Specialized Workshops in Color & Medium
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Most modern artists are separated from their tools by a store shelf. Our workshops are designed to close that gap. We offer both hands-on and demonstration-based instruction in the production paints, gesso, and painting mediums.
We invite you to step into the studio to explore the raw materials of our trade, transforming earth, plants, and minerals into professional-grade artistic media.
Our curriculum focuses on working with the raw materials that we sell in the shop.
Classes by Roger and Rachael:- Hands-On Paint Making: Transition from raw pigment to finished product. We cover the physics of mulling watercolors and oils, focusing on load, grind, and binder ratios. All tools and materials are provided.
- Crash Courses: These demonstration based classes are designed to get you acquainted with foundational techniques and method. Each Crash Course focuses on a specific medium- gesso, watercolor, acrylic, and oils. After a Crash Course, you'll feel ready to explore making paint in your own studio.
- Hands-On Paint Making: Transition from raw pigment to finished product. We cover the physics of mulling watercolors and oils, focusing on load, grind, and binder ratios. All tools and materials are provided.
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Workshops and Lectures by guest teachers:
- Natural Dyeing: An plant-based exploration of natural color theory, fiber preparation, and the use of mordants to achieve durable, light-fast results on fabric.
- Paper Marbling: A technical dive into the traditional methods of floating pigment, controlling surface tension printing patterns from the water's surface.
- Natural Pigment Processing: How minerals and plants are transformed into high quality pigments for painters.
These sessions are intended for artists, designers, conservators, and educators who want to gain a deeper understanding of physical art materials. Whether you are looking to forage your own pigments or simply want to know why certain paints behave the way they do, our workshops provide the technical foundation to expand your practice.
Upcoming Workshops
Marbling With Handmade Paint w/ Sheryl Oppenheim
"Marbling With Handmade Paint" Hands-On Workshop
(Sold Out)
ABOUT THIS CLASS:
Participants Will:
- Learn how to mix handmade marbling paint from dry pigments
- Learn the physics of using a marbling tray
- Practice making stone and shell patterns with handmade paint
- Make 10-15 sheets of marbled paper
About the class:
This immersive full-day workshop is split in two parts, with a break for lunch. All materials and tools are provided. In the morning session, you will learn how to make handmade paint according to the 19th-century Fichtenberg recipe. This recipe was originally translated by Garrett Dixon and then re-published and taught by Dan and Regina St. John (of Chena River Marblers) in their manual “Contemporary Classic Marbling.” Each student will be responsible for mulling 1-2 paints to share with the rest of the class.
The afternoon session will be an introduction to paper marbling using the paints you made. The class will focus on making stone patterns, as well as the shell pattern, a variation of the stone pattern, which can be made by adding oil to the paints. Each student will have their own tray to work in. Depending on working speed and complexity of the patterns, participants will make 10-15 sheets of 12x15’’ marbled paper.
*There may or may not be leftover paint, but if you are interested in taking a small amount of paint home with you, please bring your own small (2-4oz) lidded jars.
*Wear studio clothes and/or an apron.
*Please note that rabbit skin glue and ox gall are used in these marbling methods, and cannot be substituted to make vegan recipes.
*This class takes place in our mezzanine workshop area, which is only accessible by a flight of steps.
About the instructor:
Sheryl Oppenheim was born in 1983, raised in Orlando, Florida, and now lives in New York City. She is a paper marbler and maker of illegible books, an idea she first became interested in after seeing the work of Bruno Munari, and through her proximity to books, bookbinders, and marbled paper at her first job in New York, at a bookbinding supply house. She began marbling paper in 2011. Her work is rooted in an aspiration to practice marbling techniques at the highest skill level, combined with a devotion to beauty, surprise, and feeling through color and form.
Her work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Watson Library, the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Museum, the National Gallery of Art Library, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts, among others. She was included in Pattern and Flow: A Golden Age of American Decorated Paper 1960s to 2000s, published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2022, as one of a new generation of artists who are carrying forward the tradition of paper marbling in America.
All images courtesy of Sheryl Oppenheim
Handmade Lake Pigments & Inks w/ Natalie Stopka
"Handmade Lake Pigments & Inks" Hands-On Workshop
From Plant to Pigment by Natalie Stopka
ABOUT THIS CLASS:
Learn to transform the liquid hues of botanical dyes into vibrant pigments with Natalie Stopka, author of From Plant to Pigment. This workshop delves into the history, chemistry, and hands-on practice of ink making with natural lake pigments. Utilizing the most lightfast color sources (weld, madder, lac, and indigo) we’ll concoct a mini palette: four bottles of liquid gouache for use with a brush or dip pen. We’ll also mull over the history of color, with snippets from the artist’s studio, monastic scriptorium, and alchemist’s laboratory.
Natalie Stopka is an artist and educator focused on the material history of color and sustainable studio practice. She captures material and elemental interactions in her experimental printmaking practice, incorporating a seasonally-changing vocabulary of plant dyes and handmade pigments. Natalie’s studio and dye garden are located in Yonkers, New York. She is the author of "From Plant to Pigment: How to make your own vibrant inks, pastels and paints" (Skittledog, 2025).
*Please note: This will take place in our downstairs workshop space which is only accessible by stairs.
Photo courtesy of Natalie Stopka
Make Your Own Watercolor w/ Rachael Fischer (sold out)
"Make Your Own Watercolor" Hands-On Workshop, 8 full pans
Watercolor Box small, empty
ABOUT THIS CLASS:
Working with an variety of dry pigments, you will learn the basics of making your own watercolor paints in pans. We will discuss the characteristics of different pigment "families" and how they behave in watercolor. The pigments used for the class are selected by the instructor; participants will choose 8 from the options provided. All necessary tools and ingredients will be provided for use during the class. In order to keep the cost of the class low, a metal watercolor palette is not included, but we will have them for sale separately if you'd like one.
Bring an apron or wear "studio clothes." The pans will be wet/liquid at the end of the class, so we recommend bringing them straight home afterward. If you have plans after the class, you're welcome to leave your paints to dry at the shop, and pick them up later.
Rachael Fischer (Co-founder of New York Pigment Co.) is a painter who works primarily in watercolor. She taught hands-on watercolor classes at Kremer Pigments NYC for 10 years. Rachael's approach to teaching beginners encourages observation and trial-and-error. We will discuss some specific recipes, but this class is more about getting to use a variety of pigments and get a feel for the medium and mixing techniques.
*Please note: This will take place in our downstairs workshop space which is only accessible by stairs.
(THIS CLASS IS SOLD OUT)
Past Workshops
Natalie Stopka Book Talk w/ Q&A
ABOUT THIS EVENT:
Join author Natalie Stopka to celebrate the publication of From Plant to Pigment: How to make your own vibrant inks, pastels and paints. This studio manual published by Skittledog Books guides artists in transforming botanical dyes into vibrant lake pigments.
From Plant to Pigment explicates the fundamental techniques and chemistry, extending the applications of natural dye colors into expanded artistic media including handmade pigments, paints, and pastels. Inspired by the history and craft of color-making, Natalie is an artist and educator devoted to the material culture of color. In this book talk, she invites us into her studio, sharing the way she has divested her practice of non-renewable synthetics in favor of homegrown color. She’ll also share a lake pigment demonstration, a peek at the 200+ colors she concocted testing recipes for the book, and take your questions.
If you would like to purchase a copy of "From Plant to Pigment" to pick up on the day you attend this event, please select "In-Store Pick-up" at checkout.
Saturday, March 7th, 3-6PM
Azurite MP, extra dark, coarse, 100 - 125 µ, PB 30
Lecture & Demo by Michael Price
Want to learn more about the material science of Renaissance pigments?🔬🎨
Join us for an in-depth lecture by artist, author, and color historian Michael Price as he examines the physical, optical and practical significance of mineral pigments in European painting.
The lecture draws upon research from Price’s comprehensive book, “Renaissance Mysteries.” Rigorously researched, this publication is an essential resource for artists, art historians, and conservation scientists, offering a critical look at the natural materials and spatial proportions utilized by Renaissance painters.
Among other things, he will demonstrate the preparation of azurite pigment in a casein solution. For centuries, this basic copper carbonate mineral was a foundational blue for the Old Masters. Price will deconstruct the relationship between particle size and pigment hue, historical extraction methods, and how artists navigated its behavioral characteristics within traditional binding mediums.
To bring this historical practice into your own studio, we are proud to carry the full line of Azurite and Malachite “MP” pigments by Kremer Pigmente. 10201 Azurite MP Extra Dark, Coarse (100-125 µ) is in stock now, with more to follow soon.
This specific grade represents a breakthrough in historical preservation. It employs a proprietary protein-coating process developed by Michael Price himself to prevent the color shift that has long plagued azurite in acidic environments like linseed oil. Backed by conservation analysis of Van Eyck paintings—which revealed similar protein coatings on original pigments—Azurite MP stabilizes its distinctive blue tone, offering modern reliability for oil, tempera, watercolor, and acrylic painters alike.
⭐️ Cost: Free
🗓️ Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026
⏰ Time: 3-5 PM EST.
📍 Location: Online via Zoom OR In-Person at New York Pigment Co. (BUT only 3 spots left!)
Register for Zoom attendance via Eventbrite, acquire a copy of Michael Price’s foundational text, and shop the exclusive Azurite MP pigment.
Books on Paint
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Renaissance Mysteries by Michael Price
Precio habitual $90.00Precio habitual -
From Plant to Pigment by Natalie Stopka
Precio habitual $23.00Precio habitual$24.99Precio de oferta $23.00Oferta -
Kremer Pigmente Historical Ink Recipes
Precio habitual $6.50Precio habitual -
Kremer Pigmente Recipe Book
Precio habitual $25.95Precio habitual
