Today we will talk about how to modify colour and what a modifier actually is. Modifiers are substances that you may choose to apply after you have extracted a particular colour from your plant material. For example, we can turn a yellow marigold dye a lovely shade of olive green by dipping our fabric in an iron mordant. Remember how we discussed last post how a mordant can be a modifier as well? Iron is an easily accessible mordant that can be employed as a modifier!!! Modifiers can change the pH of the dye to make it more acidic or alkaline. With the changes in pH, you can dramatically alter your colours. Let's break this down a little more.
Iron modifiers are known as "the sad mordant/modifier". This is because it will take a "happy colour" like sunny yellow and turn it into a more somber, darker green. Occasionally, depending on how strong your iron modifier is, you can turn a fabric grey or black!!! Orange will darken to a deep wine colour. My personal favourite is taking a boring beige and changing it into a heavenly plum purple colour!! This is VERY exciting indeed!!! If you recall from my last post, I made a copper mordant/modifier. Copper can be unpredictable. It does not always change colours in any interesting way. It just makes the dye stick better to the fabric. That's a good thing, but I like a bit of drama. On this front, I have been disappointed. Yellow can change into a cheerful spring green. Red may go to a royal purple, and an ocher brown can develop a dark walnut colour. Nothing wrong with that. :) However, acidic modifiers such as citric acid, tartaric acid, or simple household vinegar can be added to your dye bath to take red all the way to orange. Purple will go a lovely shade of pink. Rusty colour will go a lovely clear yellow. Alkaline modifiers such as soda ash typically takes colours to a more pink shade from for example, yellow to pink. Or red to fuschia. However, you can get quite dramatic results using alkaline!!! You can get purple to turn a striking shade of blue/green!!! I SO love this reaction!!! As you may have figured out by now, I do love a bit of drama!! :) Modifiers and mordants can really take your art up a notch. Or two!!! You can even go crazy and try one modifier like Rhubarb leaf followed by a copper dip and see what happens. You are only limited by your imagination and I suppose, supplies on hand. :)
I am always delighted and quite often surprised with the effect modifiers and mordants have on my final work. I never get bored of trying anything at least once. The key to learning from your experiments, knowing what works and what doesn't, is taking lots of pictures and extensive notes. If you can snip a sample of fabric that is even better!!! Be bold!! There are no failures!!! Just knowledge and growth!!
I hope you all enjoyed these two posts and learned a bit about why one needs a mordant. And why I simply LOVE a modifier!!!
The End.
I am always delighted and quite often surprised with the effect modifiers and mordants have on my final work. I never get bored of trying anything at least once. The key to learning from your experiments, knowing what works and what doesn't, is taking lots of pictures and extensive notes. If you can snip a sample of fabric that is even better!!! Be bold!! There are no failures!!! Just knowledge and growth!!
I hope you all enjoyed these two posts and learned a bit about why one needs a mordant. And why I simply LOVE a modifier!!!
The End.
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