Bandana- Indigo dye plants, indigofera tinctoria, persicaria, japanese indigo

DETAILS

– 100% cotton
– Size: 21 x 21 inches, slight variations may occur though
– Hand printed and hand-dyed

Plant derived indigo dyes have been used in cultures all over the world for centuries. These bandanas feature illustrations of five of the most common plants used for indigo dyeing.

The design was made as a collaboration with Wasatch Community gardens. It was printed on some bandanas that they dyed with Japanese indigo grown in their garden, and some that I dyed with synthetic indigo.This bandana was made with synthetic indigo, which is chemically identical to natural indigo but much easier to work with.

PROCESS
Screenprinting: After drawing my design by hand, the image is scanned into a computer and a film positive is printed. The film is used to expose a screen that has been coated with light-sensitive photo emulsion. Once the screen has been exposed to a bright light with the film vacuum-suctioned to it, it is developed with a pressure washer. The areas where the film was black get washed out, and the rest hardens. These areas that washed out are now open mesh that ink can pass through. A squeegee is used to push ink through the screen onto the paper. Each image is printed by hand, so slight variations may occur.

Indigo dyeing: Indigo exists in plants that grow in tropical climates around the world. It is the only blue dye that occurs in nature. With a fascinating history, indigo is equally fascinating to use: fabric first appears yellowish green, and then changes blue as it is exposed to oxygen in the air. The dye produces a wide range of blues, from a pale sky blue to the deepest navy. The more times a piece of fabric is dipped in the vat, the darker it gets.

SHIPPING
Ships quickly in an eco-friendly recycled mailer with a tracking number.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
I studied printmaking in college and worked at a fine-art screenprinting studio in Brooklyn, New York for three years before taking time off to focus on my own work and travel. I currently live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where I work as an artist full time and love gardening, hiking, biking, camping and skiing in the mountains.

All of my work is based on original drawings, mostly inspired by the natural world and printed by hand.

Find more:
instagram: @annabugbeestudio
website: annabugbee.com