Basic Materials

Glue:

Tree Resin/Pitch Glue Ingredients:

• Tree Resin (sometimes referred to as "Pitch") from any variety of coniferous species. The clear or yellow resin seeps from anywhere the tree has been injured and often looks like the wood itself - Note: natural resin originates from sap but is an entirely different substance.
  
• Binding Agent (without this the tree resin would be too brittle):
  • Charcoal
  • Beeswax
  • Dry shredded plant matter (typically in the form of animal droppings)

Method:

• Grind the charcoal and animal droppings to a powder - the finer the better so it is worth extra time and effort in the process. In a suitable container, heat the tree resin (be careful while melting because it is flammable) until it become more liquid. Stir the other ingredients until the glue becomes a thick, black, tar-like substance that is very sticky.
• A ratio of 2 parts resin to 1 part charcoal/Beeswax/animal droopings works well.
• The glue mixture will harden very quickly upon removal from the heat source, but will become pliable again as heat is applied. Therefore it is possible to make in advance and store until required for use.

Modern Alternatives: Epoxy resin

Cord/String:

Nettle String:

• Find some tall and straight nettles (the ideal time to harvest is mid - late summer for optimum strength)
• Hold the nettle firmly (gloves may be necessary to avoid stings) and give it a slow but firm pull that extract the whole nettle, with roots
• Rub the stinging hairs and leaves off in one movement to leave the stem and remove the thin top section of the stem
• Crush the stem all the way along using your fingers and with your fingernail open up the stem and tear off the outer fibres, which should ideally be left to dry
• Twist or plait the dry fibres to create the string (add move fibres for thicker string)
• Add extra fibres to any desired length - the fibres need to be twisted the same way and the string twists in the other

Modern Alternatives: Natural Jute string; Natural Raffia

Pigments:

Ingredients:

In 2008 Archaeologists discovered two sets of art kits a cave in South Africa. The team of researchers, led by Professor Christopher Henshilwood from the universities of Bergen and Witwatersrand, believe that the orche was used for forms of artwork. The two kits thought to be 100,000 years old, includes abalone shells, ochre, bone, charcoal, grindstones and hammerstones. The ochre – made from soft rock with red or yellow pigments - was probably ground into a fine powder by the use of quartzite cobbles, before being mixed and heated with crushed stones or bones in the abalone shells.

My prehistoric art kit (above) comprises powdered purple, red and yellow ochres at the back, charcoal (made from English willow charcoal - a less harmful alternative to the manganese dioxide which was used by prehistoric cave painters) and white china clay in the front abalone shells.

Modern Alternatives: Poster paints / Acrylic paints / Oil paints