The development of artists' novel colour palettes for inkjet printing

Abstract

In this changing environment in which the artist and designer has access to a wide range of digital imaging tools and technologies, that on first glance, are dedicated to the creation of colour mixtures, why is the digital interface and colour outcome often disappointing? It appears that hardware, software tools and methods for digital printing are not necessarily suited to the specific requirements of the artist. In fact, they are too generalised to obtain a high degree of quality and too inflexible to allow artists to obtain precision and predictability. Is it possible for an artist to mix and print a colour that captures their creative imagination? The motivation for this research is based on how artists mix and print colour by traditional means (painting and printmaking) and how these differ from colour picker tools, slider bars and methods developed for digital printing, and whether it is possible to incorporate both? The paper provides a brief historical background to artists who have developed colour systems to assist their particular colour choices. Based on existing hardware and software, the paper suggests alternative approaches to colour selection, demonstrates methods for the creation of novel inkjet printed palettes, and how these can be visualised and compared.