4. BioChromes

I. Introduction to Biochromes

Biochromes are natural pigments produced by living organisms such as plants, fungi, bacteria, and algae. This week began by leaving things behind and turning to what nature offers, bringing it into the kitchen for experimentation, an experience that challenged how I perceive color and how I will use it in the future as a designer.

Biochromes Sources

• Botanical: Seeds, fruits, leaves, flowers, bark, wood, roots, berries.

• Animal: Insects, mollusks.

• Mineral: Oxides, ochers, clay, soils.

• Fungal: Mushrooms, Molds.

• Bacterial: Bacteria.

II. References & Inspiration

III. Class Experimentation

Basic Biochromes Forms

Ink: Dense Liquid - Soluble/Dispersed - Into the material, onto the material

Dye: Liquid Bath - Soluble in water, into the material

Pigment: Powder - Insoluble in water - Onto the material

A key reference throughout the process was Cecilia Raspanti’s zero-waste color journey diagram, highlighting how natural resources can function as biochromes without producing waste.

The week started with an overview of the three main biochrome forms; dyes, inks, and pigments, and the natural color journey between them. Drawing inspiration from previous Fabricademy work at Makerspace, we moved directly into hands-on experimentation as follows:

A. Liquid Dye Bath and Ink

What are dyes? A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied.

Important Terminology

Scouring: Before dyeing can begin, fibers must be properly prepared through scouring, a step that removes surface build-up and improves the material’s ability to take on color. This process typically involves simmering the fibers in water combined with sodium carbonate and a little bit dish soap or similar cleansing agents to strip away oils, waxes, and leftover processing residues. Plant-based fibers, such as cotton, demand a stronger and longer treatment to fully open the fibers, while animal fibers like wool require lower temperatures and shorter exposure to prevent damage. Effective scouring plays a key role in achieving even coloration and reliable dye results.

Mordanting: is a preparatory process in natural dyeing where a substance, called a mordant, is applied to fibers to help the dye bind more effectively. The mordant creates a chemical link between the fiber and the dye, improving color fixation, durability, and resistance to fading. It can also influence the final color outcome, allowing different shades to be achieved from the same dye source.

Example on Mordants:

Alum, maintains color clarity.

Iron Sulfate, which deepens and darkens tones.

Modifiers: are chemical or natural substances added directly to the dye bath to influence color development. Through the use of alum, sodium carbonate,vinegar iron sulfate, and lemon juice, we observed significant variations in hue emerging from the same dye source.

Dyeing techniques can be applied to individual fibers, fiber blends, yarns, fabrics, and finished garments. However, it is important to note that all of these materials ultimately fall into one of three categories: plant-based, protein-based, or synthetic fibers. Understanding the fibers you work with is a crucial step for successful dying.

Plant-based Fibers: Plant fibers consist of cellulose. They are harvested from plant materials, such as seed balls, leaves, stems, barks, and wood. Cellulose fibers do not always bond fully with mordants; therefore, they are often first combined with tannins to increase affinity.

Examples: Cotton, Linen, Ramie, Hemp, Sisal, Jute, Viscose.

Protein-based Fibers: Animal fibers consist largely of proteins and they are generally the easiest to dye, giving bright and deep colours. The proteins within them are ready to absorb and react both acids and alkalis, but they also can create strong bonds with the mordants, which then is able to bind with the dyes. Animal fibers absorb color easily, while plant fibers requires extra care to hold onto dye.

Examples: Wool, Silk, Angora, Mohair, Alpaca, Camel.

Synthetic Fibers: Made fibers are “made by people” and do not exist in nature by themselves. They often consist of chemically extracted forms of cellulose, which is harvested from plant materials such as leaves, stems, barks, and wood from trees like eucalyptus or faggio, but also tomatoes and paprika. The plant matter is chemically processed, and the thread is extruded and wet spun. They behave similarly to natural plant fibers when prepared for dyeing or dyed.

Examples: Tencel lyocell, Monocel lyocell, Modal, Saxcell, Beechwood, Bamboo wood, Eucalyptus, Cane sugar, Recycled cotton.

We explored group dyeing both protein and plant-based fibers through the preparation of two natural dye baths, one using onion peels and the other red cabbage, following the processes below:

1. Onion Liquid Dye Bath:

Mordant Dye Preparation Process

1- Start by weighting your dry fibers and textiles distributing them between two pots, one for animal-based fibers and another for plant-based fibers (WOF).

2- Calculate scouring agent 2% of the WOF, mordant and dye stuff.

3- Weight scouring agent mordant and dye stuff.

4- Heat the water up to 60 °C and combine the water with scouring agent (1 spoon Sodium Carbonate for every 2 ltrs of water and a little bit of dish soap) and stir until fully dissolved.

Note: The ratio for scouring must be 2% sodium carbonate of the WOF.

5- Add the fibers to each pot (one for animal-based and the other for plant based) and stir them gently, the protein based fibers must simmer at mild temperature for 20-30 minutes while plant-based fibers must boil for an hr.

6- Remove the fibers, wash from any impurities then strain and rinse.

7- Combine water with mordant.

11- Heat up, simmer, stir and add fibers.

12- Remove the fibers, strain.

13- Combine dye stuff and vehicle.

14- Simmer, stir and strain.

15- Add fibers in dye bath.

16- Measure the pH of your dye.

17- Choose between: mordanting again, color change by mordanting, or by modifying the pH of your rinse water and preserving it for later.

B. Pigment

IV. Personal Experimentation

V. Documenting experiments

Material name	Fabric composition	Breathability	Moisture-wicking abilities	Heat retention abilities	Stretchability	Washing temperatures
Silk	Animal fibers - silkworm insect	Highly breathable	High	Low	Low	Cool or warm