>>Please have a look the following. A person who has asked to remain >>anonymous has suggested some projects that people with new websites >>might like to have a go at: [Julian B.] > >I had this kick some braincells.... > >>** Gerbils color swatches -- >> >>Design a page that shows coat colors, including ticking. NOT photographs >>of full gerbils, though colors could be captured from good photos of good >>specimens. Get expert consensus that a swatch is a good representation of >>that color and ticking. Design so that a viewer can easily compare >>similar colors. Expand the swatches catalog to include non-standard >>colors, and gerbils during various stages of maturation. Add notes to >>help a novice decide what color a gerbil is. (Genetics info would be >>incidental.) > >I am working on something similar to this with hamsters; using DMC >embroidery floss. I am working to match said floss with hamster >colors, both dwarf campbell and syrian. > >Since that brand of embroidery floss is available pretty much the >world over...and for those places stuck with the other two or three >varieties made, there are color equivalency charts already done. > >The idea is that a picture of said hamster color is shown; and the >major color(s) are keyed and translated to certain colors of the >floss. No matter where you are, you just go and get those particular >colors (most of the time, a skein runs 25-40 cents US) and double >check against the animal in good light. > > >This came from two things: a wedding for a friend that I did long >distance; I sewed her dress and did all her silk flowers. Because >everyone else involved was all over, it was decreed that the bride's >colors were four different skein colors. The dress matched one >color perfectly (a soft blue) and for the bridesmaids, another color; >and a pattern for the dresses was picked. All they had to do was >get a skein of the appropriate color floss, the correct pattern, and >they could do their dress.... > >The other, the local pond club purchased a VERY expensive water >lily identification book; that came with a large box full of color swatches, >actual paint on backing, with view-through holes. You took a petal of >said lily and matched it to help identify which water lily it was. [I am >NOT kidding, a set was over a thousand $...and there were like five >books and four boxes of swatches in the US and the club owns TWO >books and TWO sets of swatches...and lets club members check one >out to ID their lilies.] > >These two things got me going on the embroidery floss project. :) > >When I finish with the hamsters, I will begin on gerbils. As for some >of the rarer colors, after I get the more common ones (that I have) >pegged, someone else that has some of those colors could get >a few skeins to match so they can see what I've done; and continue >on by helping match up their colors.... > > >This gets around what monitors display. I was trying for years to >get accurate colors on my jewelry photos and have been ripping >out hair. No matter how you photograph a gerbil, there are many >variations on how the results display.... > >>Does anyone think there is any mileage in this? If so, is anyone >>prepared to co-ordinate it? > >I don't have the time to coordinate the full effort, but I'm willing to >help with the color-swatch-match project as I outlined above. > >Besides, it would help standardize colors no matter what they're >called; between the AGS and the NGS and elsewhere.... > >>Julian > >Deb >Rebel's Rodent Ranch
