Waclaw Wantuch

Hand-ground sanguine pigment with oil during preparation process

Sanguine: From Rock to Paint

At first, it’s just a chunk of stubborn red stone. But with a hammer, some oil, and old patience—it slowly turns into buttery Renaissance pigment, ready for the brush.

Inserting willow twigs into a sealed pot before firing — preparation step for traditional drawing charcoal, as described by Cennino Cennini.

How to Make Drawing Charcoal — A Medieval Recipe from Cennino Cennini

How to make drawing charcoal like the old masters did? Here’s a 15th-century method from Cennino Cennini — willow twigs, a sealed pot, and a baker’s oven. No shortcuts.

natural pigment sample – terra rossa collected in Croatia, prepared for pigment making

Terra rossa underfoot

Hi Michał, we’re in Novigrad, Croatia. Do you happen to know what that rusty-looking stuff is?– Yes. That’s terra rossa. A product of karst weathering, rich in iron and aluminum.

Close-up of fingernails and hand details gradually zooming out to reveal the full figure in the painting.

Illusion

This is the moment when I squint my eyes, and through the narrow slits, the image comes in simplified, as if seen from a distance. Awkward, clumsy brushstrokes that up

Underground tunnel leading to a newly discovered black manganese deposit used for making natural oil paint pigment

The Hidden Manganese Cave and the Birth of a Black Pigment

We crawled underground, covered in clay, to find a cavity filled with black sand—natural pigment that dries faster than any store-bought medium I’ve used.

Manganese-rich black sand and ore from Nietoperzowa Cave

Black Sand and Manganese – A Cave Pigment Expedition

Black Sand and Manganese – A Cave Pigment Expedition – Were you scared?– Of course I was. But admitting it? That would be a shame.– What were you afraid of?