Customer Reviews

The Beader's Guide to Color

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a new book, written by Margie Deeb, and is about color theory from a beader's point of view. It really fills a niche out there - I can't say I've ever seen a bead book like this.

I also can't say enough nice things about the book. The project photos are incredible, and I'd be happy with the book even if the content weren't wonderful. But it is wonderful - Margie really explains color, the moods it evokes, and how bead finishes and types are really important when choosing color. She uses both the traditional artist's color wheel (pigments) and the printer's color wheel (inks, four color), and has developed an ingenious way of making sure that you never mix the two.

The first part of the book is all color theory,and gives a great basic background to those of us who never attended art school. Margie gives plenty of tips and suggestions about combining colors, using Delica numbers to be specific. That might be the only weak point of the book, because who knows if Miyuki will change their numbering system some time in the future. Also, I can't say I always like her color combinations, but they're definitely thought provoking and have expanded the way I think about what goes with what.

The second part of the book is more project oriented, and every pattern is shown in both Peyote/Brick and Square/Loom stitches. Nice touch, and greatly appreciated. Again, it's a very thought provoking section, and although I can't see myself making some of these items, they definitely expand my ideas about color, texture and mood expressed in beads. I have a far greater appreciation for neutrals than I ever had before, and I now want to explore orange - a color I thought I'd never liked.

I rarely say that a book is a "must have," but this one is. I can see myself poring over it for years, and using the eye candy as a jumping off point for projects of my own. One thing cracked me up to the point I was laughing aloud: You know you are _way_ too into beading when you can tell a person's projects without reading the captions: I recognized several artist's pieces instantly.

Anyway, this one is definitely a five star book, up there with the Carol Wilcox Wells books and Beadwork with Ruby as the first bead book purchases I'd recommend to anyone. Well worth the price, and a book I plan to buy as gifts for the new beaders I meet.

if i had seen this book in the bookstore, i would have passed it by. i have no problem with color, and i know color theory. so i am very glad that someone in my most recent bead class brought this book in and let us all look through it.

the examples of beadwork are astounding, astonishing, inspiring, amazing, wonderful...i think you get the idea. there's a broad range of styles and approaches, and if you can't find inspiration in this book, you aren't breathing.

i haven't bothered reading most of the text, except to note that academic fashions and taste have again changed in the last few years, and that the author makes assumptions about reactions to or attitudes about color that may or may not be valid for the general population.

however, if someone is insecure about color, or hasn't studied color theory at all, this seems like a good resource.

but i bought it for the illustrations. they are superb.

I have been seriously beading for three years,and i love the art. I'd tried using books on color from Designers outlook or quilters outlook,but as I started reading Ms Deeb's prespective on color in the realm of beading I knew I'd found what i'd been searching for. The explainations about the light as with the finishes of the beads and the effects that are achieved in designs ,will help me use the colors much more effective, because now I understand what I'm looking for when I'm choosing the colors in a project.Also, the tempo of the writing holds my attention. I hate to put it down. stephanie jordan,SRJ Designs

I've been beading for nearly 10 years, and I have a whole list of favorite books that I recommend to anyone who says "I'm new to beading, what books are a must have?" I usually recommend 2 or 3 (among them Carol Wilcox Well's "Creative Beadweaving"). Well, I just added another one. Margie has done a magnificent job with this book, taking both traditional and new tacts on color. She has illustrated her book with fabulous examples of work by herself and others. I don't always agree with everything she says about color (some of it strikes me as pseudopsychology) but it is interesting to read. I also appreciated her use of the standard artist's wheel that everyone who has read anything on color theory will be familiar with, and the printer's ink color wheel.

I found her use of delicas a good starting point, because although Miyuki may change their color numbering system, right now it is a pretty stable and most people will have access to the delicas either at their local bead store or on-line (and there are places on-line to find color lists of these beads).

I do have one minor gripe, and this is just personal: I wish there was a credit for the program she used to do the designs for the projects in the book, a wonderful Mac-only bead design program called Beadscape. I recognized the way Beadscape shows patterns; I give Margie a lot of credit for using it creatively by taking advantage of its ability to display beads several ways; where colors are close (remembering the limitations of printed color), she used a combination of the "realistic" beads and the symbols.

That said, this is a great book, and I am pleased that someone finally took on the challenge of color specifically for beaders. This is a book for beginner to experienced, I think we can all find new things here. AND it is a book for anyone who just wants to drool over some great eye candy!

This book is informative and inspiring. After reading through it, I am taking a whole new approach to using color in my beadwork. The color theory discussions are helpful and the examples are awesome. The author is a master of the subject and by gearing her explanations to beadwork in general makes this book very useful to add "WOW" to your work. This is a must have.

A lovely book on color use with glass beads. Has great examples of wonderful color usage in beads, and some not so hot ones.
Belongs right next to your color wheel as an extension of how to use the color wheel.

It does not discuss the effect of bead finishes (transparent, matte, or sparkling surfaces) on making areas of a design come forward or recede. That is one of the hardest concepts in designing beadwork

Suggested palettes with projects include exact bead color numbers for Delica beads, and a review of common beading techniques is included. But it is not a beginner's how to book for the included projects.

This is a color theory book that is not going to put you to sleep.

...in fact, if you work with color at all, put this book in your shopping cart and buy it! I've been beading obsessively for about a year and a half and I've purchased many a book to learn this craft. I've learned something from each one, but I've also been a little ticked off that the many of the authors don't have their books professionally designed. When I received The Beader's Guide to Color, my faith was restored! This is a beautifully designed book, chock full of crisp photos and a fantastic exploration of color theory. The author uses her own work as well as that of other artists to illustrate the various methods of combining and blending color and includes a little color wheel with each image so the reader can see exactly how color choices were made. After my first thumb through, I went immediately to Margie Deeb's website and purchased her color wheel for beading (www.margiedeeb.com).

There are some amazing patterns included and being a predominately off-loom weaver, I really appreciated the inclusion of brick/peyote stitch patterns with the loom patterns for each design.

There is a lot of inspiration for everyone in this book, and even though it's not the typical "how to" beading book beaders of every level will find it valuable.

I was a little skeptical at first, but sometimes I get inspiration challanged. Sometimes my projects come out flat - one dimensional - so-so. After I read this book- it was eye opening. Just a little change and my projects had spark and edge. Now I fully understand how color interacts with the eye, with other colors, with the human brain.... awesome book and very worth it. The BEST book I ever got on beading.

If you want a thorough account of color usage in beading, this is the book. Not only does it talk about each color combination, the great photographs give you a visual idea as well.

This book was recommended by "The Beadwrangler" and is everything that I was told it would be. Coordinating color is very difficult and this book is a great help.