My First Attempt at Making a Natural Jamun Lake Pigment

Not long ago, I found myself drawn to the idea of making colours from the natural world. As someone who enjoys both ceramics and chemistry, I became curious about how natural pigments are extracted, how they behave, and whether they could become stable artist’s colours.

Jamun was one of the first materials I chose to explore. Its rich purple colour made it an exciting place to begin, but I quickly realised that extracting colour is only a small part of the process. Preserving it and understanding how it changes with different conditions is where the real learning begins.

Over several days, I experimented with extraction methods, acidity, alum, and pigment precipitation while carefully documenting every stage.

(Add your observations here. Mention the colour changes, pigment settling, unexpected results, or anything that surprised you.)

This is still an ongoing experiment, but it has already changed the way I look at colour. Rather than searching for perfect results, I have begun appreciating the process of observation, experimentation, and learning from natural materials themselves.