I had a conversation back in 2022 with a long time smoker about how her teeth had yellowed over time. I wondered if I could extract that color for myself.
I asked My Uncle Richard, a North Carolina farmer, For some of his tobacco to experiment with.
It quickly became my favorite ink to work with, a versatile warm brown with a rich sweet scent like a wheaty molasses. My first swatches are still faint with the smell.
Aside from its visual appeal, tobacco carries intense symbology: americana, specifically north carolinian americana, propaganda, addiction, sex, death, and desire.
It's also quite fun to use.
Drying line
Ink with handmade red ochre and titanium watercolors
Jar of ink designed by Miller Dalton (https://millerdalton.design/)
Raw leaves before soaking
Ink and graphite on paper
Test Swatches, 2022
Test swatches, 2024
Test swatches, 2022
Tobacco leaves and tylose on canvas panel
Ground tobacco and tylose on canvas panel
Tobacco ink on canvas panel
Test swatches, 2023
Tobacco ink and foraged ochre on canvas panel
Jar of ink
Sketch with tobacco stain, 2025
Intervals of reduction
