Innovative Mordanting Techniques
Learn how to use aluminum and iron for contrast, clarity, and colorfastness in your prints.
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Fresh Perspective on Ecoprinting
Discover the art of ecoprinting focusing on structure, repeatability, and artistic freedom.
Sustainable Approaches
Explore sustainable preparation, cleanup, and pigment reuse for eco-friendly printing.
About the Course
🌿 Printing on Cellulosic Fabrics: The Essentials A self-paced online course with Michel Garcia Discover the art of printing on cotton, linen, and hemp using natural dyes and innovative, eco-friendly techniques. In this rich and hands-on tutorial, celebrated dyer and botanist Michel Garcia shares his essential approach to creating vibrant, lasting prints on cellulose fibers — blending chemistry, creativity, and sustainability. ⚗️ Learn the core principles of mordanting, explore color fixation methods, and master the use of metal salts like aluminum and iron to develop deep, expressive hues. Michel introduces you to precise printing pastes and shares his original approach to ecoprinting, expanding the creative potential of natural dye techniques. 🌈 With 7 hours of video instruction across 30 well-structured chapters, this course offers a comprehensive toolkit for artists, educators, and crafters alike. You'll explore everything from color layering and stencil techniques to screen printing, stamp making, and botanical pattern creation. 💛 Participants get lifetime access, the ability to download videos, a detailed handout and recipe book, and a seat in Michel’s private Facebook group “From Plant to Dye” — a vibrant community of natural dye enthusiasts. 🌸 The course is in English and includes subtitles and downloadable handouts in French, German, Spanish, Italian, and English for global accessibility. 📘 Contents Overview ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ✦ Aluminum: The Foundation of Color ✦ Iron: The Power of Contrast ✦ Indigo: The Depth of Blue ✦ Printing Pastes: The Art of Precision
About Michel Garcia
Botanist. Master Dyer. Inventor of Modern Natural Printing Techniques. Michel Garcia is an internationally acclaimed expert in natural dyes and botanical color chemistry. Trained as a botanist and chemist in France, he brings a rare depth of scientific knowledge, artistic sensibility, and ecological awareness to the world of textile printing. Michel is renowned for his groundbreaking work in eco-friendly dye processes, especially his innovations in printing on plant-based fibers using natural mordants and pigments. His contributions have helped transform traditional dyeing and printing into accessible, sustainable, and deeply creative practices. In this course, Michel shares his unique approach to printing on cellulose fabrics — from the alchemy of mordants and printing pastes to the subtle chemistry that brings natural color to life. He demystifies techniques like block printing, stencil work, and screen printing, all while grounding them in sound ecological and chemical principles. Michel’s teaching is warm, precise, and empowering. Whether you’re an educator, artisan, or absolute beginner, his work opens the door to a new kind of textile artistry: one that’s rooted in tradition but reimagined for a sustainable future. He is the founder of the Couleur Garance botanical garden and dyeing center in southern France, and his influence can be seen in classrooms, studios, and workshops across the globe.
Curriculum
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1
Welcome & Learning Materials
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Introduction
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Handouts for Download
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Recipe Books for Downloads
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2
Aluminum: the Foundation of Color
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The Magic of the First Print
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The Reverse Print: Discharging the Mordant
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From Solution to Paste: Introducing Guar Gum
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Screen Printing Meets Immersion Dyeing
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Al-chemy: Preparing Aluminum Acetate
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Two for Tango: The Harmony of Mordant Dyes
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Summary
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3
Iron: The Power of Contrast
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Iron Will: Preparing Iron Acetate Mordant
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Iron Will II: Developing the Print with Tannin
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A Little Boat in the Sea of Color
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Polychromatic Prints with Iron-Aluminum Mixes
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Oberkampf & Toile de Jouy: Printing the Past
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The Dye Decoding Chart (A Mordant Chart for Cellulose
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Blending Mordants, Revealing Color
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The Black Print: Exploring the Tannin-Iron Reaction
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4
Indigo: The Depth of Blue
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The Birth of the Indigo Vat
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Understanding Resist: Theory & Traditions
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Mastering the Indigo Resist Paste
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First Indigo Blueprint
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The First Blueprint with an Old Woodblock
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Dragon Impressions: Printing with Antique Block
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Patience in Blue: The Dyeing Continues
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Triple Indigo: The Art of "Les Trois Bleus"
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Botanic & Abstract: A Tale of Two Prints
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Beyond Blue: Indigo Meets the Mordant Dye
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Mordanted Resist: Twice the Colors, Half the Steps
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Summary
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5
Printing Pastes: The Art of Precision
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Understanding Printing Pastes
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Microwave Magic: Concentrating Dye Extracts
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The Key to Printing: Pre-Treatment & Steaming
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Inspired by Michel: New Possibilities in Eco-Printing
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Summary
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What People are Saying
Discover how this course is transforming the way artists, designers, and educators work with natural dyes on plant fibers.
"Michel’s course completely transformed how I approach natural dye printing. I had dabbled in eco-printing before, but this tutorial gave me a deep understanding of how mordants actually work, and how to build a rich, layered palette without synthetic chemicals. The aluminum and iron techniques opened new dimensions for my work on cotton and linen. Plus, Michel’s insights into printing pastes were simply brilliant — it felt like unlocking a long-lost craft. This is not just a course, it’s a portal into the real science and poetry of plant-based color."
Barselona
"As someone teaching sustainable textile practices, I found Michel’s tutorial a goldmine. It is clear, structured, and absolutely packed with practical recipes and conceptual clarity. My students now understand the difference between printing and dyeing, how to prep fabric properly, and how to use modifiers with intention. The way Michel explains the interaction of color, fiber, and mordant is both scientific and intuitive. His respect for the materials and his inventive approach to eco-printing make this an essential resource for anyone working with cellulose fibers."
Ontario
Ready to Dive In?
Enroll today and embark on a creative and sustainable journey with Michel Garcia. Start creating vibrant prints on cellulose fibers with natural dyes.
€120,00