Young shells are small, thinner, with higher transparency and have more white pigments and softer hues compared to more mature shells. A seashell which has grown for a long time has built up multiple layers, growing thicker and more sturdy as time passes. The layers are muting the colours creating a less colourful surface.
The colour decisions were inspired by the scallop shells which provided the hues and colour gradations in the pieces. The cotton yarns were chosen based on the scallops colour pallet, in a try to recreate the dynamics of the colours in the knit. Each colour was knitted in a similar structure to investigate how the colour behaved in the loose, transparent knit together with the light beige/ yellow shrinking polyester.
This idea was the base for the colour decisions. Pictures of seashells of different ages were positioned on an X (Strong hue to Muted hue) and Y-axis (Young to Old). Which resulted in a spectrum of when hues appear in the shell compared to its age. The pictures were replaced with the chosen cotton yarn colours, creating a colour strategy for each piece. To streamline the design, the 20 colours were reduced to 7 key colours which will go through the final pieces. Photoshop was used to create colour gradients for each piece's colour strategy.
