Colour A Workshop for Artists and Designers (1st ed.) /anglais

by David Hornung

This book demystifies its subject for professionals and students alike. It inspires confidence in colour's application to graphic design, illustration, painting, textile art, and textile design. In addition to covering the fundamentals of colour theory, the author provides assignments that guide the student through a variety of colour experiences, moving logically from basic structural concepts to experiments with colour applications. Concepts and terminology are always linked with supporting visuals. The book is generously illustrated with examples drawn from the rich, multicultural history of art and design. Colour charts and studies, created by students themselves, round out the range of illustrations. The book also includes an extensive, fully illustrated glossary of colour terms. Students encountering these colour principles and ideas for the first time will feel empowered by a new set of tools. More experienced readers will refresh and increase their understanding while gaining valuable strategies for colour exploration and use.

Genres: Art, Design, Nonfiction, Art Design, Drawing, Textbooks, Crafts

168 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2004

Reviews

[Carmen]

The book is a must have for everyone interested in color interaction and color harmony. I can highly recommend to read it and to do the exercises. Pretty much a masterpiece :)

[Tran]

Painters would benefit quite a lot from this book, as it discusses the mixing method of colours and all examples are paintings. Nevertheless, designers can also enjoy the book as they are introduced to various colour concepts.

"While the book can simply be read as a general guide to color, its value will be most fully realized by those who take the time to do the color assignments. They were developed and tested over a 12-year period at the Rhode Island School of Design with graphic designers, painters, textile designers, illustrators, and weavers" So if you have time, work on any assignment that you feel interested, I personally like the guessing colour and colour inventory exercises.

And knowledge about Light should be a prerequisite before one starts learning about Color. Some AP Physics videos I watched prior to reading this books are:

Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I024M...

Light Absorption, Reflection, and Transmission
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOsro...

Refraction of Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR-8Z...

[Tori]

I loved this book, and referenced it often in college. It’s wonderful for those interested in color theory. It’s very comprehensive.

[Artù]

Un testo fatto molto bene.
Bello, davvero bello.
Il colore ha per me un fascino assoluto.

[Laila Hesse]

I hope I can attend a workshop with David Hornung one day. What a great book!

[Erika Mulvenna]

This book includes some of the most intense set of color study exercises I've ever seen, from basics in mixing colors to color interactions, principles, and combinations. The back of the book includes a great illustrated glossary of color terms, and a short chapter on color perception. A good book for fine art or design students, but way too much information for someone just beginning to learn about color theory.

[Lloyd Downey]

I think it is quite amazing how dated this book has become because of the growth of computers and screens in graphic arts. However, it really is a very thorough introduction to the basic principles of colour ...especially for designers. Maybe less so for artists. It has a great set of samples of the various colour relationships with varying hue, value, saturation. (Or in other words (my words): colour, grey tone, brightness).
He explores the psychological impact of juxtaposed colours and optical illusions, harmony and even has a section on colour on the computer.
However, one of the things I noticed was the current availability of Apps which can analyse a photo in terms of colours and produce instant palettes that complement these basic colours etc. And these are not mentioned in this book which was published in 2005. However, a good hint is given on p143 about printing your own colour chart to get an idea of how your colours are likely to look when printed.
Quite an impressive work overall. I give it 4 stars.

[Sharon Robinson]

This book is an essential reference, and also a workshop, as the title indicates. It covers many principles of color usage in and understandable and accessible way. The clear and simple exercises, if done according to design, will result in a nice portfolio of samples that can be referred to often.

Some extra pluses, maybe added in the third addition - there are QR links to short videos made by the author on certain key points. Versions of the exercises are given for analog or digital (Photoshop) fromat. There's a great glossary at the end which is useful to read before starting the book.

Having taken a workshop from David this year, I can personally say he's an excellent instructor. If you can't study with him in person or on line, this is the next best thing.

[Ali Groof]

Feels less like a book and more like an experience or a workshop.

Fun and easy read, high quality prints and little nonsense or repetition. Starts with a brief foundation and parameters that describe colors. Then shares ideas and experiments by varying the parameters introduced. Lots of free examples/studies.

Took me 2 days and 2 cups of coffee. I recommend.

AQ

[Erin]

I used this book for a college course and found myself wanting to buy a copy. The information is clear, concise and well thought out... and the color studies are intriguing and offer a comprehensive overview that won’t be forgotten.

[Yasemin Gyford]

Great book!

[Celine]

A fascinating read although I've had to read some pages several times to absorb it all - not a breeze. I am sure itniwll improve my painting.

[Philip Goodwillie]

If you're wanting to understand colour or learn more on colour I recommend this book to artists and no-artists.

[Silvia]

Have only finished the 1st chapter but I'm already sure how many stars it deserves. It illuminates you.

[Annabel Cousineau]

Il s'agit d'un livre pour les plus avancé.e.s.

[Lisa]

3.5 stars

[Yü]

A comprehensive introduction to understanding and using color that is interesting to read and easy to follow. I really appreciate the 1o+ assignments accompanied with the text as we progress, which can be done by hand or digitally. They are a lot fun to work on and definitely help to internalized the content, resulting in a wonderful learning experience.

[Shelley Whitehead]

This book is a collection of exercises. I learned a ton from this book. And since color is an endless exploration, it's a book that keeps on giving. Invaluable in my library.

[Jadwiga]

Jeżeli masz związek z malarstwem, grafiką, projektowaniem wnętrz czy ubrań i chcesz zgłębić zagadnienie koloru polecam tę książkę. Autor w tej książce nie tyle wykłada teorię koloru co prowadzi warsztaty kolorystyczne. Każdy rozdział to omówienie innych właściwości koloru i precyzyjne dobrane ćwiczenia pomagające zrozumieć omawiane zależności. Ćwiczenia wykonywane są gwaszem, ale jest również rozdział poświęcony ćwiczeniom kolorystycznym na komputerze. Polecam osobom zainteresowanym tą tematyką!

[David Littman]

This book is indispensable for artists in any medium. Every page is filled with useful information on color relationships, interactions, as well as tips on color mixing. Before reading this book, I was completely lost when it came to color, but now I'm quite confident in my abilities to use color in my art.

[Megan Frauenhoffer]

I’ve been researching a textbook for my color theory class and this book has the perfect balance of theory and practice. It’s also much easier for students to delve into compared to the Albers textbook which I find useful for instruction but not for student readers. Also this book has wonderful exercises adapted for both digital and traditional techniques.

[Jeffrey]

The very best and most comprehensive book on color theory I have ever read... and I own many.

[Widyoseno]

Comprehensive book for those who has huge interest in colour study

[Hariharan]

ITS NICE