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Saturday, August 28, 2010

Color Theory Beginnings


So, how does one go about learning more about color theory?  It is hard to know where to start.  I recently unpacked three books that I like to use but , believe me, you could walk into any bookstore, go to the art section and find many more possible choices.  These three just happen to be my personal favorites.  

The first title is The Enjoyment and Use of Color by Walter Sarget.  It is a Dover Publications book which are sold in many places.  The other two are Power Color by Caroline Jasper and Color Choices:Making Color Sense Out of Color Theory by Stephen Quiller.  He also has a color wheel that is a little different than what you normally find.  Although the Quiller book is specifically for water colorists, it is still full of glowing, inspirational uses of how to use color in interesting ways.  

One thing to remember if you are a textile artist, is that paint on paper "reflects" color in a more vibrant way than fabric will.  One way to compensate for that is to choose more vibrant, saturated colors when you are picking fabrics for a textile piece.  Or, use that knowledge to achieve a softer look.  You're the boss of what you make!

Always be on the watch for color inspiration all around you.  Once you start thinking about color, interesting combinations show up all around.  For instance here's a combo that just showed up on my cutting table while I was organizing and putting away thread spools.  Neat, huh?

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