How to Be a Color Wizard: Forage and Experiment with Natural Art Making

In a bountiful book combining art and chemistry, a celebrated ink maker invites kids to become color wizards—by foraging and transforming natural materials to make their own paint and artistic creations.

In this book you will find secret recipes, magic formulas, and wild experiments that will delight your friends, intimidate your enemies, and turn you into a color wizard.

What colors might await in a leafy forest, a berry-stained back alley, a seaweedy beach, or even the dark corners of an ordinary fridge? With this book as a guide, curious young wizards can make natural confetti, unlock the hidden color power inside a leaf, and craft a paintbrush wand. They’ll brew magic potions from beets and acorn caps to produce their own colors, from the darkest black to the palest pink to invisible ink, then share their discoveries with friends, family, and the whole color-hungry human race. With whimsy and infectious enthusiasm, master ink maker Jason Logan explains the science of color while presenting “quests,” recipes, and hands-on activities using materials kids can find in their own homes and neighborhoods. Featuring both photographs and the author’s own gorgeous homemade-ink illustrations, How to Be a Color Wizard is an ideal blend of art and science—plus a little bit of magic.

Jason Logan is the founder of the Toronto Ink Company (maker of ink for Margaret Atwood, Yoko Ono, Michael Ondaatje, and Harley-Davidson). His art has been exhibited in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto, and the Yukon, and his inkmaking revolution has been featured by the New York Times, Martha Stewart, the New Yorker, and NPR. His book for grown-up wizards, Make Ink: A Forager’s Guide to Natural Inkmaking, was included in the Guardian’s Best Books of 2018 roundup. The Colour of Ink, a film featuring his work, was a special selection at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022. He can be found picking up rusty nails and scavenging for berries on the streets of Toronto, where he lives with his family and a giant dog known as Baby.

ISBN: 9781536229400
Format: Hardback
Pages: 176
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: September 10, 2024

There are certain people for whom ink, and the making of ink, is truly magical. For those people, whether they be kids or adults, this book is a treasure map. It’s also a way to open up anyone’s idea of what can be used to make images and art. If you have a young person interested in art, or in using and connecting to the natural world, or both, this book is a bridge that can show them a new way to think about materials, and once it’s crossed, there’s no going back. One of the most important messages you can tell young people is that their work is legitimate—that it counts. This book and its spirit take that message one step further and say that anything you can think to make your work from also counts. It’s a hugely inspirational gift to get.

—Jon Klassen, Caldecott Medal winner

Wizardly advice and instructions for creating inks and art from common and found ingredients. . . . Brightly hued photos both on their own and in montages feature close-up views of supplies in raw and finished states. They also depict busy, focused, diverse young children. 'Dress to get dirty,' the author writes, also cautioning that 'the path to real magic is not straight but winding.' Wise words. Practical, imaginative, magical fun.

—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)