If you've been getting pale pink from your avocado dye bath and wondering what you're doing wrong, this tutorial is the answer. In it I show how I achieve a deep, rich red color from avocado skins and pits — not the washed-out blush that most people get — by making one small adjustment to the dye solution. I also take the results further with party streamers, a plastic doily table runner, and a handful of other materials to show just how many different effects a single dye bath can produce.
What we cover
Starting from raw avocado skins and pits, I walk through the full dye bath process — preparation, simmering time, straining, and paper loading — with a focus on what actually makes the difference between pink and red. Then I show a series of experiments: adding party streamer color for blue-green effects, using a plastic table runner to imprint texture, and dyeing everything from copy paper and graph paper to fabric and watercolor paper. The video spans two full days of dyeing and shows the complete range of results at the end.
What you'll learn
Why black-skinned avocados produce deeper color than green-skinned ones — and what to do when you only have green ones on hand (use them anyway, mixed in with whatever black-skinned skins you have).
How to use bicarb soda to shift the dye from pink to red — a teaspoon or so added to the water before bringing it to a boil raises the alkalinity of the solution and draws out that deeper hue. I also mention that vinegar pulls the color toward orange if that's something you want to try.
How to prepare and store avocado skins before dyeing, including:
- Drying them out on the bench for months rather than freezing (they work just as well either way)
- Cleaning them well enough — meaning no huge chunks of flesh left on — without obsessing over it, since small impurities just float to the surface during simmering
The right simmering approach for rich color — bring the solution to a boil quickly, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about an hour. It's the length of time simmering, not high heat, that produces depth.
How to strain the solution and load papers while the dye is still hot — using a cheesecloth-lined sieve to remove impurities, then laying papers directly into the hot solution one by one.
How to create graduation and marbling effects using party streamer color, including:
- Dissolving streamers in boiling water to make a concentrated color solution
- Painting or dropping that solution onto wet dyed papers before they dry
- Layering colors (green over blue, for example) to deepen the effect
How to use a plastic doily table runner to imprint texture onto wet paper — laid over the paper while it's still soaking wet and left to dry as fast as possible. The faster it dries, the sharper the impression. A hot sunny day outside works beautifully for this.
How different materials take the dye differently, including:
- Copy paper, lined paper, and graph paper — soak up color steadily; thinner papers faster than you'd expect
- Index cards — smooth surface, quite different result from textured paper even in the same solution
- Watercolor paper — the texture of the paper itself adds another layer of pattern, especially with party streamer color added on top
- Fabric — absorbs very quickly and comes out darker than paper for the same soaking time
- Map pages, envelopes, cardstock — all fair game
How to manage your solution across multiple batches over two or three days — including freezing leftover solution for later, knowing it only keeps about three days in the fridge, and adding more boiling water when the solution becomes very dark and concentrated toward the end.
How to dry papers flat without ironing — I lay them out individually with some solution still pooled on the surface, let them dry naturally, then stack them under something heavy once they're done.
Tips & gotchas
Use black-skinned avocados when you can. They carry significantly more pigment and you'll see the difference immediately in the color of the simmering solution. That said, green-skinned ones still contribute — I mix whatever I have.
Don't leave chunks of avocado flesh on the skins if you're storing them before use. A little residue is fine and bubbles off during simmering, but large pieces will go mouldy.
The dye stains your hands and the solution is very hot — handle papers carefully, especially in the first batch when the liquid is at its hottest. I've ended up with red fingers before.
Bring the water to a boil quickly, then reduce heat and simmer gently for about an hour. Don't let it boil hard throughout — it's simmering time that extracts the color, not sustained high heat.
If you're using frozen leftover solution, reheat it to close to boiling before adding papers. Cold or lukewarm solution won't penetrate paper fibers the way hot solution does.
The solution only keeps in the fridge for about three days before it starts to go bad. If you're not going to use it within that window, freeze it.
As you work through multiple batches over a day or two, the solution in the pot gets more concentrated and darker. When it's very dark and you want softer results, just add more boiling water to dilute it back down.
Thinner papers absorb color very quickly — sometimes just a dip in and out is enough. Don't assume they need the same soaking time as thicker paper.
When adding party streamer color to wet papers, be aware of your surroundings. That solution travels and it will stain surfaces.
For the plastic table runner texture imprint: the faster the paper dries, the sharper the impression. If the weather allows, dry it outside in the sun with the runner held down flat.
The variables — how long the solution simmered, which day of the batch you're on, what paper you're using, how fast it dries, whether you added party streamer color or a pinch of salt — all combine in ways you can't fully predict. What you end up with is an array of papers that look nothing like each other and nothing like anything you could buy, which makes them so satisfying to use in journals and ephemera. Once you have a stack of these, the natural next step is experimenting with other natural dye baths — onion skins and tea both pair beautifully with avocado-dyed papers and open up a whole different range of warm tones.
