use unglazed earthenware for cooking in next week's video. Colors for organic paint? Organic paint is always black after firing because it carbonizes in the fire.

[@thelittlethingskate9567]

Are bentonite and smectite the same? Meaning, can they be used interchangeably as a slip?

[@AncientPottery]

Smectite is a broad category of clay, bentonite is a type of smectite clay. Some bentonite clay does work for organic paint, but because I cannot get clay affordably tested, I cannot learn what type of smectite works the best. All I can say for sure is that smectite clay is required to turn organic paint into black designs and some smectite works better than others.

[@thelittlethingskate9567]

@@AncientPottery thank you Andy!

[@Slaughterk360]

Is there other places in the northwest area to gather these materials

[@AncientPottery]

The northwestern United States? I have no idea of any material sources in that part of the world, but I'm sure it could be done with some effort.

[@Slaughterk360]

Yes I live in western Washington we have loads and loads of clay everywhere but in eastern Washington or Oregon they have area like “painted hills “ and that’s a super red and yellow looking material

[@mihaiilie8808]

I will try colored regular cherry ,thick jam juice.I am sure that the black in the organic paint its just the carbon from the sugar.

[@AncientPottery]

I believe that is correct, which is why just about any plant can work.

[@rendybreland7624]

Do you know what type of ingredient may have been used in Mississippian Nodena pottery?

[@AncientPottery]

No idea, but probably pretty similar to what I use. There is a Facebook group called "Primitive Pottery" that might be a good place to ask this question.

[@adamfox4765]

So is there any highway road cuts around Saint John's to find white smectite clay or even red that you're willing to share

[@AncientPottery]

Most of that good white runs parallel to hwy 180 and about 5 miles north of that road. But there are a couple of decent veins of white clay in the cut on the south side of 180 just south of the Stinking Springs Mountains. I have not found any good red around St Johns yet, my best red comes from the yellow clay that is common in the hills south of Clay Springs, Arizona.

[@adamfox4765]

@@AncientPottery can't thank you enough. My family and I had an awesome day today hiking around the snow-capped mountains in St John's. Found some really nice hematite as well. Thanks

[@AncientPottery]

@@adamfox4765 What the? Snow capped mountains near St Johns, Arizona?

[@adamfox4765]

@@AncientPottery I'll send a picture to your email

[@whitegrizzly4285]

Can u use kaolin clay?

[@AncientPottery]

You can but the organic paint won’t work so you will need to paint with a mineral based paint.

[@userjl2o148]

Could you use charcoal?

[@AncientPottery]

I have never tried charcoal but I don't think it would work because the organic paint soaks into the slip where it is protected from burning away. But the charcoal would sit on the surface and burn away. Just my ideas though so give it a shot if you want and let me know how it goes.

[@FoxDrinksTea]

Why is it that smectite clay is needed when working with organic paints? why not other clays?

[@latetodagame1892]

How can I get ahold of some of your work?

[@AncientPottery]

It’s for sale on my website at AncientPottery.how

[@bobgalka]

Andy.. thanks for doing all that research and sharing it with us.. when I first started making black on white pottery in the Mimbres style the only thing I was able to find about the black paint was that it was made from bee weed a wild native spinach. But later read that the bee weed... although it contained some iron as spinach does.. was mainly used a the binder. It said that they added mineral pigments to the bee weed... have you heard anything like that? it kinda made sense to me at the time.

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks Bob. Mimbres paint is mineral paint made from hematite, they may or may not have used an organic binder such as Rocky Mountain Bee Plant. Considering that Bee Plant is not common in the Mimbres Valley it was probably something else such as Tansy Mustard which is what they use at Hopi.

[@robsmith6961]

When I paint on the slip it made the pottery crack, any help? Not all of the pottery but a few nice thin pots and bowls WITH ORGANIC AND EARTH PIGMENTS SLIPS AND PAINTS ALSO CLAY SLIP WHITE AND RED. THANKS ANDY ARE YOU ON THE ROAD YET ? ROB

[@AncientPottery]

Be careful painting slip on bone-dry pottery, it can rehydrate the clay and cause cracks. That is why I slip while the pottery is still damp. If you want to slip dry pottery paint on one thin slip, then let dry, then another thin slip, then dry, and repeat until you get what you need.

[@mihailvormittag6211]

👍

[@tukorn5863]

1. wet pot > painting slip > painting organic paint > firing (for reduction firing?) 2. wet pot > painting slip > firing > painting organic paint > firing (for oxidation firing?) I want to know details of each firing methods

[@AncientPottery]

No, you have it wrong. The oxidation fired pottery is not fired twice, the process is the same for both, only the firing method differs. Check out these two videos for more details kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWaagZmMiMmIi6M and kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZrFqISNlq2lkLM

[@ricardoortiz820]

How long do I cook the yucca fruit

[@AncientPottery]

A couple hours

[@amospena2046]

Can one just use clay as a paint?

[@AncientPottery]

Of course if you have clays of different colors

[@edstud1]

How can I obtain some smectite clay!

[@AncientPottery]

I sell it in my website ancientpottery.how/product/smectite-clay-slip-for-organic-painted-pottery/

[@olwillypaul8324]

Smash that Like

[@AncientPottery]

2021 style.

[@TemplarX2]

Red iron oxide 0:56 ? Do you mean rust?

[@AncientPottery]

You could use rust or natural hematite stones. But "red iron oxide" is a material that you can purchase at a ceramics store or online amzn.to/3tAi20l

[@loldiers3238]

*CE

[@chokebeer5296]

Coolest youtube channel ever.

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks! Now I need about 30,000 more people just like you so I can get my silver play button.

[@jasonwilliams4555]

Next time you get up towards show low..please contact me ..I want to take you to a place covered in pottery

[@AncientPottery]

I’m there right now. Camping at Concho Lake. Use the contact form on my website ancientpottery.how/contact-us/

[@jasonwilliams4555]

@@AncientPottery I tried sending my contact info hope ya got it..