Sorghum Lake

Description

Sorghum Lake is a handmade natural lake pigment prepared from sorghum, a traditional grain and syrup crop. It produces a warm red-brown with subtle red–gold undertones that can range from peachy tea tones in light washes to a gentle russet in deeper applications. Compared to iron oxides, Sorghum Lake is lighter and more transparent, with a dye-like, honeyed warmth; compared to synthetic browns, it feels softer, more organic, and distinctly plant-derived.

In use, Sorghum Lake gives a delicate, expressive brown ideal for botanicals, textiles, leather, aged paper effects, portraits, and atmospheric landscape work. It has low to moderate tinting strength and a transparent to semi-transparent character, building smoothly from pale, tea-like stains to richer layers without becoming chalky. It mixes beautifully with yellows for golden tans and wheat tones, with reds and pinks for natural skin hues and rose-browns, and with blues and blue-greens for subdued neutrals and ink-like browns that retain a quiet, underlying warmth. As a natural lake based on an organic dye, it is best reserved for work kept out of direct sunlight or digitized for long-term preservation.

This plant-based lake is bound to a mineral base (typically alumina and/or calcium salts), giving it better handling and stability than the raw dye while preserving its characteristic translucency and gentle glow. In artist’s colors it offers a uniquely agricultural, earth-and-grain brown that sits beautifully on toned papers and complements historically inspired, eco-focused, and process-oriented palettes.

History

Sorghum has been cultivated for thousands of years as a staple grain and syrup crop in parts of Africa and Asia, later spreading worldwide as both a food source and a forage plant. Beyond food, the plant’s husks, bran, and sometimes syrup residues can yield warm, tan-to-brown dyes that have been explored by natural dyers for coloring textiles and paper in soft, tea-like hues.

With renewed interest in natural dyes and sustainable color sources, sorghum has begun to appear in experimental inks and handmade paints, especially among artists seeking to transform agricultural byproducts into expressive color. Sorghum Lake continues this tradition by converting the soluble dye into a true pigment through lake formation, making it easier to handle in paints and inks while preserving its gentle warmth and organic character. While less lightfast than mineral earths, it offers a direct, tangible connection to the fields and crops from which it is derived—appealing to artists who value the story and origin of their materials as much as the resulting color.

Health and Safety

Precautions:

Keep out of reach of children and pets.

Do not consume. This product is offered as an art material, not as food, drink, or medicine.

Not for cosmetic or food usage.

Do not spray apply.

For further health information contact a poison control center.

Use care when handling dry pigments and avoid dust formation.

Use particular caution with fibrous, fine, or toxic pigments.

Do not eat, drink, or smoke near dry pigments.

Avoid breathing in pigment dust and use a NIOSH-certified dust respirator with sufficient rating for dry pigment if dust may be generated.

Wash hands immediately after use or handling.

If dust is likely, always wear protective clothing to keep out of eyes, lungs, off skin, and out of any contact as well as keep area ventilated.

This product may contain chemicals known by the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm.

Warnings and bottle information are abbreviated.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Natural (Organic) plant-based lake pigment on mineral substrate

Source: Sorghum-derived dye (from grain, husk, bran, or syrup residues)

Suitable Mediums: Oil, Watercolor, Gouache, Ink, Egg Tempera, Casein

Lightfastness: Moderate

Opacity: Transparent

Other Names: Sorghum Lake, Sorghum Brown Lake, Sorghum Dye Lake

Color Index Code: NA