Tutorial: Pressing Pigments

I recently acquired another search engine at work to help build and manage (once all the little things are fixed and everything is set in stone I will let you know what site it is!) So because it takes up most of my time, I probably won't be updating as much, BUT I will be trying to do all my posts at once then just publish them each day, but no guarantees! LOL. This new project at work takes awhile getting used to because it's literally like I am working for 2 different companies, but it's under one roof, so it's a bit manic!

Anyway, there are TONS, and I mean TONS of tutorials on pigment pressing, especially on YouTube! But I thought id do one anyway for those who are new to it, if you are still unsure how to correctly do it, please do watch Enkore's video on pressing pigments on YouTube, he's the pro! ***This is just how I did it, but there are MANY ways of doing it, so just find what's easier for you. This was my first time ever pressing pigments because I am pretty lazy when it comes to doing extra work so I usually just use the loose pigments as is, but I pressed a few for traveling! :)

I recently got my EZ Press Pressing Medium from Coastal Scents but I received it AFTER I did this tutorial, so I will do another one using this medium to see if there is any noticeable difference between this and just regular rubbing alcohol.

Why press pigments? Because they are less messy and they are easier to travel with rather than carrying loose pigments around that can make a big mess in your bag!

Is it the same color and pigmentation after a pigment has been pressed? I included swatches of the pressed pigments in this tutorial, to me they were just the same loose as they are pressed!

What you need:

- Empty pans (I used 26mm pans from Coastal Scents, they also have an empty palette with the empty pans)
- Or you can use a quad like the ELF quad
- Rubbing Alcohol (they say 90-91% alcohol, but I used about 71%)
- A medicine dropper or a dropper bottle to put the alcohol in
- Pigments
- Scooper and a spatula (can find it at a craft store)
- Empty Jar or Bowl for mixing pigment and alcohol
- Paper Towel or Cloth
- A quarter
- Blow Dryer (optional)









I used the smallest mixing bowl from the set I got from Everyday Minerals








I blow dry the pigment for a few seconds to speed up the drying process, but you can let it air dry overnight or for a few hours before pressing it with a quarter.




You can use a jar like this to mix it in also (left):




Here I just used another color, "Golden Lemon" Pigment:


Place it in the center of the pan because the product settles out, this prevents it from over-flowing in the pan:






"Sweet Sienna" and "Night Light" have blue dye undertones, so when pressed, the blue dye lifts onto the paper towel:




Pigment pressing palette almost done:


Swatches (dry, from L to R: Your Ladyship, Night Light, Grape, Kelly Green, Sweet Sienna, and Golden Lemon):


I get messy!