All Color Matters

Color Workbook (3rd edition) by Becky Koeing was met with great enthusiasm on my part. The publisher describes the text as presenting “... a wide-ranging overview of color theory and design combined with student activities that reinforce color concepts through hands-on experience.” This text does deliver on providing exercises (at the conclusion of each chapter) using traditional methods (paint) and the computer. These activities give enough wiggle-room for any instructor to customize them for their own needs, while keeping the message of the preceding content reinforced. Overall I was duly please with the organization of the book's subject matter (begins with color theory and concludes with a very short chapter on art history). I was however surprised to see 2 chapters, (34 pages long) devoted to basic 2-D design concepts. This seemed a little out of place with the rest of the material. I would have much rather seen this section edited out, and replaced with a chapter on psy...

If you enjoy oil and acrylic painting, this book is for you! Written from a painter’s perspective, this text explores the technical aspects of the craft while offering an eloquent historical survey from the classic to the contemporary. This isn't a book that offers an psychology analysis or historical origins of each color. What you will find, is exercises for mixing color palettes, methods and painting practices (specific to art movements), materials, aesthetic approaches, and basic concepts in understanding how to choose color for a given purpose. Gury is able to successfully pull together the broad range of topics through his precise yet approachable writing style. One cannot help feeling inspired to paint, after paging through the many beautiful closeup examples of brushwork in this very (economically reasonable) book. Color for Painters: A Guide to Traditions and Practice by Al Gury