Dyeing for Entertainment: Dyeing, Painting, Breakdown, and Special Effects for Costumes

Erin Carignan is a costume designer, textile artist, and maker whose work spans regional theatre, opera, and entertainment. Her research centers around her most passionate subjects: textile surface design, costume design, and wearable art. She is most interested in the intersection of these subjects and in expanding her own knowledge of these areas as she continues to learn from and share information with those inside and outside the entertainment arena. As Assistant Professor of costume design and technology at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, her hope is to pass on her passion of these subjects to future generations, while instilling the wealth of information from the artists who make up our shared lineage as designer-artisans.

1. Dyeing in Vein: Safety Precautions and Dye Room Setup 2. Who Can Make a Rainbow? All About Color 3. Ready, Set, Go! Fibers, Additives, and Swatching 4. The Law of Attraction: Fiber-specific Dyes 5. All Together Now! Union Dyes 6. Color Removing: The Undo button of Dye? 7. Beauty is Only Skin Deep: Changing the Color of Leather! 8. The Three S’s: Silkscreens, Stencils, and Stamps 9. Stroke Couture: Printing and Painting With Dye 10. Another Dimension: Paints, Coatings, and Other Embellishments 11. Resist!!! Making Marks with Resist Dyeing 12. Burned Out? Try Devore! 13. It’s Getting Real: Permanent and Removable Aging, Distressing, Breakdown, and Special Effects 14. Arterial Motives: Permanent and Removable Blood for Costumes Glossary Appendix 1: Bibliographic Reference Appendix 2: Cleaning Up: Stain Removal Appendix 3: Swatch Sheet 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5