Cochineal Pigment

Making Cochineal Pigment

Cochineal are insects that live on the Nopal cacti originally in Mexico. Used mostly as a fabric dye, it was imported to Europe in the 16th century and also used for painting. 

What you have: cochineal, mortar and pestle, paintbrush, seashell

What you’ll need: water, a lemon and /or vinegar, cream of tartar, alum, coffee filter.

Process: For immediate use, pulverize 2t of cochineal in the mortar. Try adding lemon juice, vinegar, alum, or cream of tartar to create different reds. If nothing is added but water, the acidity of your paper will also affect the color.

To make a dye and precipitate the pigment, pulverize 1T of cochineal in the mortar and add to 2c of water in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil. Add 1t of cream of tartar and boil for 10-15 min more. Strain liquid for dye and reserve cochineal paste for pigment.