There is hardly a person who has never tried to dye his clothes. With the help of industrial and natural dyes, it is easy to update old worn jeans or make a faded blouse brighter and more expressive. The dyeing process will not cause any particular difficulties if you carefully observe the dosage of dyes and take into account the peculiarities of the composition of the material.
Preparing for painting
Before you start work, you need to prepare everything you need, namely:
- things intended for dyeing;
- container and devices for turning fabric;
- dyes and rinses.
How to properly prepare clothes for dyeing
Before painting, you will have to remove the fittings from the clothes. - First of all, you should wash your clothes thoroughly. If there are old or other difficult-to-remove substances left on the fabric, you should definitely get rid of them. Otherwise, the fabric in this place will be dyed unevenly, and clearly visible stains will remain, which will greatly spoil the appearance of the product.
- Then you will have to remove the accessories - cut off buttons and decorations, flog metal zippers, since the surface of these parts can be damaged when painted and subsequently become covered with rust.
- If you decide to dye a new one, it is necessary to remove the layer of starch with which the manufacturer usually impregnates such fabrics. To do this, prepare a soap solution, add a little soda and boil the clothes for 25 minutes, after which they rinse thoroughly.
- When dyeing wool yarn, you need to make sure that the threads do not intertwine or get tangled. To do this, it is divided into small parts and collected into loose skeins, which are tied in two or three places with twine.
Selecting containers and equipment for coloring
Once the clothes are prepared for dyeing, you can begin choosing a container.
- Any clean utensil will do, be it an enamel basin or an aluminum pan. The main thing is that there are no traces of scale or soot on the inner surface of the metal.
- Particular attention should be paid to the size of the container. The pan should be of such a volume that the thing to be painted is located freely in the solution, does not squash and does not rise above the surface of the water.
To stir and turn the product while working, you will need wooden tongs. If you don’t have such a device on your farm, you can use ordinary wooden sticks, after first clearing the surface of knots and uneven surfaces.
It is better to take soft water for the procedure, for example, rain or melt water. If this is not possible, then ordinary tap water can be softened with baking soda, for which 1 tbsp. l. powder is dissolved in 10 liters of water.
How to paint a product yourself
The choice of paint depends on the composition of the fabric and the preferences of the owner of the clothing. Textile paint is available in the following forms:
- aerosol,
- pastes,
- powder.
It is suitable for use when dyeing by hand or in a washing machine. The choice of dye depends on the composition of the fabric and the personal preferences of the owner of the clothing.
Before starting work, it is necessary to accurately determine the composition of the product. If the label is erased or lost and it is not possible to find out reliable information about the composition, you can set fire to the thread from the product. Synthetic and natural fibers release different “flavors” when burned:
- synthetics smell like chemicals;
- natural wool or cotton emits the smell of burnt hair.
The easiest way to repaint a thing is from natural materials. Synthetics are difficult to paint and quickly lose their newly acquired shade.
The general rules for using universal fabric paint are the same regardless of the manufacturer of the product. However, when starting coloring, it would be useful to study the instructions included with the product in order to know exactly the dosage and nuances of using a particular dye.
Important! All work with the dye must be carried out with rubber gloves.
If the dye does not require heating the water, then it is better to carry out the work in the bathroom, having previously protected easily soiled items with waterproof film. Then the following activities are carried out:
- Pour paint into a container with warm water and stir thoroughly. The amount of water and dye is determined in advance depending on the weight of the clothing and the dosage indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging.
- The product is dipped into the solution and left for half an hour, stirring occasionally and making sure that the fabric does not wrinkle.
- As soon as the product acquires an intense black color, it can be removed from the solution and rinsed in cool water, adding 1 tbsp. l. vinegar.
Important! If you need to paint several things, you need to paint them one by one.
Often the instructions require heating the coloring solution, then proceed as follows:
- The container with paint dissolved in water is placed on low heat and heated to a temperature of 60 °C.
Important! When dyeing wool and silk, add 50 ml of 25% vinegar essence to the solution.
- The item prepared for painting is immersed in a hot solution for an hour, maintaining a constant temperature of no more than 60 ° C and stirring occasionally.
- After the allotted time has passed, the product is washed in a machine or by hand at a water temperature of 40 ° C and rinsed with the addition of vinegar.
In the future, you should wash and rinse items painted black separately from the rest of your clothes, and add vinegar to each rinse.
Dyeing in the washing machine
For dyeing, the washing machine is set to a washing mode in which the cycle duration does not exceed 30 minutes. You can use a washing machine to dye clothes. Modern dyes have compositions that are completely safe for the operation of household appliances, and the process itself is easier and faster than manually.
- Pour 0.5 liters of hot water into the container and pour out one package of dye. Mix thoroughly, trying to dissolve all grains of powder and obtain a homogeneous mixture.
- Things are turned inside out and loaded into the washing machine. When dyeing, do not use washing powder or conditioner.
- A dye is poured into the machine. You can simply tear the paint bags and put them on top of your clothes.
- When dyeing silk or other delicate fabrics, add 150 ml of 25% vinegar essence.
- Set the washing mode in which the water temperature does not rise above 60 ° C and the cycle duration is no more than 30 minutes, including rinsing.
- After dyeing is completed, wash again at a temperature of 40 ° C, which will allow the paint to adhere well.
The products are dried by laying them out on a horizontal surface away from radiators and avoiding direct sunlight.
To completely clean the machine drum of traces of dye, you need to carry out one cycle in the “rinse” mode using chlorine bleach.
Natural dyes
In addition to aniline and acrylic dyes, there are natural dyes, which are ordinary products. You can dye the product black using coffee, tobacco or hair dye:
- Coffee will help restore the intense black color of fabric that has lost its original appearance. To dye, you need to prepare enough instant or boiled coffee so that the liquid can cover the item being dyed. The stronger the drink, the brighter the color of the fabric. The coffee is brought to a boil, removed from the heat, and the item prepared for painting is immersed in a pan for an hour. The longer the fabric is in the solution, the more colored the fibers will be.
- Instead of coffee, you can take tobacco. To prepare a dyeing solution, pour 15 g of tobacco into 1 liter of water and boil it, after which the product intended for painting is immersed in the container.
For those people who don't often dye items from their wardrobe, the helpful tips and tricks listed below can come in handy.
- If you have to paint a product for the first time, it is better to practice on an old unnecessary thing that you don’t mind throwing away if it fails.
- To accurately determine the required amount of dye, the textiles must be weighed.
- If the item to be repainted is intended to be remade, then it should be torn into pieces in advance.
- Uneven coloring of synthetic fabric can be corrected by immersing the product in a hot soapy solution.
- Items dyed black should be washed separately from other clothes. The fact is that they can fade and ruin all the other things in the drum.
Dyeing your favorite clothes black, done at home, will not only return the items to a bright, rich color, but will also save time and money. The main thing is to buy paint from trusted manufacturers, follow the instructions and listen to the advice of experienced housewives.
T-shirt dyeing is a very fun and creative process. You can almost feel like an artist or designer creating something new.
How to dye a T-shirt
To do this, take:
Typically, T-shirts are made from cotton fabrics, so they can be easily dyed.
Dyes are sold in any hardware stores.
You can use natural dyes:
- instant coffee birch leaves;
- blackberries;
- onion peel;
- blueberries and others.
Over time, they do not lose color and keep the T-shirt fresh.
- To dye fabric, grind plant material and then boil it in distilled water.
- After this, boil the solution to the desired concentration, then strain. Soak the T-shirt in the resulting broth.
- When dyeing items, you can use various fabric binding techniques to create interesting patterns.
- Wring out the shirt and lay it right side out on the desired surface.
- On this side in the middle, take the fabric and twist it clockwise, securing it with elastic bands.
- The result should be a ball.
- If you choose artificial dyes, dissolve them with the desired color in water, as written in the instructions.
- Leave the coloring pigment for an hour.
- After the time has passed, remove the item and place it on some cloth to dry.
- Do not take it outside, sunlight will absorb the brightness of the T-shirt.
Dyeing a T-shirt at home
- To do this, take the item, dip it in a container, and use a syringe to apply paint in the desired shades.
- For convenience, you can apply it first with a syringe and then distribute it evenly with a brush.
- After the design is applied to one side, come to coloring the second.
- At the end of the process, the T-shirt must be thoroughly rinsed in water, dried and ironed to fix the image.
How to paint a T-shirt using acrylic paints
Acrylic colors are the best option for these works, since the substance penetrates perfectly into the fabric and has a wide range of colors.
They produce samples that glow in the dark, as well as pearlescent and matte paints.
When purchasing a tone, pay attention to what fabric it is intended for. Choose brushes depending on the complexity of the work. It is better to use synthetic bristles as they shed less and apply colors better.
- So, the materials have been selected, you can begin the painting process. Place a layer of paper between the front and back of the item to secure the fabric.
- This way, the design will be easier to wear and will not move.
- First you need to draw a drawing template using a simple pencil, and then color it.
- If during the painting process a drop of paint falls in the wrong place, don’t be upset. It will not be possible to remove the stain without affecting the main pattern. However, you can show your imagination and paint the damaged area so that random drops appear as elements of the image.
It is often difficult to work with acrylic paints due to the thick composition. In this case, dilute the paint with water. Its layer should be uniform and not thick, then the painting will hold up better. The finished design must dry for 24 hours, after which it must be fixed with an iron through gauze at the maximum temperature allowed for the fabric. After this, the item cannot be washed for 48 hours.
Dyeing a T-shirt using the tie-dye technique
Tie-dye is a technique that allows you to create bright psychedelic patterns on things. This technique was used in ancient India and China, and in the 20th century it became very popular thanks to the hippie movement. Currently, this method is used by famous brands such as Stussy, Vans and others.
You can create such a beautiful tie-dye T-shirt at home.
To do this, take:
- ordinary paint;
- white T-shirt;
- water;
- plastic containers;
- threads;
- salt.
You can get paints at a hardware store. Salt is necessary for the paint to adhere better. Now you need to tie the shirt.
Twist it in a spiral from the middle so that you end up with lines emanating from the center to the edges. After this, carefully fold the item several times and wrap it with thread.
Now dilute the paint in plenty of warm water and add a tablespoon of salt. Apply paint to the item using a syringe or brush. Leave to dry.
When painting has been done, put the shirt in a dry place. It is not advisable to unfold the drawings at this time, otherwise they will not stick. After a day, unwrap the item and enjoy the result.
How to dye a T-shirt deep black
To do this you need to take:
- black shade of paint – 1 sachet;
- enameled basin.
First, place the dye packet into the pan, gradually adding water and stirring to form a paste. Then fill the paste with water at a ratio of 0.5 liters of cold water per paint. Mix everything and strain through cheesecloth. Pour the mixture into an enamel bowl. Add water at 50 degrees. The amount of the resulting solution must match the weight of the fabric being dyed within 10:1.
Place the fabric in the prepared solution and put it on fire. After 20 minutes, when it starts to boil, add 2 teaspoons of table salt. Place the fabric back into the solution and wait until it starts to boil. This will happen in about 30 minutes. After this, carefully remove it from the heat and place it in a safe place. Do not remove the shirt for another 30 minutes. When the time has come, take out the item and rinse, first in hot, then in cold water. Then carefully squeeze out the water and dry.
It happens that a good T-shirt lies idle in the wardrobe, since its color does not quite suit the owner. It’s a shame to throw it away and not interesting to wear. And sometimes you want to find some special thing that will definitely be one and only. And so that it fully meets your preferences in terms of color, shape, length, etc. The easiest and most fun way to solve this problem is to dye this t-shirt at home the way you like.
On one of your free evenings at home, stop watching the series and engage in the creative process. Use the technique of twisting and tying fabric, with which patterns are created with one or more dyes in different shades of the same color. A creative approach to business will help turn an ordinary thing into a real exclusive. You will have a lot of fun and save money on buying expensive new things. In addition, by independently changing the color of slightly boring clothes, you will have a lot of fun. Try one of several methods offered by experienced housewives at home.
The first stage is preparation
To paint things, you can use industrial dyes or natural raw materials. Stores always have synthetic dyes in a wide variety of colors. But it is important to pay attention to their composition so as not to provoke allergic reactions. But in the case of using natural pigments, such a danger certainly does not threaten, but the choice of colors is very limited. Mainly used: tea, coffee, turmeric, brilliant green, fabric markers, wine or onion peels. Decide what suits you best. And then prepare everything you need for work:
- an enamel bowl or convenient container;
- fabric paint;
- latex gloves;
- salt, soda;
- pencil, brush or syringe;
- clothespins, elastic bands, balls or pebbles, etc.
It is important to remember that for effective painting you need to use only clean things, preferably made from natural fabrics with a minimum percentage of synthetic additives. When choosing dyes, pay attention to the processing method and for which fabrics it is suitable. Don’t forget that the perfect and pure color will only work on white T-shirts. Colored ones will give some shade. Consider the combination of colors and choose darker and more saturated colors for the color base. If the product has decorative decorations, it is better to remove them. And be sure to determine the weight of the product so as not to miss the amount of dyes. Be sure to read the instructions on the paint package and follow all requirements.
The most popular dyeing methods
1. Solid coloring.
The use of synthetic dyes simplifies this process as much as possible. The easiest option is to buy special paint for machine washing. This will take a little time and will not require any effort. If you do the dyeing in a basin, do not forget to stir constantly so that the paint lies evenly on the fabric.
But painting with natural decoctions will take longer. First you need to brew a few tablespoons of crushed raw materials. The richer the color you want, the more raw materials you need. Cool the brewed paint and strain. Experts recommend adding 1 teaspoon of table salt per liter of water. You can put a T-shirt in the finished infusion and boil for an hour. When everything has cooled down, rinse well in warm water. It is recommended to squeeze it carefully, without twisting it. And dry it by laying it out on a horizontal surface. This way you can update any thing.
2. Ombre or gradient effect.
T-shirts with partial coloring look very original - painted in layers with a smooth decrease in the brightness of the shade. Usually a more saturated color comes from below, although this is a matter of taste and imagination. To make colors smoothly transition from intense to less saturated, different methods are used. The simplest is when the color is picked up by immersing the product in the dye. The same can be achieved using a brush or spray bottle.
In order for the distribution of paints to look successful, you should think through everything in advance. And make marks on the T-shirt - guidelines for shade transitions. The paint is diluted in accordance with the instructions in the instructions. Dip your product into the solution for a minute on the side that should be the darkest. Then you need to lift the thing and let the paint drain. So we lower it to each next mark as many times as there are shades. At the same time, we constantly increase the immersion time. The finished product must be rinsed in cool water acidified with vinegar.
For “spraying” we choose paint for coloring in cold water. We lay the T-shirt on oilcloth and apply color using a spray bottle. Paint preparation has its own characteristics. First, take less water than recommended in the instructions. Apply paint to the darker edge. Then you need to add water to the spray bottle to dilute the color and apply the next layer. So, we gradually reduce the intensity of the dye and get the desired shades.
And finally, an original method of painting with acrylic paints. It turns out very original, because... The paint adheres perfectly to the fabric. The color palette includes both pearlescent and glow-in-the-dark. You can create unique designs on your T-shirt. The drawing is drawn with a simple pencil and then painted. Experts recommend choosing synthetic brushes for this purpose. Place cardboard between the front and back layers of the T-shirt to make it more convenient to work.
3. Tie-dye technique
Lovers of colorful, intricate images can take inspiration from traditional Indian craftsmen or hippies. Most often these are chosen by ladies. The ancient technique of tie-dye allows you to show wild imagination. Everything is quite simple to do. To paint, you need to twist or fold the product in a certain way. We carefully roll the T-shirt in a spiral - with one hand we take the central part, and with the other we take the collected edges. We fold and tie with threads so that the pattern does not break. The paint is applied with a brush or syringe. So we leave the T-shirt until it dries so that the design is fixed. Then rinse in salted water and dry.
You can also simply dip the fabric in different colors, or fold it in certain shapes, securing it with clothespins. A bright spiral lies over the entire area or in the center. You can create multiple color layers. To do this, the fabric is dipped in one paint for 15 minutes, and then you need to make another spiral and dip it in a different color for an hour. After rinsing and drying, the T-shirt looks great.
Tying sibari knots
How often does it happen that a stain on a cute and completely new baby cannot be removed. This is where the “sibari” technique will help you out. In this option, you need to tie knots with balls or pebbles on the front of the fabric. This is very easy to do with rubber bands. You choose the quantity and size at your discretion. The product is immersed in paint for an hour. Then you can safely untie the knots, rinse the clothes and dry them. This is how a wide variety of ornaments and patterns are created. In this case, you can use one or more colors. The clothes will look very impressive.
In the PrintSalon online store you can easily choose very high-quality and inexpensive white T-shirts of any size. The assortment includes products made from natural cotton from the European company Stedman (Belgium). Use your creativity and create a truly exclusive one.
Even an ordinary white T-shirt can be turned into a stylish designer item if you paint it in one or more colors. A little effort, a minimum of financial costs - and very soon you will become the owner of a truly exclusive wardrobe item that no one else has. The best part is that you can transform this everyday item on your own. And in this article we will tell you how you can dye a white T-shirt at home.
How to paint a T-shirt with gouache?
How can you dye a T-shirt? The first thing that comes to mind is fabric dyes. But if they are not at hand, then ordinary gouache will do the job perfectly.
So, to dye a T-shirt in different colors, you will need a few simple items:
- White T-shirt;
- jars with gouache;
- PVA glue;
- brush;
- palette.
First of all, combine glue and paint in proportions 1:1. If you need a color that is not included in the gouache set, then mix the paints first and only then add PVA to them. Then, armed with a brush, apply paint to the T-shirt. Don't know how to draw? No problem! Abstract prints are in fashion now more than ever. Do not forget to wash your brush in clean water from time to time so that your art does not turn out dirty and untidy. And remember, if you want to get a flat design, try to lightly rub the paint into the fabric. If you need three-dimensional images, then apply gouache to the material in a thick layer.
The biggest disadvantage of this method is its fragility. After the first wash, the painting will be erased instantly. But the T-shirt will become white again and ready for new transformations.
How to paint a T-shirt with acrylic paints?
Acrylic paints penetrate perfectly into fabric and are available in a wide range of colors. That is why you can use them to dye a T-shirt in different colors. You will need:
- White T-shirt;
- acrylic paints;
- brush.
Everything here is extremely simple. First you need to apply a pattern of the design to the clothing, and then paint it with acrylic paints. If they are quite thick and difficult to apply to the fabric, simply dilute them with a little water. Make sure that the paint layer is not too thick. This way it will stay on the fabric longer. After everything is ready, let the drawing dry for a day. And then iron the T-shirt through cheesecloth at maximum temperature. And remember that after such manipulations the item cannot be washed for 48 hours.
How to paint a T-shirt with wax crayons?
How else can you dye a T-shirt at home? Ordinary wax crayons can come to the aid of self-taught designers. Ready to experiment? Then prepare:
- white T-shirt;
- wax crayons of different colors;
- grater;
- several sheets of white paper.
How to dye a T-shirt? Very simple! First of all, grate the wax crayons of the colors you need on a fine grater. Then take a T-shirt, lay it out on the ironing board, put several sheets of paper inside so that the paint does not get on the back side. Then apply chalk shavings to those areas of the item that you want to have prints on. After this, cover the T-shirt with paper and begin ironing until it comes off the fabric. This will mean that your designer item is ready.
How to dye a T-shirt black?
In this case, you can’t do without fabric dyes. To dye a T-shirt black, you will need:
- White T-shirt;
- a bag of black dye;
- salt;
- enamel basin.
Where to begin? From preparing the solution for staining. Pour the coloring powder into a saucepan and slowly add water until you form a paste-like mixture. After this, add cold water to it in proportions of 0.5 liters per 1 bag of dye. Mix everything well and strain through cheesecloth. Then pour the solution into an enamel bowl and add water again, the temperature of which should not exceed 50 degrees.
Dip a T-shirt into the prepared mixture and place the bowl on the fire. Once the solution boils, remove the fabric, add 2 teaspoons of salt to it, and then immerse the T-shirt in it again. Once the entire contents of the basin have boiled again, remove it from the heat and leave the T-shirt to dye for about half an hour. Then rinse the item first in hot and then in cold water. Just like that, with a slight movement of the hand, the white T-shirt became a rich black color!
How to dye a T-shirt different colors?
Using fabric dyes, you can dye a white T-shirt in different colors. There are special techniques for this. For example, to get bright and unusual stains on clothes, you first need to twist the T-shirt in a spiral, and then wrap it around its axis several times and secure it with threads or rubber bands. Then dilute the dyes of the selected colors according to the instructions. Take a brush and apply paint to the T-shirt. After a day, unwrap the item and admire the resulting extraordinary patterns.
Another method of staining is nodular. Just tie a lot of different knots on your T-shirt using elastic bands. Then use a brush to apply special dyes to the fabric. The essence of this technique is that the areas tied with rubber bands will remain white, and mixing different colors will give fancy and stylish stains.
Modern women often do handicrafts - they sew, knit, make soft toys and create real masterpieces of the currently popular hand-made style. Sometimes for work you need to get fabric of a certain shade or you just want to experiment with its color. How to dye fabric at home? In our article we will list “helpers” - natural means with which you can paint matter in all the colors of the rainbow.
So what are these clothing dyes? You might be surprised, but we're talking about red cabbage, beets, oranges, lemons, onions, blueberries, blackberries and spinach. And also about other helpers - tea and coffee.
Dyeing fabric is a creative process. Love of experimentation is the main quality when working with natural dyes. Don’t be afraid to change the number and composition of ingredients, leave the fabric in water for different times - the results will allow you to choose exactly what you need.
What exactly to use
Natural dyes for clothing allow you to obtain a wide range of colors. Blueberries and beets allow you to achieve red or pink tones. Their pigments will help you achieve a beautiful and unusual “dusty” pink shade.
For purple or blue varieties, try blackberries or red cabbage. If you need mustard or copper colors - think about the usual onion skins that are used to paint eggs at Easter.
Yellow flowers are achieved using lemon and orange peels. The zest gives the yellow fabric a soft tint. A pale green color can be achieved with spinach. But for bright green, it’s better to take regular pharmacy green.
How to dye fabric at home - process technology
Let's start brewing the "potion". We cut the selected ingredients, put them in a saucepan, and add twice as much water. Once it boils, let it cool for an hour. If you want a more saturated color, leave it on all night. And don’t forget to strain the liquid - dyeing fabric is fundamentally different from making compote!
Particularly successful dyes for clothing and just fabric can be obtained from beets (the ruby tint appears literally before your eyes!) and from onion peels. But spinach is not so effective.
How to prepare fabric
Before you dye fabric at home, it needs to be specially prepared - using a fixing solution, with which the coloring pigment will stick better. It is prepared like this: in the case of painting with berries, half a cup of salt is diluted in eight glasses of water, the fabric is boiled in the resulting solution over low heat for about an hour. If you paint with vegetables, the solution is prepared using vinegar, which is diluted in water in a ratio of 1:4, the procedure is exactly the same.
Removed from the solution and rinsed with cold water, the fabric is ready to meet the dye. We immerse it in a container with our homemade paint and leave it for a while. Which one exactly depends on how rich the shade you need.
Once dry, the dyed fabric will fade slightly - this must be taken into account in advance. But remember that natural dyes have excellent strength and stability; dyeing fabric with them will retain its freshness for a long time.
Dye the fabric flesh color
How to dye fabric at home tan or flesh-colored (let's say you're sewing a tilde doll)? In this case, natural fabrics such as linen or calico in light colors should be taken as a basis, and both aniline dyes and the most common tea or coffee will help to give them the desired shade. Wine and some juices are also good.
Before dyeing, new fabric is washed - the factory impregnation is removed. Then a solution is prepared with which the fabric is dyed. Here are some suitable recipes.
Dip our fabric into a hot solution of strong black tea for about 20 minutes. For strength, add a little baking soda to the brew. To ensure uniform coloring, the fabric should be stirred. Then it is wrung out, straightened and dried. The final shade will appear in two to three days.
Not only tea, but also coffee
Coffee solution - take a tablespoon of salt (tablespoon) and a liter of water, add the cheapest instant coffee - 50 grams, dye the fabric with constant stirring for about a quarter of an hour. Then rinse in cold water and dry in the same way, straightening it out. Coffee can also be brewed in a Turk. In this case, the dyed fabric will have a light coffee aroma.
In stationery stores or special departments for creativity, you can buy aniline dyes for fabric and batik. Dyeing fabric to match a natural tan is achieved by mixing brown (as a base) color with orange, white and red. At first you will have to experiment with proportions. Too dark tones are lightened with white paint.
The desired shade can be achieved by correcting fabric already dyed with black tea using aniline dyes.
Dyeing fabric without unnecessary risk is ensured by test dyeing on a small piece of it.
Remember that natural fabrics can be saturated with the desired color more easily and quickly compared to synthetic ones.
There are special fixatives for factory-made paint.
Different brands of tea under the same conditions will give different shades and color intensities.
