Dyes

Color is everywhere—in buildings, wallpaper, plants, and more. Many artists use color in drawings and paintings. Color is used to add personality and emotion to a piece of art or object. For example, yellow will make the art piece seem happier, while a grayish blue will make it seem dreary and sad. However, there are many different ways to use color even outside of paint and colored inks in art.

Although it may not always take traditional mediums, anything created with someone’s hands from their imagination is still art, including dyeing hair different colors, changing the color of an old sweater, or drawing on skin. One commonality of these examples is a source of color or pigment. If a pigment is strong enough, it can permanently or temporarily color something. However, the color already existing in the object can affect the dyeing process.

For example, to dye one’s hair is to color one’s hair. People can use hair dye or watercolor to set color on the hair. Then, they can use a conditioner to transfer it into their hair, allowing the hair to soak in the pigment. Watercolor is a good alternative to store-bought hair dye because it colors hair by coating it rather than breaking it open. While watercolor is less damaging to hair, it is also far more temporary. A dye job with watercolor only lasts two or three washes at most, and I have found that bright colors, such as green, blue, purple, or red, works best. If done incorrectly, brown or black will end up looking washed out. Finally, dyeing hair with the watercolor technique only works with naturally light hair; it will not affect black or dark brown hair very well.

Dyeing clothes uses the same technique. Paint or fabric dye is applied straight onto the fabric, although the color is occasionally diluted with water, and the cloth absorbs the dye color. To accomplish a whole dye, a person would submerge the clothing in a bucket of water and the dye. However, pen ink can also work well for temporary and small designs. Spray paint for fabric can be used both for jacket designs or carpet illustrations. Additionally, tie-dye is a popular cloth dyeing technique. It consists of wrapping a piece of clothing in a bundle, then dipping it in multiple dyes or applying the dye with a spray. The folds keep the color from absorbing everywhere, often leaving a white shape or pattern as a result.

Works Cited: 

“ACS Publications.” Pigment Synthesis and Analysis of Color In Art, pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b01093. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023. 

Sarah Stearns Founder and Editor Sarah Stearns has helped millions of makers find their next craft project with free patterns and step-by-step tutorials on her blog, Sarah. “How to Tie Dye – Easy Techniques for Beginners.” Sarah Maker, 6 July 2023, sarahmaker.com/how-to-tie-dye/. 

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Yuri Neumann