Is there a definitive book on color theory?
- Thread starter dnanoodle
- Start date
Jbickley00
New member
Here is a damned good website.
The website I was trying to link to here was the hand print site. Just failed my cut and paste roll, here is the proper link to the handprint site, which is damned good:
http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/color5.html#theorysub
Enion might know of a book that is practical.
Expensive and theoretical is paramon's Color theory, get it used on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Color-Theory-...=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334640615&sr=1-3
Also Quillers Color Choices is popular. Gurney's Color and Light is intruiguing as well ( I don't own it, but he is the guy that did Dinotopia, I like his style. I have heard its a good book.).
The website I was trying to link to here was the hand print site. Just failed my cut and paste roll, here is the proper link to the handprint site, which is damned good:
http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/color5.html#theorysub
Enion might know of a book that is practical.
Expensive and theoretical is paramon's Color theory, get it used on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Color-Theory-...=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334640615&sr=1-3
Also Quillers Color Choices is popular. Gurney's Color and Light is intruiguing as well ( I don't own it, but he is the guy that did Dinotopia, I like his style. I have heard its a good book.).
Last edited:
Einion
New member
There isn't a one-book-you-have-to-read on colour theory I don't think, but Gurney's book comes pretty close.
Presume you saw the other current thread with the plugs of the Handprint site? For years now I've recommended that for anyone interested in the subject since it's 1, an excellent distillation of a lot of disparate sources, with a lot of very worthwhile insights into the subject from the author himself, and 2, free. Hard to beat that.
Einion
Presume you saw the other current thread with the plugs of the Handprint site? For years now I've recommended that for anyone interested in the subject since it's 1, an excellent distillation of a lot of disparate sources, with a lot of very worthwhile insights into the subject from the author himself, and 2, free. Hard to beat that.
Einion
Jbickley00
New member
Fixed the handprint link so it's above. Given all I have heard good about the gurney book, I am adding it to my library. I should have long ago as I am a Dinotopia fan
Einion
New member
Blue And Yellow Don't Make Green, or BAYDMG for short, is a good basic introduction into an aspect of mixing theory (something that a lot of people don't grok by themselves) but it's not good on colour theory per se. It is useful as far as it goes but in all honestly the core premise can be picked up just flicking through the book or asking about it online, where it can be explained in just a couple of paragraphs. Either of which would help in not getting drawn in by the technical/scientific explanations in it which aren't at all accurate and could be very misleading in the long term.
Einion
Einion
Willdorling
New member
This is a bit simpler for the likes of me.
http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory
Cheers
will
http://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory
Cheers
will
Jbickley00
New member
The danger of the simplified sites are that they promulgate some myths, and confuse, rather than help the issue. Color matters is on of those sites. There are simpler sites that giv. Good explanation. Scott naismiths YouTube vids are. Good place to start.
Einion
New member
:good: QFT.Jbickley00 said:
It's been updated quite a bit since the last time I viewed it but it's still no better. The first page gives a perfect example - they show a colour wheel right near the top which includes CMY then go straight to explaining things with RYB primaries, excusing the explanation with "in traditional color theory (used in paint and pigments)". They even dig themselves the classic hole by going on to say:
...primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.
Red can be mixed perfectly well from rose or magenta paints with any of a number of good yellows, and similarly blue can be mixed from cyan + magenta. And all other colours are not derived from the 3 'hues' unless you're only using a three-colour palette.
Einion
cfwheeler58
New member
I am neither a paint snob nor anybody's idea of an artist....
and I am one of those guys who owns more paint, in more shades, than is reasonable....but.....
I bought this book by Michael Wilcox for $5 at the sale table of a Barnes & Noble a few years back....
http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Yellow-Dont-Make-Green/dp/0967962870
I found it a fascinating read and an insight into my painting and color mixing
EDIT A SHORT 3 MINUTES LATER:
OH SHIT......just saw Einon's earlier post. I had only looked at the most recent one when I wrote this.
Too funny.........
and I am one of those guys who owns more paint, in more shades, than is reasonable....but.....
I bought this book by Michael Wilcox for $5 at the sale table of a Barnes & Noble a few years back....
http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Yellow-Dont-Make-Green/dp/0967962870
I found it a fascinating read and an insight into my painting and color mixing
EDIT A SHORT 3 MINUTES LATER:
OH SHIT......just saw Einon's earlier post. I had only looked at the most recent one when I wrote this.
Too funny.........
