Customer Reviews

Color Works

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is one of the most valuable resources I've ever seen regarding color. The book is more than just a book--it is a tool to be used and referred to often. I am particularly impressed with its scope in that it can be used by all fiber artists as well as bead artists. The book also has been designed by a practical person. First of all, it lays flat. Second it has pockets at the back so that the removable parts can be saved easily after working with them. The photography is superb and the printing is outstanding. I felt like I could almost pluck the examples off the page! Finally, Deb's writing is concise and to the point. No wading through tiresome text. For the price it is the best bargain in the fiber field today. This one will be a classic!

Needless to say, Deb Menz is one of my favorite fiber teachers of all time. And her last book, Color in Spinning, will always be the tool that turned me onto color gungho. This one, furthered my color education and opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of the color and hue spectrum. It even has a color wheel, value scale, hue family colors, and color harmony overlays! I highly recommend this book as a must have tool for any fiber person. I think it will be wonderful for many people just getting into design who haven't had formal theory classes or the opportunity to take a lot of color theory or dyeing classes. Deb does a great job covering how color theory affects a variety of mediums: spinning, knitting, weaving, beading, quilting, needlepoint and embroidery techniques.

Colorworks is a great introduction to color theory for people who
work in fiber arts, packed with lots of examples of color schemes
worked out in knitting, weaving, beads, quilting, paper, machine and surface embroidery. While it is not nearly as in-depth as the now out-of-print Color and Fiber, it is also more accessible. It is also not as specific as Mary Fry's Color for Needlework, but it provides a good, solid ground for a stitcher's exploration of color.

Almost half the book is made up of color tools, including palettes of each of twelve hue, ranging from fully saturated hues to extremely muted tones and shades. A Color Wheel and Value Scale are also provide. A series of templates has holes cut out to be used in conjunction with the color wheel to find color combinations.

The seven chapters of the book cover all the major topics in color
studies. There are chapters on color relationships, value,
contrasts, and harmonies. Each sub-topic within the chapters is
given s page of text. Next to it are nine samples in various media
showing the principle discussed. These examples use the same design from page to page, varying only in the color used. As much as anything, this gives graphic demonstration of the topics and will fuel stitchers' imaginations.

The last two chapters apply color to specific media. The sixth
chapter discusses the characteristics of media in relation to color. Most folks know that shiny surfaces look lighter than matte surfaces, but how does this apply to knitting yarn or beads. Knowing something of the characteristics of yarns before you shop will help you in making choices. The final chapter, shows how a color scheme is developed in each of the nine crafts used in the book. Paper scraps show the basic colors involved while the text outlines the color harmony used as well as the specific colors. A value scale on paper is included and samples of the media used are also included in the illustration.

This book provides just enough information on color to get a
craftsperson started with this exciting topic. Unlike many books on color, this book doesn't talk about mixing colors, since these
materials are all discreet. But it should be considered a starting point for color exploration, not a complete book.

Wonderful book! There's probaby more than I'll ever need to know about color theory in this book, but I love it for giving me the confidence to dye and combine colors I would have never thought of combining. I've read other reviewers complain about the difficulty of the punch-out reference pages in the back of the book, but that's easily solved by using an exacto knife and about 5 minutes. The results are worth it and the book is all the info you'll ever need to forge ahead and combine colors for whatever application you need.

Color theory can be difficult to understand let alone put to use. This book not only explains color theory in an easy to follow manner but also includes photographs of samples in 9 different craft areas to illustrate each topic. The samples include knitting, quilting, beading, paper and weaving. Each medium adds it own twist to the "rules" so seeing an example is worth a thousand words. The portion on value is very good as the role of a colors value is often overlooked. The value principles are also illustrated with real materials. The color wheel and color chips helps one put all the information to use. This book is both a guide and a tool.

Deb Menz's Color Works is about color combination. There are numerous illustrations of theory and practice. The pages of samples showing several mediums makes the book for me. The same color on yarn, fabric, seed beads, or paper has a different resonance. The text illustrates how color/medium combinations "can be dramatic or theatrical." The examples push the reader to consider alternative color choices. Goethe's color theory of relative proportions is convincingly illustrated. Deb Menz offers practical methods to add more colors (hexad harmony) while avoiding a rainbow look. There's plenty to retrain the eye and mind.

Really, this book covers all you'll need to experiment with color. I never knew that so much was involved when making color choices. It's not hard to understand, but it took me a bit to understand the chapter on value. Once I read it through twice, though, it all started to make sense.

It also contains a color wheel with punch out overlays to help you choose colors. I did find them hard to punch out, as another reviewer stated, and ended up using scissors to cut the perforations.

This book is just packed with information. If you are interested in exploring color, you'll find this book very helpful.

If you are a craftsperson, this is a terrific reference tool! The examples of spinning, beading, weaving, quilting, and embroidery really show you how color works in each realm. Best of all are the tear out color wheel and color harmony overlays that get you thinking about your palette.

Finally, a book that I can actually us as a resource!! Anyone that is interested in learning the truth about color and how it affects design must have this book. It includes working templates and explains techniques to aid with color selection.

A great resource for the fiber artist; the other high-star comments say it all; my only gripe are the cardboard template tools in the back which we're asked to punch out. This takes a fair amount of time and patience because of inadequate perforations given. This was disappointing because the rest of the book is first-rate in design, content and inspiration.