Unique handmade art gift set, 8 natural inks and A7 leather sketchbook, gift for artist, travel art set, eco-friendly gift, artists hotsell gift

This unique gift set contains everything you need to start exploring botanical inks, including 8 handmade natural inks, a handbound leather sketchbook, and a dip pen and brush. A one of a kind gift for an eco-conscious artist, or a perfect travel set for sketching, art journaling or painting.

These botanical inks are handmade in tiny batches from responsibly foraged or sustainably sourced plant materials and carefully processed to coax out their colours. The inks are beautiful when used individually, or mixing shades together creates a beautiful range of unique tones and textures.

This gift set includes:

* A vintage tin containing 8 x 5ml vials of handcrafted botanical inks

* An A7 landscape format leather covered sketchbook with 20 hand-torn pages (ie 40 useable sides of) high quality 320gsm 100% cotton Khadi watercolour paper. Page size is approximately 105 x 74mm, and the overall size of the closed sketchbook is approximately 115 x 95mm. (can be exchanged for a vegan cork sketchbook on request)

* A metal binder clip to hold the sketchbook open

* a medium natural bristle calligraphy brush

* a bamboo dip pen

* a twig pencil

* a dropper to decant the inks

All nestled in a letterbox-friendly kraft box. I'm always happy to include a hand-written gift tag on request, and I offer a gift-wrapping service for that extra special touch.

Inks included in this set are:

* Coreopsis Orange – a deep, rich burnt orange made from Plains Coreopsis flowers
* Pomegranate Gold – a strong, clear cool yellow made from food waste – wonderful for mixing greens
* Iron Buckthorn Berry – A mossy olive green made from berries and rust water
* Chicha Morado – a wonderful deep purple made from heritage purple corn
* Weeping Willow Bark – a cool, slightly textured brown with pinkish tones – excellent for fungi, fur and feathers.
* Black Walnut – a rich, warm brown ink made from slow-fermented foraged walnut husks
* Iron Aronia Berry – A soft silver grey made from foraged berries & rust water

Please note, the vintage tins may have been in use for many years before being upcycled to their latest incarnation, so they do have patina, marks and scrapes! I think this adds to their unique charm, but please see my other listings for gift sets in new tins.

Due to the nature of materials, the exact shade and finish of the sketchbook cover and tie may vary from the example shown. Leather is a natural material and may have marks and imperfections, which add to it's character.

All of my inks and paints are carefully handmade in tiny batches for use in my own nature journal and art practice. Part of the charm and character of natural inks is that every batch is different depending on the season, growing conditions and the soil plants have grown in, so no two batches are ever quite the same. The colour and consistency of natural inks can also change over time, and can also vary depending on the paper surface used.

A selection these inks are also available as larger individual 30ml or 10ml sizes in my other listings.

Botanical inks are best used with dip pens or brushes and are not recommended for use in Fountain Pens. You can add an optional glass dip pen to this set, or bamboo dip pens and natural calligraphy brushes are available in my other listings.

Glass dip pens:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1096735701/handmade-glass-dip-pens-for-use-with?ref=shop_home_active_12&sca=1

Calligraphy brushes: https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/your/shops/BohemianRaspberryArt/tools/listings/query:brush,view:table/932431695

Bamboo dip pens:
https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/BohemianRaspberryArt/tools/listings/query:pen,view:table/903452402

Please shake natural inks well before use, and decant a small amount into an inkwell, dish or bottle cap to draw. You can adjust the flow of the ink to suit your own style by diluting with a drop or two of water, or thicken by adding extra Gum Arabic, or simply allowing some of the liquid to evaporate from the well before use.

It's recommended to keep them out of direct sunlight and in a cool dark place - ideally refrigerated. It's recommended that artworks made with botanical inks are kept out of direct sunlight, or treated with a fixative spray such as Spectrafix.