Digital Colorization Project: Special Collections Resources

Getting Started

You can find the images for this project at USM Special Collections' Digital Collection on Shared Shelf Commons.

The collection of photographs you will use is under: University of Saint Mary De Paul Library: Saint Mary College Photograph Collection. Please look over the instructions on how to find USM's collections on Shared Shelf Commons here: http://stmary.libguides.com/digitalcolorization/sharedshelfcommons  

Here are a few things to think about to help you prepare for this project:

• Find the original place the photograph was taken and see if there are any remaining details, e.g. trees, furniture, architecture, etc. 
• Research fashion and design trends of that time period for color inspiration. 
• Look to paintings and digital design for inspiration for technique. 
• Visit Special Collections to explore paintings, drawings, and digital design from different time periods and how history has been interpreted over time. 

Resources

Colorization Artist: Dana R Keller 

Reddit Colorized History 

Fashion History in Color 

Historical Preservation Technical Guidelines to Historic Colors

Styles in American Architecture

Excellent article about Marina Amaral, a Photoshop artist, and her digital colorization process including the research necessary to create accurate depictions of history in color. 

https://www.wired.com/2016/08/marina-amaral-colorized-photos/

Books on Reserve at De Paul Library 

We have three books that can be checked out for 2 hours that explore color trends for each decade in the 20th Century. 

Pantone The 20th Century in Color, By Leatrice Eiseman and Keith Recker

Pantone on Fashion: A Century of Color in Design, By Leatrice Eiseman and E. P. Cutler 

Smithsonian's Fashion: The Deifinitive History of Costume and Style

USM Special Collections as Resource

Contact Special Collections Librarian, Lindsay Schettler, or stop by upstairs in De Paul Library to view historical artifacts and flatwork to research colors and design.