The more experience you have, the less frequent things surprise you.

An unexpected beginning

I have been on the hunt for the best teas to use as pigment for my experimental watercolor paintings. I stumbled into my first pigment, actually. I had bought really good watercolor paint tubes and then just so happened to try painting with tea (for fun!) The first experiment and collection has been based entirely on hibiscus tea from this happy accident. And what I’ve discovered is that it’s a remarkable tea with a lot of range. Depending on the temperature, acidity, viscosity and some other factors, you will end up with a hue somewhere between pink and blue-gray.

But there have been some surprises along the way as well as some failures. As an artist that uses natural pigments, primarily tea, it has been a fun challenge to source my teas. I have always loved teas but am hypersensitive to caffeine. As a result, I have had people over the years source and/or gift me interesting teas.

A sweet connection

I remember trying my favorite tea for the first time. I was at my best friend’s house, and her mom offered me some tea that I had never heard of. But, I knew that my BFF’s mom had impeccable taste, so of course I said “YES!”. It was delicious- it was something I had never tasted before but still had homey notes like chai or even the depth of something like Coca-Cola.

Now, if you’re a tea aficionado, I hope I don’t offend you with that description because the tea is rooibos! Specifically, it was this interesting brand where they put honey crystals in the same bag, so you just add hot water and go. My BFF’s mom ended up giving me the whole bag because I loved it so much (and she is an extremely generous person).

Now that tangent had a point - the second tea I’ve officially started using in my work is rooibos. It stains with a nice, deep orange color. You can see that in the painting I made for my kid below.

A string of failures

This, however, was not one happy accident after the next. What came between was what you see in this peaches painting. This painting of peaches is very special because I will never use the same materials ever again. BIG. FAT. FAILURES. Months, not week, MONTHS of trial and mostly error. When you paint with tea, there is a sense of harmony in many ways. A sense of harmony that must be BALANCED. I apologize for the aggressive all caps throughout this blurb, but let me tell you that the combination of matcha and turmeric was not great for the nose.

Hibiscus is a floral scent, rooibos is a more earthy scent - but together they still work. In contrast, turmeric and matcha are so specific and just throw you for a massive loop. I don’t regret any of my experiments. In fact, I still have an interest in using matcha, but I think I’ll need to source some good + fresh matcha to do so. Fun fact- my first ever matcha test turned golden once dried. I thought it was the coolest thing ever!

An accidental (but welcome) discovery

Anyway, that leads us to the latest experiment. I mixed equal amounts of hibiscus (pink/purple/blue-gray) with rooibos (orange) and got a blackish green. When it was wet, it looked like rust. So unsurprisingly, I was absolutely bamboozled the next morning when I saw the result! Next, I’m going to have to try different proportions of each to see if we get anything greener or if it completely bamboozles me again!

I’m not saying that’s the M.O. of my entire life, but perhaps I’m seeing a trend at this point. The more I learn, the less I’m surprised. BUT when I do get surprised it’s complete bamboozlement!

I’m so excited to keep experimenting and even more so to meet new people, tea shops, and (of course), paint!! I hope you follow along with my journey and see how chemistry and art come together in beautiful ways :)

<3 Kait

Related Q&A

Where did the idea to use tea come from?

When I was deciding on committing to making art regularly and opening a business, I was struggling to figure out how I would make art that was truly ‘mine’. I think I saw some cool video back in like 2009 of someone spilling tea and then drawing over it and that made me wonder something like “what if I found a variety of colored teas to stain, but more realistically that just spill stains?”

Where do you source your teas?

I’ve sourced them from a variety of places. When I first started experimenting, these were mostly things from my cupboard. I had been making Jamaica the year before I opened my business and always thought it was the prettiest color. Now, I seek out local tea shops to get interesting tea for drinking and purer teas for painting!

What is ‘Surely the Raven’?

Surely the Raven is the name behind the independent art studio created by artist Kait, specializing in experimental watercolor and natural pigment paintings.

© 2026 Surely the Raven LLC

FAQ

Contact

Privacy Policy