Painter's Guide to Color

by Stephen Quiller

An updated, bound-in but conveniently removable color wheel comes with this all-inclusive reference offering the latest word on the latest paint formulations available to serve artists working in any paint medium. Opening with an analysis of the painter's ideal palette and how it is organized with primary, secondary, and intermediate hues, the guide then explores value and intensity, complementary and analogous colors, the ways in which color can be used to evoke moods, express atmospheric conditions, and other essentials relating to color choice and usage. A range of master colorists' work is also included.

Genres: Art

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[Helen Luo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent manual composed with finesse and the intangible painterly touch - all of which vindicates my long-held suspicion that while there is something impalpable about good art, it is simply not mysterious. Indeed, once the principles and reasoning behind various artistic choices are laid bare, the discipline becomes much like how musical theory is taught to students: methodically and carefully, with immense value placed on good technique. In addition to expositing with mathematical precision the various theoretical features (how to read a detailed colour wheel, identify mother colours, create split analogues), the Quiller handbook is moreover also committed to a practical pedagogy that walks the attentive student through the actual processes, such as how one might create a binding harmonious colour palette (through glazing, neutralizing, back-layering, and so on). I take that one of Quiller's key motivating theses is that true mastery of colour is grounded in control over the neutrals and near-neutrals, and that the grey created through the combination of white and black (and even burnt sienna and ultramarine) will not suffice for dedicated craftsmen of the field.

This is not to say that the manual trivializes the irreducibly intangible parts of the process, on this, Quiller speaks with a gentle, caring voice as he exposits the various emotional arcs of his work - plein air work in the French Mediterranean as onlookers murmured "Mais oui" or "C'est bon", carefully rendering the touches of light on a vibrant field of poppies, carving the Columbian mountain ranges with balanced warms and cools, and so on. The readers get a sense that the author here is sincere and genuinely believes that painting is a pursuit that ought to be approached with dignity, attentiveness, a steady hand and a loving touch. On this, Quiller inspires through the virtue of his example.

The shortcomings of this book I think largely stem from its over-ambition - though it presents itself as a modern approach to colour theory replete with references to contemporary colour makers and their brand comparatives, it oddly concludes with a very comprehensive historical overview that takes the reader from the high renaissance to the Canadian group of seven. But it doesn't need to do this - and the inclusion of this section distracts from the overall pedagogical aim (which is not a historical manuscript). Moreover, I was left perplexed by the chapter on the various moods and essential characteristics of various colour families - I'm not sure how I would apply this insight, even if I believed that the violet family had fundamental qualities of "royalty" "wisdom" and "passion". This was a jarring departure from the technical opening to a pop-psychology approach, though I did find it interesting to note that greens can connote both 'rejuvenation' but also 'illness'. How much difference a slight change in tone makes!

5/5 - A must read for both novices and professionals in the field

[Makingamark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good for people who want to produce coloured greys rather than mud! It's written by a well known contemporary artist who is also a very popular instructor. He provides an analysis of the painter's ideal palette and how it is organized with primary, secondary, and intermediate hues.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

quiller
good examples of greying color
step by step landscape
good examples of intensity and values