ABOUT OCEANIUM®

OCEANIUM® is a pioneering seaweed innovation company, developing innovative, functional seaweed ingredients and products for food, health and materials –driving systemic change to benefit People Health and Ocean Health.

By combining marine science with commercial application, OCEANIUM’s mission is to maximise the value of seaweed while supporting ocean health and building scalable, responsible supply chains.

OCEAN INK®

SUSTAINABLE, GOLD SEAWEED INK

OCEAN INK® is the world’s first fully biodegradable, water-based ink derived from sustainably sourced seaweed, developed by OCEANIUM®, as an alternative to harmful solvent and plastisol inks.

 

Designed for screen printing across textiles, packaging and promotional materials, it delivers high-quality, vibrant results with good oil and oxygen barrier properties - without the need for added binders.

 

Non-toxic and safe for humans and wildlife, OCEAN INK® offers full end-to-end traceability and supports brands working towards sustainability targets and more circular production models.

 

· Available in a natural seaweed gold, it brings a subtle, organic warmth to   printed work while keeping environmental impact firmly in check.

· Must be used within 2 months of opening.

· Once opened, store in a cool, dry place

· Must be used by November 2027

·  Exclusive to Cass Art

WHY SEAWEED MATTERS

Seaweed is one of the most sustainable raw materials on the planet:

 

- 100% renewable and carbon negative

- Grows in the ocean without freshwater, fertiliser, land, or pesticides

- Absorbs CO₂ and removes excess nitrogen and phosphorus from   water

- Helps restore marine ecosystems and protect biodiversity

- Supports coastal livelihoods and regenerative ocean farming

- At OCEANIUM, seaweed is processed with low-waste, water-based  green chemistry to create high-performance materials with a lighter footprint.

WORKING PROPERTIES

ANITA TAYLOR RWA HON

 

"Working for some time on a series of drawings made with ink on paper that reimagine mythological female subjects and their images and narratives, the idea of playing with a new ink to depict some of these character of the sea, made of stuff of the sea, was inviting to me. 

 

The seaweed ink is highly concentrated and viscous, water-based and biodegradable. It comes in a small round tin a little like shoe polish, in both presentation and substance, with a faint aroma of the seaweed. It’s too thick to work with straight from the tin for me, and unless using it all in one go, I wouldn’t recommend using water to let down the ink in the tin itself; once opened, it should be refrigerated after use, it’s biodegradable after all…

 

While I want to use it to draw with, on opening it, I have the feeling it would be a good ink to print with, but that’s not my intention, I want to make marks fluidly and directly on to paper.

 

 

Scooping a little out of the tin to suspend in water to make it more liquid, it took a little while to get the right suspension of the pigment in water, and anything else would change its eco-credentials and my intentions for these works.  It’s thick and a little intransigent in its dispersal, so a good screw-top jar to shake the mixture is needed, and a little time to get the right solution to work for dipping brushes, to test marks on paper; and then, to just draw…. 


As it’s diluted, the Ocean ink transforms from a thick deep muddy brown to its ‘natural gold’ on the paper. The diluted ink is a little sticky as the brush drags across the paper, and marks need to be layered to create areas of darker tone.  As it dries, the fading tones, seem just right for these particular fading, changeable subjects… and a few weeks later, as light bounces on the drawing in my studio, it look and feels more luminous. 

 

OCEAN INK®  was developed by OCEANIUM®, a company working in seaweed innovation, and based in Scotland. I’m looking forward to seeing what the various artists and students I work with at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee - and also through Drawing Correspondence - will make of it too.

 

Thank you to Cass Art for the invitation to try this new ink!

FAQs

What can I use OCEAN INK® for?

OCEAN INK® is perfect for hand painting, mark making, experimental work, and screen printing on paper and card. It is not colour fast on clothing without curing.

How long does OCEAN INK® take to dry?

Air dry in 24–48 hours. You can speed up drying at home using gentle heat, like a hairdryer or heat gun, keeping airflow moving to avoid overheating or wrinkling.

How long will my finished artwork last?

OCEAN INK® is water-soluble and biodegradable. To keep your artwork looking its best, avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight and consider sealing or protecting it.

Can I mix or thin OCEAN INK®??

Yes. You can thin it with water (the colour will lighten slightly) and mix it with compatible natural or synthetic pigments.

How should I screen print with it?

It works with manual or automated screen-printing equipment. Recommended setup:

- Mesh: 34 threads or 77 threads/cm

- Ink deposit: ~30–50 g per m² per screen pass

- Stencil: Liquid emulsion stencil (e.g. Kiwo 2155)

- Squeegee: 9 mm thickness, 75 shore hardness, square edge profile

Is OCEAN INK® safe to use?

Yes. It is water-based, non-toxic, and plant-based.