Top 10 'Urban-Foraged' Pigment Recipes to learn for Making Paint from Your City Sidewalks in 2025
Look down. No, really, next time you're walking through the city, pause and look at the ground beneath your feet. What do you see? Concrete, asphalt, maybe a stray wrapper. But look closer. See the russet dust gathered in the cracks of the sidewalk? The deep, earthy tone of exposed clay soil by a construction site? The surprising pop of yellow pollen blanketing the curb in spring? Our urban landscapes, often dismissed as grey and monotonous, are secretly bursting with color.
This is the heart of urban foraging for artists—a practice that transforms the mundane into the magical. It’s about reconnecting with our immediate environment and realizing that the materials to create are literally all around us. In a world moving towards sustainability and mindful creation, making your own paint from locally sourced, 'found' pigments is more than just a craft; it's a statement. It’s a way to create art that has a true terroir, a sense of place embedded in its very DNA.
As we look ahead to 2025, the trend of hyper-local, eco-conscious art is set to explode. Forget ordering expensive, imported pigments online. The most exciting and personal color palette you'll ever own is waiting for you right outside your door. Ready to become an urban color hunter? Here are the top 10 foraged pigment recipes to get you started on making paint from your city sidewalks.
1. Sidewalk Sienna (from Brick Dust)
The classic urban pigment! The warm, earthy red of brick is one of the most accessible colors in any city. From construction site off-cuts to a single broken brick found in an alley, this material provides a wonderfully versatile, lightfast pigment reminiscent of historical red ochres.
To begin, find a discarded brick fragment. Safety first: always wear safety glasses and a dust mask when breaking or grinding brick. Place the fragment in a sturdy canvas bag and carefully break it into smaller pieces with a hammer. Once you have small, manageable chunks, it's time to grind. A mortar and pestle is your best friend here. Grind the pieces into the finest powder you can manage. The finer the powder, the smoother your final paint will be.
Once ground, sift the powder through a fine mesh sieve or even a piece of old nylon stocking to remove any larger, gritty bits. What you're left with is a beautiful, warm 'Sidewalk Sienna.' This pigment works stunningly with egg tempera (just mix with an egg yolk) or a simple gum arabic binder for a rustic, urban watercolor. Its slight grittiness can also add incredible texture to your work.
2. Asphalt Black (from Charcoal)
Forget Ivory Black; the deepest, most authentic urban black comes from the remnants of fire. Look for charcoal in public park barbecue pits (once they are completely cold and abandoned, of course), community fire pits, or even among the debris of a controlled burn. Choose pieces that are pure charcoal, not just burnt wood with ash clinging to it.
The process is similar to brick, but often less labor-intensive. Charcoal is soft and grinds down easily in a mortar and pestle. You're aiming for a powder that feels like velvet between your fingers. Because charcoal is so light, it can become airborne easily, so a dust mask is non-negotiable. Sifting is also crucial to ensure you don't have chunky bits in your paint, which can tear your paper or canvas.
This 'Asphalt Black' pigment creates a deep, matte black that is wonderfully expressive. Mixed with a watercolor binder, it can be lifted and manipulated in fascinating ways. I find it perfect for moody cityscapes and expressive line work. It’s a direct link to the energy and transformation inherent in city life.
3. Construction Clay Ochre (from Soil)
Every city has a hidden layer of earth beneath the concrete, and construction sites are where it comes to the surface. Excavation for new buildings or road repairs often unearths beautiful veins of clay soil in shades of yellow, tan, and brown. Always ask for permission before entering a site, or simply look for soil that has spilled out onto the public sidewalk.
Collect a few handfuls of dry, colored soil. The first step is to let it dry out completely in the sun. Then, lightly crush it to break up the clumps. Now for the magic part: levigation. This is a simple process of water purification. Stir your crushed soil into a large jar of water and let it sit for a minute. The heavy sand and pebbles will sink first. Carefully pour the colored, cloudy water into a second jar, leaving the grit behind.
Let the second jar sit undisturbed for several hours or overnight. The fine pigment particles will settle into a smooth layer of sludge at the bottom. Gently pour off the clear water from the top, and then spread the pigment sludge on a clean, non-porous surface (like a pane of glass or a ceramic plate) to dry completely. Once dry, you can scrape up your pure, refined ochre pigment, ready to be mixed into a silky-smooth paint.
4. Tenement Rust (from Oxidized Iron)
Rust is the city's patina, a vibrant orange that tells a story of time and weather. You can find it on old, discarded pipes, abandoned pieces of sheet metal, or forgotten bolts and nails. It’s a surprisingly potent and permanent pigment.
Harvesting rust requires a bit of elbow grease. Use a stiff wire brush or a metal scraper to flake off the rust into a container. Be sure to wear gloves to protect your hands. You'll likely collect a mix of rust flakes and other debris, so the first step is cleaning. Sift your collection to remove any large non-rust particles.
Grind the rust flakes into a fine powder. You'll be amazed at the intensity of the orange color that emerges. This pigment, essentially iron oxide, is incredibly lightfast and works beautifully in oil or acrylic binders. 'Tenement Rust' adds a fiery, transparent warmth to a painting, perfect for capturing the glow of a sunset reflecting off a skyscraper window.
5. Granite Grey (from Crushed Stone)
Don't overlook the subtle beauty of stone. Discarded pieces of granite, slate, or even interesting-looking pebbles can be ground down to create wonderfully textural grey, white, and off-white pigments. Look for these in landscaping waste piles or near stonemasonry shops (again, always ask permission!).
This is the most labor-intensive pigment on our list. You'll need a heavy-duty hammer and a very durable mortar and pestle (a metal one is ideal). Break the stone into small chips inside a canvas bag, then grind, grind, grind. The goal is a consistent, fine powder. Because you're pulverizing rock, safety glasses and a high-quality respirator mask are absolutely essential.
The resulting pigment will have a unique, slightly crystalline quality that adds a subtle shimmer to your paint. 'Granite Grey' is perfect for creating the texture of concrete in your paintings or for mixing with other colors to create complex, muted tones. It’s a testament to the quiet strength and permanence of the city's foundation.
6. Gutter Gold (from Pollen)
This one is seasonal and a little unconventional, but utterly magical. In the spring, certain trees (like pines and oaks) release vast amounts of pollen that collect in thick, golden drifts along curbs and in sheltered corners. This is pure, vibrant color, just waiting to be collected.
Use a soft brush and a dustpan to gently sweep the clean, thickest pollen deposits into a jar. Avoid areas with a lot of dirt or motor oil. Once you have a good amount, you'll need to sift it through an extremely fine mesh to remove dust and insect parts.
Pollen is an organic pigment, so it's not as lightfast as mineral pigments. It's best used for works on paper that will be kept out of direct sunlight, like in a sketchbook or journal. It makes a stunningly bright, almost fluorescent yellow watercolor. 'Gutter Gold' is a fleeting, ephemeral pigment that perfectly captures a specific moment in the city's seasonal cycle.
7. Verdigris Green (from Algae and Lichen)
Take a walk through the older, damper parts of your city. Look at the north-facing sides of old brick walls, stone steps, and forgotten statues. You'll often find a thin, beautiful layer of green algae or the complex patterns of lichen. These can be ethically harvested to create subtle, earthy greens.
When harvesting, be mindful. Never take more than a tiny fraction of a patch, and use a dull scraper or palette knife to gently remove a small amount without damaging the underlying surface. Allow your collected algae or lichen to dry completely until it's brittle.
Once dry, grind it into a fine powder. This organic pigment is delicate and creates a soft, transparent green. Here at the Goh Ling Yong studio, we've had great success using it in gum arabic binders. It’s a living color, a pigment that speaks of damp air, shade, and the patient, persistent force of nature thriving in the urban jungle.
8. Market Dust (from Discarded Spices)
This is a bit of a cheat on "foraging," but it's deeply rooted in the urban experience. Visit the area around a spice market or even a large supermarket at the end of the day. You can often find small amounts of spilled, potent spices like turmeric, paprika, and sumac on the ground or in produce disposal bins.
Collect the cleanest-looking spills you can find. Sifting is your main task here, to separate the pure spice powder from any city grit. A quick grind in a mortar and pestle will ensure a uniform consistency. These pigments are incredibly vibrant but, like pollen, are often not lightfast (especially turmeric), so they're best for sketchbooks or digitized work.
'Market Dust' pigments connect your art to the flow of global commerce and culture that defines a city. A brilliant yellow from turmeric or a fiery red from paprika brings the smells and energy of the marketplace directly onto your page.
9. Tile Blue (from Ceramic Shards)
While a true blue is the holy grail of natural pigments, you can find approximations in the urban environment. Look for discarded ceramic tiles, especially older, glazed pieces from renovation projects. That flash of blue, green, or even white in a construction dumpster can become a unique pigment.
This process requires the utmost caution due to the risk of sharp edges and fine silicate dust. Wear heavy gloves when handling shards, and a respirator is non-negotiable during grinding. Break the pieces down with a hammer inside a sturdy bag, then grind them meticulously. The resulting powder from glazed tiles has a beautiful, almost glassy quality.
This 'Tile Blue' might not be a deep ultramarine, but it will be a unique, soft blue-grey or robin's egg hue that you can't buy in any store. It's a color born from urban renewal, a recycled pigment that carries the history of a home within it.
10. Concrete White (from Limestone or Marble Gravel)
A foundational white is essential for any palette, used for lightening other colors or on its own. While titanium white is the standard, you can forage for your own. Look for white gravel, often made from crushed limestone or marble, used in landscaping, drainage ditches, or on pathways.
Collect the cleanest, whitest stones you can find. Wash them thoroughly and let them dry completely. The grinding process will be tough, similar to granite, so take your time and wear your safety gear. Grind the stones down to a powder that is as fine and smooth as flour.
This 'Concrete White' will have a soft, chalky quality, perfect for creating a gesso-like ground for your paintings or for mixing to create gentle, pastel tints from your other foraged pigments. It is the color of the sidewalk itself, the canvas upon which all other urban colors are found.
Your City, Your Palette
Stepping into the world of urban pigment foraging is like unlocking a new level of seeing. The city is no longer just a place you live; it becomes your collaborator, your studio, and your muse. Each color you create is imbued with a story, a location, and a memory. A painting of a bridge isn't just a painting; it's made from the rust on that bridge, the clay from its foundation, and the charcoal from a nearby park.
Start small. Choose one pigment from this list that excites you and give it a try. The process is one of patience and discovery. Don't be afraid to experiment with different binders, surfaces, and color combinations. As my mentor, Goh Ling Yong, always says, "The best materials are the ones that tell a story." Your city is full of them.
So, what colors are hiding on your street? Go take a walk and find out. And when you create something with your own urban-foraged pigments, share it with our community! Tag us on Instagram with #UrbanPalette2025 so we can see the incredible, unique colors of your city.
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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