From designer and artist Jason Logan, founder of the Toronto Ink Company—a citizen science experiment to make eco-friendly, urban ink from street-harvested pigments—Make Ink delves into the history of inkmaking and the science of distilling pigment from the natural world.

Foreword by Booker Prize-winning author Michael Ondaatje

“Once you start making ink, the world never quite looks the same.” ―Martha Stewart

“In my experience, inkmaking is easiest when you are patient and remain open to everything. Some of the most interesting effects of handmade inkmaking happen when the unexpected happens. Wherever it takes you, the ink you make yourself can only be your own color. Follow your instincts. There is no wrong path.”—from the Introduction

Readers will learn how to forage for materials such as soot, rust, cigarette butts, peach pits, and black walnut, then how to mix, test, and transform these ingredients into rich, vibrant inks that are sensitive to both place and environment. Chapters include:

• A Forager’s Checklist
• What Is Ink and How Is It Made
• Natural Ink: A Basic Recipe
• Colors and Recipes
• The Ground Rules of Natural Inkmaking
• Testing Ink on Paper
• And more!

Organized by color, with a glossary of terms and a guide to resources, and featuring lovely minimalist photography throughout, Make Ink combines science, art, and craft to instill the basics of ink making and demonstrate the beauty and necessity of engaging with one of humankind’s oldest tools of communication.

“Demystifies the process, encouraging experimentation.” ―NPR

Toronto Ink Company founder Jason Logan is an internationally recognized designer, creative director, author, and artist. His illustrations appear regularly in the New York Times and his fine art has been exhibited in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto, and the Yukon. His work has been recognized by the AIGA, SPD, the Centre for Social Innovation, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Jason Logan's profile page

Michael Ondaatje (born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian novelist and poet of Colombo Chetty and Burgher origin. He is perhaps best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel, The English Patient, which was adapted into an Academy-Award-winning film.

He moved to England in 1954, and in 1962 moved to Canada where he has lived ever since. He was educated at the University of Toronto and Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and began teaching at York University in Toronto in 1971. He published a volume of memoir, entitled Running in the Family, in 1983. His collections of poetry include The Collected Works of Billy the Kid: Left Handed Poems (1981), which won the Canadian Governor General's Award in 1971; The Cinnamon Peeler: Selected Poems (1989); and Handwriting: Poems (1998). His first novel, Coming Through Slaughter (1976), is a fictional portrait of jazz musician Buddy Bolden. The English Patient (1992), set in Italy at the end of the Second World War, was joint winner of the Booker Prize for Fiction and was made into an Academy Award-winning film in 1996. Anil's Ghost (2000), set in Sri Lanka, tells The Story of a young female anthropologist investigating war crimes for an international human rights group.

Michael Ondaatje lives in Toronto with his wife, Linda Spalding, with whom he edits the literary journal Brick. His new novel is Divisadero (2007).

Michael Ondaatje's profile page

Top Pick in Lifestyles, Book Page

“Make Ink opens up about methods, providing an open source guide to DIY ink.”

CityLab

“There are loads of craft books so pretty you might happily put them on your coffee table and never do anything more than flip through them admiringly. Others you actually crack open and make things from. As beautifully written as it is photographed and designed, this one begs to be read from cover to cover, like a good essay collection, whether or not you ever attempt to make your own inks…”

Fringe Association

“Named a Best Book of 2018."

The Guardian

“The book is full of inspiration and takes a lot of the mystery out of ink making, at least at its simplest level. And it also reminds me why I love ink — any ink or liquid color as much as I do.”

Well Appointed Desk

“In his new book, Make Ink: A Forager's Guide to Natural Inkmaking, Logan demystifies the process, encouraging experimentation and taking a fresh look at urban environments.”

NPR

“This book filled with ink recipes, minimalistic photography and lots of inspiration caught our eye immediately. "

Fine Little Day

“Once you start making ink, the world never quite looks the same.”

Martha Stewart

Design Observer

“Logan’s essays about foraging for copper under bridges in Harlem, or scouring for berries at the beach, will make you want to go outside and be a magpie. Maybe ink-making is the new broom-making.”

Forbes, Most Giftable Coffee Table Books

“Logan’s artful test sheets (above) hold their own alongside works by Marcel Dzama, Margaret Atwood, Leanne Shapton and others, all made with his inks.”

Wall Street Journal