Hoopla Update 2

Back again with the Hoopla set, this time I’ve been working on the paints. It’s taking a lot of trial and error but I’ve managed to make some of the pigment powders I’ll need to make into paint. The first one I tried to work on was blue pigment, to do this I used red cabbage and boiled it for an hour until the water was a really strong purple. I then strained this into a jar and while it was still warm I added xanthan gum and alum powder to make it throth into a thicker foam and leave it to settle over night. The next day I then strained it through some muslin cloth and let it dry for a week until it was solid and I could turn it into powder.

Unfortunatley beetroots weren’t as easy to get a good colour from as red cabbage. With a bit of experementation I found that I needed to add a bit of vinegar and change the ratio of xanthan gum and alum powder or it would just become brown.

The third colour I made was pink, which surprisingly enough comes from avocado! Using the stones from an avocado I was able to follow the same process as red cabbage and was able to make a pink!

The last 2 colours to make are yellow and green. I intend to use turmeric for the yellow and as that is already purchasable as a powder that one is easy. The green I’ve heard can be a bit of a challege, either using nettles or spiniach. As it is getting closer to the deadline for the exhibition I’m intending to test if I can combine the yellow and blue to make a green.