Book - Alchemists Pigment Experience

The Alchemist's Experience Workshop:
Making Natural Pigments and Paint

Immerse Yourself in a Tailormade Bespoke Experience:

Discover a deeper connection with the historic art of natural pigment and paint creation.

The Alchemist Experiences are a range of unique workshops -rediscovering techniques that artists have long forgotten.

From making the rarest colours in the world using alchemy, to making two or more colours from molehills, or rediscovering techniques that allow artists to turn earth into pigment.

Each workshop is tailored to resonate with your unique interests, these 6-hour immersions are a deep dive, hands on experience, into the enchanting world of colour creation.

Extracting colour from stones, minerals, earth and molehills.
Synthetic Colour making such as Blue and Green Verditer
Foraging for Colours
Turning the pigment into paint (any medium)
Using the Paints you have made

Accompanied by a delightful buffet lunch, these workshops are not just learning experiences but a celebration of colour and creativity.

Craft Your Own Natural Colours -

Select Your Bespoke Workshop Today

for only £120 pp

transform the way you see and use paint

The artist Pam Smart had this to say after an Alchemy experience

"I’ve had the most fascinating ‘paint and pigment’ day with @markhilsden at The Colour Makers House in Appleby. Exploring the process of extracting colour pigments from minerals and rocks and turning them into paints.

Mark is knowledgeable and passionate about his subject and it has been a real pleasure to work with him.

If you’re in the area I would highly recommend a visit to his shop. Now I have lots of beautiful vibrant pigments to experiment with.

Thanks Mark for a really enjoyable day."

The Alchemists Experience

Three Unique Alchemy Experiences

Molehills into Watercolours

Artists have been using natural colours to create paintings for thousands of years. Making colours from molehills, rocks, and industrial waste is so simple and obvious that nobody thought to write it down for posterity. This process has now been rediscovered.
We then use these pigments to create the world's most versatile watercolours.
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Burnt Earth - Two Colours

Artists have known how to transform natural earth pigments for over eight centuries.
This experience shows you how to extract beautiful colours from molehills, rocks, and industrial waste.
A simple alchemy technique turns these colours into something completely new.
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Alchemy Rare Blues & Greens

We explore the history of green and blue pigments.
These rare colours appear mainly in plants but tend to fade quickly. We will delve into green earth, other historic green pigments, and industrial waste.
Additionally, we will examine seven thousand years of blue history, from a colour ten times more expensive than gold until 1826 to a blue pigment that both took lives and saved them.

17June,
29 July,
24 August,
30 September,
26 October,
9 November

Book & Buy Experience