Artist Creates Portraits Using Coffee Grounds as Paint

Every year, countless cafes discard piles of used coffee grounds — often seen as useless waste. But in Baguio City, Philippines, one emerging artist is proving that these leftovers can become something extraordinary: vivid, textured oil paints for detailed portrait work.

Vincent Navarro, a rising artist based in Baguio, creates realistic portrait paintings using discarded coffee grounds collected from a large specialty coffee shop. His unique medium turns what would be trash into textured, expressive oil paint — no coffee is brewed in the conventional sense.

How Coffee Grounds Became Portrait Paint

Navarro doesn’t brew coffee to make his paint. Instead, he sources spent coffee grounds directly from a busy specialty eatery. These are the grounds left after customers’ drinks have been made — the same material many cafés throw away daily.

His process begins with careful collection. After conducting detailed local research, Navarro identified a high-volume food and coffee business as his primary source of used grounds. This ensures a steady, reliable supply of the raw material he transforms into paint.

Why Use Coffee Grounds in Art?

Coffee grounds offer more than just an eco-friendly option. Their natural pigmentation, granularity, and organic texture provide artists with a unique set of visual and tactile qualities. When mixed with binding agents, the grounds can mimic the depth and layering found in traditional oil paints.

The dark, rich tones of roasted coffee also lend themselves well to portraiture, especially in creating skin tones, shadows, and background shading. Unlike synthetic pigments, coffee provides a subtle, earthy variation that adds character to each brushstroke.

The Step-by-Step Process

Though the article does not list every material or precise technique, the general method involves:

• Collecting used coffee grounds from a commercial coffee shop
• Preparing the grounds as a base pigment
• Mixing them with a binding medium to create a paint-like consistency
• Applying the mixture to canvas to form detailed portraits

Navarro’s final artworks reflect a sophisticated handling of texture and tone, demonstrating how functional waste can be reimagined as fine art.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of coffee grounds does the artist use?

The artist uses discarded coffee grounds collected from a large specialty coffee shop in Baguio. The exact coffee blend or roast level isn’t specified, but these are standard post-brew grounds leftover after serving customers’ drinks.

Does the artist brew the coffee before using the grounds?

No, the coffee grounds are not brewed. They are collected after the coffee has already been prepared for customers, making them genuine spent grounds ready for reuse as an artistic medium.

What is the main advantage of using coffee grounds as paint?

Coffee grounds provide a natural, textured pigment with rich dark tones ideal for portraiture. They are also a sustainable, low-cost alternative to traditional oil paints, reducing waste while offering unique artistic properties.

Where does the artist get the coffee grounds from?

The artist sources the used coffee grounds from a large food and coffee establishment in Baguio City. He conducted local research to identify a reliable supplier with a high volume of daily coffee production.

Is this method used for other types of artwork besides portraits?

The article focuses on portrait painting, but the versatile texture and colour of coffee grounds could be adapted to other forms of visual art. The artist has demonstrated its potential for detailed, expressive work in this medium.

What tools does the artist use to apply the coffee paint?

The article does not specify the exact brushes or tools used, but the technique involves applying the coffee-based mixture to canvas in a way that builds detail and texture typical of oil portraiture.

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