Sustainable Art Practices: Harnessing Ketapang Leaves Extract for Natural Dyeing and Collage

The health and well-being of artists can be significantly jeopardized using synthetic colourants in visual arts. Negative health and environmental consequences may result from the hazardous compounds present in certain paintings, including acrylics, oils, and watercolours. This study aimed to create artworks which included sustainable Ketapang leaf colors developed through boiling water extraction processes. The extraction occurred in distilled water at boiling temperature for 30 minutes using a solution ratio of 1:20. The fabrics consisted of cotton, linen, viscose, and satin silk experienced 30-minute immersion within the eco-colorant extract solution after receiving 5–10% (owf) alum and tunjung pre- or meta-mordanting treatment. The dyeing processes took place at liquor ratios which were 1:20 and 1:40. Subsequently, the fabrics that had been dyed were visually inspected to determine the colors they had produced and their suitability for collage-making. One intriguing finding from this study is that different mordants produced different colors when applied to the extracted eco- colorants, even though they all originate from the same source. Fabrics treated with tunjung before washing often turned-out deeper shades than those treated with alum. The final collage artwork was created after the collected information was analyzed and put into action. The effectiveness, on the other hand, may be contingent on the knowledge, skills, and capabilities required to create collage artwork products by dyeing fabric with eco- colorants extracted from Ketapang leaves. The findings of this research demonstrate that eco-colorants extracted from plant sources show promise for use in art production so more thorough investigations into this potential should be made.