Specialized Workshops in Color & Medium

We offer both hands-on and demonstration-based instruction in the production of paints for industry professionals.
We invite you to step into the workshop to explore the raw materials of our trade, transforming earth, plants, and minerals into professional-grade media.
Our curriculum focuses on working with the raw materials that we sell in the shop.

Classes by Co-founders Roger Daniolo Carmona and Rachael Fischer:
- 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 from scratch.
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.
- French Polishing: French Polish is a centuries-old traditional craft renowned for producing the clearest wood finish with unparalleled depth and beauty.
These sessions are intended for those who want to gain a deeper physical understanding of raw materials. Whether you are looking to develop 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

A split-screen presentation showing a man speaking at a screen on the left and hands working with a small bottle and white material on a table on the right, with text banners at the bottom.

In Person & Zoom

Part 1: Grounds | Part 2: Water-based | Part 3: Oil-based

Crash Courses in Four Parts

Crash Courses are demonstration-based discussions (not hands-on) that aim to demystify the use of pigments and raw materials. Each Crash Course focuses on a specific paint application. We explain how different types of pigments behave in each recipe. Crash Courses do not have to be taken in order. CRASH COURSES ARE OFFERED IN PERSON AND ON ZOOM. If you are signing up, be careful to choose the appropriate one for you.

We recommend taking notes!
An archived video of this Crash Course will be available for 2 weeks. You do not need to be present to watch the class later.
We will send out the Zoom link along with a class worksheet on Friday night, the night before the class.
CANCELLATION POLICY: You can cancel for a refund up to 3 DAYS BEFORE a class. This means that you have until Wednesday to cancel your registration for a Saturday class.
Our workshop area is on the basement level, and is only accessible by stairs.
Limited to 20 in person and 100 on Zoom.
Participants receive a 20% discount off purchases for seven days after the workshop.

(click on image for the sign up page)

Crash Course 3: Oil-based Paints
Oil paint made fresh is an accessible luxury. Working from dry pigments allows you to use pigments that are not commercially available (or too expensive) in tubes. Texture, opacity, luminosity, and drying times are all affected by pigment choice. The oil you choose also affects not just the drying time, but how much the painting may yellow as well. We'll start with basic paint, made in tiny batches, meant to be used on the day it's mulled. Then, we'll teach you how to make larger batches for storage in a tube or jar. We'll also cover oil-related additives such as siccative, aluminum hydroxide, chalk, stand oil, alkyd, and natural balsams.

August 29, 2026 - 11 AM to 2 PM
& December 12, 2026 - 11 AM to 2 PM EST.
Crash Course 1: Grounds and Pigments Classification
Learn the pros and cons of all the different sizing/gesso options: Rabbit skin glue, PVA, acrylic gesso, acrylic-cellulose hybrid binder. As will all paint recipes, the ratio of binder/pigment/chalk will be emphasized. Many painters who use premixed acrylic gesso take the particular surface that it creates for granted, and are often frustrated with it. Experimenting with gesso recipes is an underrated way to change the entire look of a painting right from the beginning.

October 17, 2026 - 11 AM to 2 PM

Crash Course 2: Water-based Paints, Part 1
The world of acrylics can be confusing because there are so many options. We’ll go over the vocabulary of acrylic mediums: pigment absorption, dilution ratios, flexibility, consolidation, gloss, viscosity. Watercolor and other water-based binders will also be discussed. Making paints into watercolors is a fairly straight-forward method that requires attention to the character of each pigment to get it right.

October 31, 2026 - 11 AM to 2 PM
Crash Course 2: Water-based Paints, EXTENDED
The first part of this Crash Course ended feeling like there was so much more to talk about. We decided to extend this subject and only focus on three binders: acrylic paint, egg tempera, distemper (animal glue).

The goal of this class is to make various acrylic mediums, demonstrate how to prepare the egg yolk, and point out the advantages of using animal glue distemper. Leave this class with a better understanding of why you might want to choose water-based paints for your practice.

November 14, 2026 - 11 AM - 1 PM