Making Color Sing: Practical Lessons in Color and Design

by Jeanne Dobie

Through clear, illuminating exercises, this best-selling book stimulates new ways to think about color, generating responses that unlock personal creativity and allow artists to express themselves with paint as never before. Readers are shown how the interplay of complementary hues can trigger vibrations; how the push and pull of warm and cool colors can create a feeling of space; how to disguise one color in a scene to accent another; and many more tidbits of colorful advice.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference, Design, Visual Art

160 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2000

Reviews

[Kåre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usefull information on pigments and color. I knew that some colors and pigments were transparent, others opaque, but I was not as aware of this fact as I should have been. Furthermore, the pallette sugested in the book is nice and simple. I had most of the colors already and bougth the rest. I set my pallette up using to trays, one for transparent, one for more or less opaque.

However, after having used the pallette suggested in the book for a couple of weeks, I have drifted back to introducing some of the "forbidden" colors again. Perhaps I feel more comfortable with another pallette. And perhaps this explains the fact that I find water colors so difficult to work with: If water colors fit a palette, that I do not embrace, then water color might be kind of wrong for me. Anyway, I am not going to stop using water just jet.

I do not like the way the book is written.The mix between information and the authors own story does not charm me. And her own works of art are not beautifull enough to persuade me that she really knows something, that I would like to know also (I know this is not necessarily a valid critique, as a bad artist could be a good teacher. But when the teaching does not interest me too much, and the artwork doesen´t either, then...).

[Virtuella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of useful information about colour, mixing, highlights, shadows etc, some of which I've not seen anywhere else yet. I took a lot of notes and I would certainly recommend it for the comprehensive explanations and colour charts. However, it is not exactly an encouraging book for a beginner - Dobie makes so many dogmatic statements about what one must and mustn't do (for example, one mustn't care much about the subject one is painting, only about the patterns and shapes), and she is so disparaging about anything that doesn't fit with her ideas ("conventional", "hu-hum", dismissing details as "calligraphy") that her claim to want to empower everybody to be as creative as they can seems not very credible. While some of the illustrations in the book show fascinating paintings, many of the pictures she holds up as shining examples look gloomy and dull to me, often containing large expanses of barely differentiated dark paint of nondescript colour. Some of her advice seems dubious, for example placing reflections on water not where they de facto belong, but to one side to make the painting more interesting - I found it just made it annoying, because it looked so clearly wrong. Other advice is impractical and wasteful, like cutting out all the shapes for a painting out of coloured paper or mixing up twice as much pigment as will be needed - I get the impression money is of no concern to her, but it is to me. Even though I learned a lot of useful things from the book, I felt depressed after I finished it and didn't even want to try another painting, since I wouldn't be able to meet all the demands she says need to be fulfilled all at once. Perhaps this book is better suited for advanced art students than to hobbyists.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually use watercolors; I prefer oil paints. But I'm interested in practical color theory and saw this book at my library, so I decided to see what it said, anyway. While all of the author's examples were specifically for watercolor, much of the book was about pigments and color in composition, which I can apply to oil paintings. She took the very basic information that my art instructor told me about color theory and explored it in detail while giving practical examples of how to apply that information. I feel like I finally understand color use in composition and how to achieve certain effects. It's a lot of information, though, so I'll probably need to read this book again in a year remind myself of things I might not be doing yet.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The teacher of my watercolor painting class recommended "Making Color Sing" and led the beginning painters in the class in an exercise from the book and that's all it took--I had to read the book. After borrowing it from my library, I bought a copy so that I can work my way through it instead of rushing to get it back to the library.

Besides understanding the concepts Dobie writes about, I've used several in paintings done for the class. My excitement about the effects achieved were confirmed by the reactions the paintings elicited from the teacher and my classmates.

This book combines theory and practical applications and will be a treasured reference for me.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reluctantly, I have to admit that this book is very good. "Reluctantly" because Dobie relies on outdated theory about split primaries. "Very good" because Dobie has a fantastic, subtle eye for color. She completely convinced me of the value of complimentary colors and glazing in particular.

It's difficult to put the theory into practice because I do oil painting, and I'm still working out how detailed I want my paintings to be. It's worth the work though; I'm already noticing color notes IRL that I wouldn't have seen before.

[Robin Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE best book on learning watercolor I've ever read, bar none. I read it 5 or more times (can't remember) during my first few years of painting and much of my thinking about color was formed then and from this book.

[Annette M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artist has developed a beautiful and effective color palette and I have loved using the suggested colors in my paintings.

[Marie French · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Thank you, Jeanne Dobie, for sharing your painting tips and techniques. Awesome!

[Dixie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t understand why this book is so popular. The author uses made up terms (mouse color? Disguise color?). There are actual technical terms for these types of colors that she ignores. I also found her own paintings to be mostly underwhelming. A lot of her subjects are abstracted to the point of being unrecognizable and her painting examples she chooses don’t show the technique she describes. In one chapter she talks about having no more than 12 major shapes in a painting (what??) and then uses a painting of a hammock, with about 30 high contrast diamond shapes that I couldn’t visually group into one shape.

She does go over the basics of color theory and I did take her challenge to use no more than 3 colors in mixing. Overall, I found the book like her paintings- underwhelming and not for me.

[BM · Rating 5 out of 5]

A useful book for learning how to use color better as a watercolor painter. It also includes some good composition tips. I would recommend it for any watercolorist who wants to improve their paintings.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contains some interesting color experiments to try out and recommendations for grouping shapes and values for unique compositions, but overall found much of the artist’s work, and even some of the ones she held up as shining examples, to be blasé or even ugly.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books out there, I would buy it but it is so darn expensive. It is so detailed and explores the subject of making color sing, far more detailed than any other book on the subject.

[Linny · Rating 5 out of 5]

suggested from art class: excellent examples on types of water color effects. choices to make for transparency, greys, bold, etc.

[Jan Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful and intriguing book on watercolor.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good information to ponder. The author is basically advocating making sure to use transparent color. In other words, to understand your colors and how they work.

[Mateo Toledo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imprescindible. Magnífico.

[Book Nibbler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really gets into color theory in an instructive way.

[Megangoldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing I crave more than you is the feeling of you next to me.

[Marmot · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had some interesting tidbits but I didn't like the style of paintings in it at all so hence I don't really want to take her advice on colours

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best books learning about watercolor. Very advanced level lessons of an accomplished artist and teacher about color and composition. Highly recommended. Just replace her palette with contemporary pigments, let’s say of Daniel Smith or M. Graham!

[Barry Stoch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book for learning how to get the most out of your watercolour painting. As a begineer I have tried to read as much as I could and there were bits and pieces that I had picked up along the way of reading other books but with the way Jeanne presented practical applications in this book it really helped me to gain a good overall understanding, it just all seemed to click for me.

I still need much practise to apply these lessons and I know I will refer back to this book over and over again

[VeeDawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting and informative book about using watercolor...oops! Maybe not. On further study I was disappointed to learn that the colors this author/artist swears by are not lightfast. What a disappointment--why paint if you have to keep everything in a closet or have your picture fade away in three years???

[Kimberly O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is "the" book to buy if you want to study color in watercolor. I learned watercolor from a perfectionist with a genius eye for color. She required this book to use (not just read) in her class. I still refer to it years later.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just skimmed this, but was really impressed with some of the things Dobie has to say. Definitely will be revisiting this one.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent reference and tutorial for constructing and effectively placing neutrals in watercolor

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a terrific book, I have set it aside for when I have time to do the exercises in it, and am very interested in the contents

[Numberbox]

I own the French version, purchased secondhand in Belgium, 2024: « faire chanter la couleur: aquarelle, huile, acrylique… »