Erin Carignan, Colorado State University assistant professor of Costume Design, is a versatile costume designer and textile artist whose research centers around her most passionate subjects: costume design, textile surface, modification, and wearable art. She intentionally pushes the boundaries of design and technology using unusual mediums and unlikely intersections.
This research culminates in her book, Dyeing for Entertainment: Dyeing, Painting, Breakdown, and Special Effects for Costumes from Routledge Press.
About the Book
Dyeing for Entertainment encompasses a wide range of methods of theatrical painting and dyeing to create beautiful artistic products for theatre, film, TV, opera, and themed entertainment.
Featuring examples from renowned international artisans in the field, this book provides a wealth of information on creating and changing colors, prints, and surface textures of fabric using traditional and nontraditional costume, scenic, fine art, and metal-smithing techniques. It also includes new, safer materials and methods to minimize exposure to toxic materials and fumes. With more than 250 full-color images, this technical manual is designed to guide and inspire new artists in the collaborative art of painting, dyeing, aging, and slinging blood and bling on costumes which is an essential part of creating characters for the entertainment industry.
Written for undergraduate and graduate students of costume design and technology, professional dyers and breakdown artists, and cosplayers, this book can be used as a reference and springboard to create your magical processes, custom fabrics, and unforgettable costumes.
To access the online materials, including printable swatch sheets, a collection of relevant safety data sheets, and a source guide with links, visit routledge.com.
Honoring the Craft
Carignan wrote the book to fill a void in reference works, focusing primarily on entertainment dyeing. “Artisans, professors, and amateur dyers all over the world are always asking on social media for text resources related to dyeing. Also, the artisans whose shoulders we stand on are retiring and leaving this world, and I thought their craft should be honored and passed on,” said Carignan.
The resource contains more than 250 full-color images and synthesized information from various sources with the added challenge of different measurement systems. Designing comes with challenges that often require creative solutions from a costume designer.
A Passion for the Challenge
Carignan said, “One of my more challenging characters to design for recently was for a character named Suresh from the show Letters of Suresh at Curious Theatre in Denver [Colorado], who gave monologues throughout the entire show and rarely left the stage.” The character of Suresh had to age throughout the show without the opportunity for off-stage costume changes. “I ended up using a lot of base layers and pieces and parts that we switched out to age them from a cocky 18-year-old to an unfettered and spiritually elevated 28-year-old,” said Carignan.
For the Opera Aida, Carignan designed the costume of the high priestess whose music was supposed to be sung from offstage. Inspired by the creative possibilities and incredible stage presence of the character, Carignan created an ombre dress design that went from white to red to black and included a very long veil and headpiece with the horns of Isis.
Carignan’s passion and enjoyment of the process are evident. With a jovial smile, she said, “I did the ombre dying myself and cursed myself as the designer many times during the process.”
This type of hands-on experience and expertise is one of the things that makes Carignan an invaluable resource for her students. “I love seeing my students take the lessons I give and do amazing things with the knowledge. I love when they create their own techniques, riffing off of what I’ve taught them,” she said. “I used several of my students’ work in the book, and it makes me very proud that they have made work of the caliber that it stands next to the work of professional artisans.”
In addition to being a teacher, Carignan is a perpetual student, learning and experimenting with new processes. Carignan said, “One of the techniques I’ve learned recently is a current favorite; creating texture and depth using Shibori resist and color removing.”
“The technique creates really organic textures and patterns in a very watercolor landscape sort of way,” said Carignan about the ancient Japanese technique.
CSU Director of Theatre, Dr. Megan Lewis, notes, “Not only is this a stunning testament to her expertise, but it offers the field of costume design a valuable, well-researched, visually and verbally engaging and much-needed resource.”
Dyeing for Entertainment: Dyeing, Painting, Breakdown, and Special Effects for Costumes by Erin Carignan will be released on Dec. 19, 2023.
Reviews and Information
La Bricoleuse, author of Sticks in Petticoats
ISBN 9780815352327
304 Pages 262 Color Illustrations
December 19, 2023, by Routledge
https://www.routledge.com/Dyeing-for-Entertainment-Dyeing-Painting-Breakdown-and-Special-Eff/Carignan/p/book/9780815352327
