Dye Basics - Dye a Color Wheel
It is easy to teach a dye class that gives you a simple cookbook recipe such as “a teaspoon of this, a couple of cups of that”, etc. However, for those who want to go beyond the cookbook recipe, understanding the world of dyes, types, relative strengths, good technique, procedure and repeatability is a foundation you will need. This class will simplify the mysteries AND the mathematics!
This is a full day class, with the first half being classroom style, and the second half being hands on. We will dye a color wheel using your choice of primaries (warm, cool, inkcart). We will be working from 1% dye stock solutions that we will mix.
No prior dye experience is needed.
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Things to bring:
Small gram scale (only if you have one)
Notebook
Pen or pencil
3x5 index cards (at least a dozen or so)
Dust mask, apron, light weight protective gloves, safety glasses
3 pint jars with tight fitting (prefer large mouth jars)
12 plastic knives
THREE 6cc Syringes (can be purchased from your vet, or farm supply store such as Tractor Supply- prefer the slips and not the luer locks)
Cost: This is a full day class - $50 plus a supply fee of $7.50. This includes your dye stuffs, auxiliaries, and one 10 gram skein of wool. You may purchase extra 10 gram skeins for $1.50 each.
Class Syllabus
I. Types of Dye
A. Dyes for Protein Fibers
B. Dyes for Cellulose Fibers
C. What is Exhaustion and how does it apply to today’s dyes?
II. Handy Equipment
III. The Mathematics of Dye Formulations
A. The Joy of Metrics
B. What is DSS?
C. What are Auxiliaries and when do you need them?
D. What is DOS and WOF, or WOG?
E. Mathematical relationships and formulas
IV. Mixing Dye Color
A. Dye a Color Wheel
B. DOS dyeing
C. Over dyeing
V. A Little Color Theory
A.
B. Shades, Tints and Tones
C. Selecting Colors Using the Color Wheel
1. Warm, cool
2. Analogous, complementary
3. Complex
D. Exploring Harmonies
1. Split and double complements
2. Triad and double triad
3. Tetrad and square tetrad
VI. Different types of dyeing explained
A. Immersion, solid shade or vat dyeing
B. Low water immersion
C. Kettle, rainbow or space dyeing
D. Dip dyeing
E. Hand painting