Lost in Colours

Natural pigments, watercolor paints, plant dyes & inks

The living pink colour from Avocado!

27th April 2020

It was in the year 2005 I was still a graduate student finishing up my Ph.D. program in Australia when I was introduced to this exotic fruit called Avocado. I had never heard or seen this fruit before that, and honestly I never really liked the taste of it either but gradually over the years my taste buds developed a liking for avocados. If someone had asked me then what I did with food scraps? I would have simply replied—well,…

0 Comments

Natural pigments, watercolor paints, plant dyes & inks

How to make natural pigments from foraged raw resources!

14th April 2020

How to create handmade watercolor paints from foraged pigments. What is better; paints made from foraged natural pigments or mass-produced store-bought paints? Everything is derived from nature; unfortunately, today we are living in a world that is driven by consumerism. Imagine walking through a forest or climbing a mountain, and foraging for pigments to make your own paints just like how it was done in the bygone era, instead of going to an art supply store and purchasing a mass-produced…

2 Comments

For children

Celebrating Easter in lockdown!

9th April 2020

Easter falls this weekend but with the strict regulations implemented globally to control the COVID-19 pandemic, not being able to take part in a traditional Easter celebration may make some feel disheartened. We too had planned to celebrate Easter with our family in Upper Austria but with travel restrictions and lockdown still in place, Easter will be quite different for us this year! In times like these, we may come to realize that staying at home with the entire family…

0 Comments

For children

Lockdown phase: Puzzle your way through the Day!

1st April 2020

In Austria, the coronavirus lockdown was introduced swiftly. This was just a week after coming back from our holidays in Tenerife. We were officially in quarantine from the 15th of March until further notice. We had anticipated the implementation of such measures based on the situation developing across the globe. However, the lockdown hasn’t changed anything in our lives except that our son got holidays from his Kindergarten for an uncertain period of time. How are we dealing with this…

0 Comments

Natural pigments, watercolor paints, plant dyes & inks Painting & Sketching Travel Sketches

Sketching and foraging for pigments in Southeast Styria

4th January 2020

The last leg of our summer holidays last year was spent in south-eastern Styria, locally known as the Steiriches Vulkanland (Volcano land). This region was a hotspot for volcanoes – but that was 17 million years ago. Today there isn’t any lava spewing out or any scorched black earth. Nature has done its course and created a beautiful lush green landscape of rolling hills. The hillcrests in this region are covered by forest and the valleys are dominated by farmland,…

0 Comments

Painting & Sketching Travel Sketches

A tiny house experience!

7th October 2019

continuing with the Summer Holidays 2019 sketches ….! After coming back from our wonderful holidays in Upper Austria, we decided to stay a bit in our home city of Graz before hitting the road again. Our first stop on this trip was the headquarter of one of Austria’s best ice-cream makers, Eis Greissler in Krumbach (https://www.eis-greissler.at/manufaktur/). The weather that day wasn’t great, it was cold, wet and extremely windy in the Bucklige welt (land of thousand hills) After entering the…

0 Comments

Painting & Sketching Travel Sketches

Capturing moments in my sketchbook!

4th October 2019

Watercolour sketching captured my heart only in the last couple of years. Before that, I didn’t know anything about sketching or how to use watercolours for that matter. It’s magic to me that with just a few squiggly lines and some paint, I can record a slice of our life! I wonder why I never did this earlier in my life ..? During summer holidays this year, we decided to travel within our home country, Austria. We spent most of our…

0 Comments

Natural pigments, watercolor paints, plant dyes & inks

How to make Walnut Ink

3rd August 2019

I live in the lovely city of Graz, Austria. Every morning I go for a run or ride along the river Mur, which flows through the center of Graz. I had never noticed the diversity of flora and fauna alongside the river until I adapted to my new avatar as an artist a couple of years ago Even though I have always loved being in nature it is only when I started sketching outdoors that I began to observe and…

0 Comments

Older Posts

Newer Posts

Hello,
I’m Jyotsna, a scientist and a watercolor artist dedicated to sustainability, currently living in the charming city of Graz, Austria. I want to extend a heartfelt welcome to Lost in Colours, where my creative pursuits are deeply rooted in an ongoing exploration to learn, gain understanding, and form a bond with the natural world that surrounds us.

If you’re looking for a way to infuse your artistic pursuits with inspiration and joy, you’ve come to the right place. Get lost in the world of colours with me and discover new ways to make a positive impact through your art!

Outstanding Course

I took Jyotsna's course on making Botanical pigments, and she is the best!

Erin Parsons

Artist

Eco-Pigment Passion

I've always loved earth pigments. ... for anyone who wants to be as green and careful as possible ... that is something that Jyotsna is passionate about

Jane Blundell

Artist

Pigment Adventures

I have done ALL of Jyotsna's courses and they are brilliant. The presentation is really nice and the content has set me off on a kind of obsessive exploration of hunting for colours in nature, making pigments and the excitment of seeing what colours will come (often unexpectedly) from a plant. If you are interested in pigment making then do those courses and then the paint making one as you will then have your own 'materials' ready. Go for it!

Alfi Spencer

Artist

Colorful Inspiration

My first introduction to the world of making my own watercolours was when I stumbled upon Jyotsna's website . And therein I was sucked into her beautiful , natural , organic and colourful world . Needless to say , I spend a lot of time going through her site and gaining from her knowledge . So when she announced an online resource I immediately signed on. It is now very helpful to have lifelong access to her online lessons in basic watercolour making from pigments . Her scientific background adds to making this resource very organised . I find her energy and happiness in doing what she does both contagious and inspiring , and this comes through in her videos. I am sure I will keep returning to her online platforms and also her course material on a very regular basis , as I continue to find and make my own way towards creating my own sustainable watercolours

Mansi Shouche

Sustainable, Comprehensive & Affordable

The courses are absolutely amazing, and I plan to sign up for all of them! The content is very comprehensive and easy to understand. Jyotsna has a PhD in chemistry and not many other people in the world would have her intimate knowledge of the dye and ink-making processes. Her passion for sustainable art making and organic farming is second to none. The price of the courses are also very affordable, and I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in sustainable art practice.

Damian Talbot

Landscape Artist & Medical doctor

Transformative Journey

I just completed Jyotsna’s “Making Lake Botanicals” course and could not be happier with the content. Jyotsna’s instruction is understandable and easy to follow. I feel more confident in moving forward to making my own watercolor paints than ever before. I had a small concern about working through procedures that required using chemicals that could potentially go wrong. Her recipes are well thought out, and she goes step by step, making it easy to take notes and completely grasp the procedure, and that helped to eliminate my concern.

I was not surprised at how much I would like this course, as all of the courses and videos have been so appreciated. Of all the instruction, and instructors, I have followed, Jyotsna is, hands down, my favorite!

Sandra Wicinski

How to make watercolor paint: handmade watercolors

How to make natural pigments from foraged raw resources!

How to make Lake Pigments

The living pink colour from Avocado!

How to make natural pigments from foraged raw resources!

Celebrating Easter in lockdown!

Lockdown phase: Puzzle your way through the Day!

Sketching and foraging for pigments in Southeast Styria

A tiny house experience!

Capturing moments in my sketchbook!

How to make Walnut Ink

How to grow a Natural Dye Garden

Make pigments from flowers and plants

Pigment & Paintmaking Workshops