Let’s talk shop

The Ager/Dyer (or textile artist) typically handles any costume that requires paint, dye, blood, sweat or dirt, power tools, adhesives, chemicals, heat, or abrasives to reflect the story’s action and the life of the character within it. 

In other words, it’s the most awesome job ever! Because no 2 projects are ever the same, each day in the shop usually brings a new set of technical challenges.

Additionally, the dye shop is the eventual destination for costumes requiring restoration work that falls outside the tailors’ wheelhouse-- ie fabric resurfacing, color correction, and hardware repair.  You’re just as likely to find me carefully restoring a vintage leather belt, or changing a purse’s hardware from silver to gold, as bloodying a hand-shredded zombie costume.  I might be at the bench-grinder taking down brand new shoe soles, employing a sanding block and seam ripper to remove an embroidered logo, or gently passing a pumice stone along a corduroy hem to achieve a worn, threadbare effect.

As an ager/dyer, I usually have several chemical/dye baths going for a “breakdown wash” or “tech job,” but I can easily spend a full 10-12 hour day doing nothing but airbrushing subtle highlights and shadows into otherwise camera-ready costumes.  A textile artist is required to have an extensive knowledge of material and fiber properties, dye chemistry, paint-mixing and application techniques, surface treatments, and pigment discharge methods; in addition to a comprehensive understanding of color theory and an eye for design.  An ager/dyer has to be religious about wearing PPE and following best practices, especially when handling sketchy materials or tools. Safety first, y’all.

Although some regard the dye shop as an unpleasantly messy, and even hazardous, place to work—I find the strange, magical world of the color kitchen to be a source of endless delight.