As he was particularly familiar with pigments thanks to his occupation as a painter of folding fans, he created nouvelle kosode (a kimono with short sleeves worn as underclothing by the upper classes) with the use of dyestuff which was made into pigments as well as a technique which involved freely drawing refined and brilliant patterns of ogi-e (fan painting).
扇絵師という職業柄特に顔料に親しんでいた友禅斎は顔料化した染料を用い、扇絵の上品で華やかな文様を自在に描き出す手法で新感覚の小袖を生み出す。