COLOR IS EVERYTHING: Master the Use of Color in Oils, Acrylics or Watercolors [Paperback]

Dan Bartges (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

For beginners to advanced artists who have been struggling with color, this remarkable new book explains and illustrates how to understand color theory and master the use of color. Written in cooperation with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Color Wheel Company, Color Is Everything is a must-read for any painter, art teacher or craft enthusiast who wants to capture color harmony in every painting, regardless of style or medium. It is written in a concise yet conversational manner and very easy to follow. Author/artist Dan Bartges sums it up best: This book is designed with one purpose in mind: to show painters exactly how to master color. As a result, you will gain greater confidence, you will paint better pictures, and you will have a lot more fun painting.

The unusually high-quality book features more than 100 full-color illustrations, photographs and paintings by the author. Further, it clearly explains what great artists know about color that most painters don t and demonstrates with master works by famous artists such as Degas, Picasso, de Kooning, Sisley, Goya, Sargent and others.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—This accessible book offers the equivalent of an introduction to both color theory and art appreciation worthy of a high school or community college course. Bartges provides clear explanations—well illustrated with both color wheels and famous paintings—of how color schemes work and how to achieve color balance in one's own paintings. His choice of emblematic works to deconstruct are better varied than in traditional textbooks, offering works by women, self-taught painters, and people of color as well as the expected Picasso, Sargent, and Degas. Exercises include images teens will appreciate, such as a slice of blueberry pie that looks truly mouthwatering. Although there are write-in spaces for some of the exercises, these are few and the volume is not a workbook. The small bibliography suggests texts librarians will recognize as standards but may lead novice teen artists to them for the first time. A final section called "Ten Quick Tips from the Studio" provides real gems that even first-time painters can appreciate.—Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia
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About the Author

A full-time artist since 1996, Dan Bartges is a recognized expert on color theory, lecturing at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D. C., the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and other venues. His oil paintings and watercolors have been acquired by many private collectors and several Fortune 500 companies including Marriott, Lockheed Martin and Media General. Fine-art reproductions of his paintings have been featured in retail stores from Smith & Hawken to WalMart. Bartges and his family live in Virginia, and he enjoys tennis, bicycling and classic movies when not painting. He holds BA and MA degrees.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Oaklea Press (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892538369
• ISBN-13: 978-1892538369
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Color is Everythig, June 21, 2009

By 

Sandra K. Stiles (Sarasota, Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: COLOR IS EVERYTHING: Master the Use of Color in Oils, Acrylics or Watercolors (Paperback)

Color is Everything by Dan Bartges is the best color theory book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I have been dabbling in painting for several years now and still have a problem with color. After reading the book I took my very first painting and was able to figure out what I need to do to fix it so that I will like it again. The fix is very simple. I have had a color wheel for years, due to quilting but never really had someone explain and give examples of how to use it. Believe it or not it came with a color theory book for quilters. The most beneficial part of the book was where he put up pictures and had the reader figure out the color scheme used. The ability to do hands-on work with the book was also very helpful. I pulled out some of my fabric I had put together for quilts and found some very common mistakes I had made. These would have been not too pleasing. I usually have my daughter help pick out my color schemes based around one central color because she has that "natural ability" that so many of us don't have. I will share this book with her as she has been experimenting with painting. This is definitely a book for the beginner and advanced artist or artist in training. I will give this book 5 out of 5 and recommend it to my quilting and arts and crafts friends.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now I understand color, July 21, 2008

By 

Leniel Hollabaugh (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: COLOR IS EVERYTHING: Master the Use of Color in Oils, Acrylics or Watercolors (Paperback)

As an art lover and fledgling artist I often knew that the colors in a painting were exactly right -- or terribly wrong. This wonderful book begins by taking you to the art supply store so that you can get the simple but essential tools which start you on your way. By use of the "color wheel" it guides you in mixing colors to get exactly what you want. Then, with examples of the author's art and classical museum works, it uses the color wheel to explain why the colors are just right -- and sometimes, how to make them better.

Whether you're just beginning to dabble in painting or you've been at it for years, this book, along with the color wheel, will enhance you efforts and make painting more fun.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource for art major courses in the foundations of painting, June 21, 2009

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: COLOR IS EVERYTHING: Master the Use of Color in Oils, Acrylics or Watercolors (Paperback)

I am not in any way an artist, but that skill is not necessary to appreciate this book. It is about color schemes in painting, how colors complement and clash and the schemes that will work best to capture specific images. The opening is an explanation of colors and the creation of a color wheel where the colors are organized according to how they complement each other. This is followed by a description and demonstration of the six color schemes:

*) Monochromatic
*) Analogous
*) Complementary
*) Split complementary
*) Triadic
*) Tetrad

The next chapter is devoted to exercises in recognizing color schemes. A painting is presented and the reader is asked to identify which color scheme and colors were used in the creation. Chapter 5 is a series of photos where the reader is quizzed to determine what color scheme would best capture the image. These two chapters alone make this book an excellent resource for painting courses in classes for art majors. The explanations are so clear that even I could understand them.
Making an understandable plan for the colors to be used in a painting is a necessary precondition for that painting to catch the eye in a positive sense. Bartges puts down all of the information necessary for the reader to understand the fundamentals of color scheming and how to do it right as well as how to fix it when it is wrong.