bAcKgRoUnD Of ThE StUdy...

Nature presents us an incredible visual rainbow. For centuries, people have tried to capture these natural hues for decorating animal skins, fabrics, crafts, and bodies. Although plants exhibit a wide range of colors, not all of these pigments can be used as dyes. Some won't dissolve in water. It's not obvious from looking at plant colors which will reward us with vibrant dyes - a fact that can lend shades of mystery in dyeing explorations.

A dye can generally be described as a colored substance that has an affinity to the substance to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and may require a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber.

There may be some other ways by which the plants' pigments can be put into use. For this project, it's individual potent will be tested. Since not all of these pigments are found in our country and are not simply attained, selected plants are to be used and their possible colors which are to be explored.

These materials include Carrot(Daucus carota subsp. sativus),Star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito), Mlabar Nightshade (Basella rubra Linn) with their potential color, green. Tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) with red and blue, Ube(Dioscorea alata) and Malabar Nightshade (Basella rubra Linn) with purple, and the last would be Carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) with yellow and orange. These plants contain pigments that are possible sources of colors such as carotenoids and chlorophyll.

Extracting the color pigments from plants and testing it's quality against environmental elements to be an alternative source of dyes which in the future be used in cosmetics industry, color, textiles and even in compelling crafts.