Sometimes the colors in paints and dyes come from the natural world, like plants, minerals, and… bugs? Meet the cochineal—the tiny, cactus-loving insect that brings a bright, vibrant red color to art, clothing, and even food—and learn all about the science of pigments.
#MetKids Microscope is a show about the science behind the art (and the art behind the science!) at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Learn true stories about real discoveries from scientists at the Museum, and do some experiments on your own!
Do Not Not Try This at Home: Paint With Foods
Difficulty Level: 5/5
Materials
Red cabbage (or another colorful fruit or vegetable like beets, spinach, or blueberries)
Small saucepan or pot
Small bowl
Strainer
Knife
Stovetop
Instructions
1. Ask an adult for help! Chop up a cup’s worth of cabbage (or other fruit or vegetable).
2. Place the chopped food into a saucepan. Add water to fill the pot.
3. Simmer on low heat for one hour.
4. Let the pot cool. Strain the liquid out of the cooked food into a cup or bowl and use the remaining liquid to paint.
5. Use the remaining liquid to paint!
Try again with another fruit or vegetable.
What color pigment comes from each one?
How is the paint you created similar to or different from other kinds of paints you have used?
Head of Digital Content: Sofie Andersen
Executive Producer: Sarah Wambold
Director/Writer/Producer: Benjamin Korman
Animation Direction: Lisa LaBracio
Art Direction: Lisa LaBracio
Design + Illustration: Tara Sunil Thomas
Animation: Sara Zarul Azham, Lisa LaBracio
Experiment Photography: Mia Nacamulli
Production Coordinators: Lela Jenkins, Emma Masdeu-Perez
Narrator: Corin Wells, Marco Leona
Education Consultants: Emily Blumenthal, Darcy-Tell Morales, Julie Marie Seibert
Episode Consultants: Giulia Chiostrini, Marco Leona, Joanne Pillsbury
Original Music: Austin Fisher
Sound Mix: Dave Raymond
Additional Photography: Peter Berson
Special Thanks: Téo Nacamulli Tabet
Shirt, 1450–1550. Peru. Chimú culture. Camelid fiber, cotton, 23 1/2 x 44 1/2 in. (59.7 x 113 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 (1979.206.588)
Utagawa Hiroshige III (Japanese, 1843–1894). View of Benten Shrine on Nakanoshima Island in Shinobazu Pond, Ueno Park, from the series Famous Views of Tokyo, Meiji period (1868–1912), 1881. Woodblock print; ink and color on paper, overall: 14 3/4 x 29 1/8 in. (37.5 x 74 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Lincoln Kirstein, 1959 (JP3259)
Coca Bag, 5th–7th century. Peru. Moche culture. Camelid hair, cotton, 5 x 6 in. (12.7 x 15.2 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Arthur M. Bullowa, 1993 (1994.35.88)
Border Fragment, 1st century B.C.–A.D. 2nd century. Peru. Paracas culture. Camelid hair, cotton, 6 3/4 x 43 1/2 in. (17.15 x 110.49 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of George D. Pratt, 1933 (33.149.87)
Tunic Fragment, 7th–9th century. Peru. Wari culture. Camelid hair, cotton, 22 1/2 x 80 in. (57.15 x 203.2 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of George D. Pratt, 1930 (30.16.1)
Image of fadometer courtesy of Marco Leona
Images © The Metropolitan Museum of Art
© 2021 The Metropolitan Museum of Art
#MetKids is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies
