Testing colour
to Aliki van der Kruijs’ windowThe colours for the final prints need to be decided. Should I use for instance the ‘Matisse–blue’ or should I go for a more ‘natural’ and maybe logical colour palette? I liked the cyanotype tests I did in the Sunflecks blogpost, because the colour is a direct result from the process.
To see what colours the Monstera holds in itself, I scanned a leaf every day to capture the fading process while it was drying out. In the series below you see close–ups from the different phases, with an interval of 3 days between each image.
![testtest2-1-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150915-testing-colour/thumbs/testtest2-1-1200.png)
Using the colour palette above would result in a saturated print. It doesn’t fit with my research of Matisse’s work and my graphic approach of the Monstera leaf.
The weekend before the test printing session I stayed over at my mother’s house. While brushing my teeth in the bathroom at the attic (where the laundry is done as well) I saw a package of Dylon with a Monstera leaf on the packaging. I’ve seen it before, but I hadn’t thought of using it for the One Window project.
![testtest2-2-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150915-testing-colour/thumbs/testtest2-2-1200.jpg)
The package on the worktable, ready to test! Will it be possible to actually print with this grained product?
I used a non–coloured base to transfer the Dylon through the screen. After making the first test I saw that it worked. I knew that this is the perfect way to come to a printing method in which the colour arises during the process. Thereby the colour feels natural and I have the possibility to work playfully in the set framework of the One Window assignment!
![testtest2-3-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150915-testing-colour/thumbs/testtest2-3-1200.jpg)
There are multiple ways to work with the combination of Dylon and a base. I will work with two different base products: a thinner and thicker one. Both react different to the Dylon. It will also give a different outcome if the grains are mixed with the paste in advance, or if the grains are scattered upon the base directly on the silkscreen.
![testtest2-4-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150915-testing-colour/thumbs/testtest2-4-1200.jpg)
![testtest2-5-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150915-testing-colour/thumbs/testtest2-5-1200.jpg)
![testtest2-6-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150915-testing-colour/thumbs/testtest2-6-1200.jpg)
The result of the Dylon prints makes me think of microscopic images. In my research on the Monstera deliciosa I found the image below, which is a section of the stem showing the internal pipework that manages the water from the roots to the leaves. The plant marks with fluorescent dyes; the dead woody cell walls are yellow and the living cellulose walls are blue. Here you can read more about ‘plant plumbing’.
![monsterasection](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150915-testing-colour/monsterasection.jpg)
I look forward to continue working!