Tea leaf watercolors, can you imagine it? Tea creates beautiful vibrant colors so why not use them as paint? I used to wash paper with tea to create a light brown tint when I was in my younger days. I happen to have tons of tea lying around so I figured I’d see which colors I can come up with.
The last few years have been somewhat of a resurgence of creativity for me. It took me a while to notice, but it’s something I really needed in my life. I missed making things with my hands. I love the idea of creating a tangible thing that my imagination conjures up. It’s brought me back to cooking and baking consistently (hence, the blog). And it has also brought me back to painting and print making. I discovered that I don’t need expensive tools and products to get back into it. In fact, I didn’t have to buy anything at all.
I used a few different types of tea. My favorite is red rooibos. It creates a deep color that feels uniquely tea-like. I had a lot of fun doing this and I highly recommend it. Here’s how some of the tea I tried turned out:
- Turmeric – pale yellow
- Butterfly Pea – pale blue
- Matcha – pale chartreuse
- Hibiscus – pale purple
- Turmeric & matcha – yellow
- Butterfly pea & hibiscus – medium purple
- Butterfly pea & matcha – pale green
- Turmeric & hibiscus – medium purple
- Butterfly pea & turmeric – medium blue
- Red rooibos – Reddish-blue
HOW TO USE TEA LEAF WATERCOLORS
- Bring a tea kettle to boil then remove from the hot burner.
- Pour water into heat-safe cups (I used paper cups) and steep tea for 5 minutes or so.
- Remove the tea bags and discard.
- Allow the brewed tea to cool.
- Experiment with blending the teas and discovering which colors they make.
- Enjoy!