making formulas

I suddenly got a little cold yesterday, but it hasn't kept me out of the studio. I am too excited about what I am working on- making formulas and printing samples.The printing system I use consists of a base to which you add small amounts of pigment (red, yellow, blue, and black) to make colours. I have never used a formula to create these colours. I just add drops of pigment until I am happy with the result. I never need to create the exact same colour again because the colours change from print to print since I don't have set colour combinations for my products.

Choosing and mixing colours at the time of printing has been my way of working since the beginning. I used to find it allowed room to make creative choices along the way. Although I was printing the same design over again, the colour combinations would always be different and thus keep the process exciting for me and the work exciting for you. For the past little while I have found that perhaps this has been an unnecessary use of my creative energy, so I have decided to bring consistency to my line and to simplify my method of working.

So next season I am trying something a little different. My items will be available in limited colourways, about two per item per print. After a day of mixing the colours of my palette, I find a lot of satisfaction in the stacked tubs of colour and having the formulas that go along with them. I am also very excited about the samples I printed today.