The main research question is "How to facilitate participatory practices in three artist's’ process of illustration?". The study involves understanding how participants connect emotions to colors through a questionnaire and coloring activity. The questionnaire aims to activate memories related to color and emotion. In the coloring activity, participants color black and white illustrations based on the moods they perceive. The results provide insights into how colors can convey emotions and atmospheres in illustrations. Mock testing provided both expected and unexpected responses, suggesting ways to improve the study and analyze the qualitative and quantitative data collected.

2. Design context/ Background info:
secondary, tertiary, and/or
primary research.
I N T R O D U C T I O N
In our initial project development, our main research question was “how are colours
associated with certain emotions?” From that question, we realized our broad topic needed to be
narrowed down to a specific question that connected our art practice to the colour association study.
Our following question was prompted by gaining insight on participant’s colour association for three
different illustrator’s future artwork. The final editing process resulted in the following question:
“How to facilitate participatory practices in three artist's’ process of illustration?”
The investigation of this colour association study asks the questions of how and why do
people respond to colour in art, how do colours influence a viewer’s mood, and how does colour add
to a specific ambiance.
Background information:
Our background information is mostly based on general knowledge based on our own
interpretation of colours and what we have heard or read about others’. Examples of general colour
associations are:
Red = angry, Blue = sad, Yellow = happy
These are standard colour associations are reinforced by pop culture such as movies like
Inside Out, where the colours of the characters directly correlate to the emotion they are portraying.
There is also literary evidence that uses colour theory. A case studies on colour theory explains how it
managed to attract 175% more traffic to its online slot machine website by changing the colour of its
ad through A/B Testing.
Keywords: Colour association, emotion, mood, toolkit, illustration

3. The main research question of our study is “How to facilitate participatory practices in
three artist's’ process of illustration?” This question considers the involvement of
participatory practices through studying the participant’s emotional connection to the
use of varying colours. We then associate these findings with the use of colour in our
own personal illustration art practices.
Our research sub question that we would like to answer using the co-design toolkit is
“how are colours associated with certain emotions?”. Understanding how the
participants connect different emotions or memories to colour could actively benefit
our role as illustrators in creating content through colour that speaks to different
moods.
R E S E A R C H Q U E S T I O N S

4. Our primary goal of this toolkit is to gain an understanding of the emotional
aspects related to colour. Through the use of the toolkit by the participants,
we could better understand how individuals connect specific emotions and
memories to a wide expanse of colours.
The results of the toolkit could clarify how the use of varying colours in our
illustration could affect participants by activating their emotional responses.
By investigating how the participants use colours within emotional
experiences and when understanding mood within an art pieces, we as
illustrators better understand how we can use our artwork to portray a
specific ambiance through colour.
G O A L & P U R P O S E

5. Our approach to sampling participants is opportunistic sampling from the
classroom. We are investigating students from ages 19-25 in arts and design at
Emily Carr. This allows us to conduct the research in the classroom and get a
better understanding of how other students of our demographic feel about
colour.
Our first activity of sensitizing the participant relates to the Path Of Expression
in which the participant activates their memories. During the first activity, the
participant connects a colour to a specific memory that occurred in their Emily
Carr experience. This activity activates their memories as they have to think
back to a memory similar to the examples provided, and associate their
emotions during that time to a colour of their choice.
The second activity provided immerses the participant into the current
experience as they are physically engaged in the moment. During this activity,
the participant is given a black and white illustrative art piece. The participant
then has to colour in the image depending on what they feel the image
represents in mood and ambiance.
P A R T I C I P A N T S & P A T H O F E X P R E S S I O N

6. We made the toolkit by deciding how we can both sensitize and activate the
memories of participants in terms of colour, and how they associate them with
emotions. We started with a questionnaire to make participants think about a
wide range of emotions. We made a grid with columns to record the
information. Initially there were 5 coloured papers to choose from, but we
decided that it would in fact be limiting to the participants and opted for them to
write any colour of their choice instead. The next activity was a series of
paintings and images with a strong mood that were printed in black and white.
The participants then had to choose what colour they believed the original
image was based on the mood. We later changed the images to our own
illustrations to better answer our research goal. We also provided the
participants with crayons to colour in the printed illustrations to physically
engage them in the activity.
M A K I N G O F T H E T O O L K I T

7. What methods do you think you will use in the design process?
We will primarily be using questionnaires and an interactive colour activity. A
questionnaire is when a participant answers a series of contextual questions for researcher’s
insight. We chose this method because of its ability to procure quantitative data quickly. It is an
effective method to activate memories as well as sensitize. Our second activity of colouring will
provide qualitative data.
Material preferences?
We are using mostly printer paper and crayons to carry out the questionnaire and the
sensitizing colouring activity
Pre activity Questionnaires
Colour/Memory Questionnaires (Activity I)
3 Different Black And White Illustrations (Activity II)
General Equipment: Writing materials, Colouring materials (crayons/markers ),
paper
Documentation Equipment: cameras, paper, pen
I N G R E D I E N T S & D A T A A N A L Y S I S

8. T O O L K I T

9. P R E A C T I V I T Y Q U E S T I O N N A I R E & A C T I V I T Y I :
sensitizing & activating memories
Our rationale for using the questionnaire is to activate the memories of the participants by having
them remember how they felt and, to an extent, see how they felt during certain experiences at
the university. We used questions that spanned a wide range of emotions to facilitate the analysis
of the data. We also used printer paper as it is most cost efficient.
A C T I V I T Y II : make activity
Using the information gathered in Activity I, Activity II aims to further demonstrate the
participant’s decisions based on what mood the participant thinks the specific images portray.
The 3 black and white illustrations selected were created by 3 third year Emily Carr illustration
students (Nicolas Ky, Amy Knill and Kiana Hipolito), with a specific mood in mind. The colouring
sheet activity ultimately allows the participant to create something of their own but also allows
researchers an opportunity to collect physical evidence of the participant’s thinking as well as
creates a platform to comfortably ask questions.
I N S T R U C T I O N S B O O K L E T

10. P R E A C T I V I T Y Q U E S T I O N N A I R E
1. Why do you think colours are associated with emotions?
2. Do you ever remember being influenced by a colour? (ex. Purchasing something)
3. Have you ever used colour theory in your own work? How so?
4. How do colours affect your everyday decision making?
5. Have you learned anything about colour theory at Emily Carr?
6. Do you use colour theory in your projects at Emily Carr?
7. During what step in your art practice process do you consider the use of colour?
8. Is colour important in your art practice?

11. I N S T R U C T I O N S B O O K L E T
A C T I V I T Y I: COLOUR/MEMORY QUESTIONNAIRE
sensitizing & activating memories
1. Inform participants of the purpose of the activity and our goal (how they think emotions
are associated with colour?)
2. Provide surveys and provide participants with writing materials.
3. Explain what the survey is. Ask participants to identify what emotion and colour is
associated with the memory. Allow time for questions/clarification.
4. Once participants have finished, continuously document observations and discussions
through photographs as well as note taking. Collect surveys for future/further analysis.
5. Facilitate a discussion and discuss (if time permits):
What emotions occurred the most frequently?
What colours occurred most frequently?
Did the colours bring up specific memories from your past?

12. I N S T R U C T I O N S B O O K L E T
A C T I V I T Y II : COLOUR SHEETS
make activity
1. Provide participants with drawing materials and three illustrations. Be sure that each
person receives a different illustration to ensure that participants do not influence each
other.
2. Explain the purpose of the activity. Explain to participants that they would need to
colour in the images provided with the colours that they thought would be appropriate
for each image.
3. Continuously document observations and discussions through photographs as well as
note taking.
4. After participants have completed the colour activity, facilitate a discussion and ask
some participants to share why they coloured in the image the way that they chose.
5. Ask participants if there were any gaps that they noticed/ways to improve the study.
6. Collect images for further analysis.

13. T O O L K I T : A C T I V I T Y II
close up on images made by 3 third year illustration students

14. S E S S I O N S C R I P T
Co design session schedule
Time Action Checklist
5 min Introduction State workshop goal, we’re looking for their insights. Explain general plan.
5 min Release Forms Time for questioning/clarification.
5 min Ice Breaker Ask participants to introduce themselves and their major.
5 min Questionnaire Provide writing materials. Have time for clarification/questions.
15 min Activity 1: Emotion, colour and memory questionnaire. Give out worksheets and writing materials.
Sensitizing
5 min Discussion Discuss findings and ask questions. Inform participants of information collected.
15 min Activity 2: Colouring 3 different illustrations according to the mood participants think it portrays.
Make
5 min Discussion Discuss findings and ask questions. Inform participants of information collected.
5 min Closing Remarks Thank participants, allow time for questions and feedback.

15. C O N C L U S I O N
During our mock-pilot testing, our participants provided answers that were both
expected and unexpected.
While one participant proceeded to colour in what they felt was representative of
the mood in the illustration, the other decided to use colours she felt was opposite of the
mood. This gave us further insight in how one feels colours through emotions and also
how one can change emotions through colour. During the questionnaire, one participant
associated colours with imagery and symbolism that she associated with emotional
experiences.
Suggestions were given to provide colouring materials other than just crayons.
The participants felt that some images could be coloured in a child-like manner with the
crayons, whereas other images needed more sophisticated colouring materials to colour
the fine details. Another approach was suggested that we would also provide a coloured
version of our illustrations to compare our versions with the colour versions of the
participants. The participants also mentioned that we should provide statistics of
information about colour association for them to learn from so they could also take
something away from the experience.
We can analyse the quantitative/qualitative data of the questionnaires by
recording similarities and differences. The results will reveal patterns and gaps that will
inform our perception of colours and our own illustrative work. This is important for an
illustrator who must convey a narrative and story-tell through images for a living. Colours
can indicate anything from danger to romance, or from day to night depending on the
needs of the artist. Ultimately, the testing proved that the results can never be conclusive
for a subject as personal and subjective as colour, however studies such as this can help
make sense of people's’ cognitive process in terms of imagery in relation to colour.