Confident Color: An Artist's Guide To Harmony, Contrast And Unity [Spiral-bound]

Nita Leland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 2008

Learn how to use color in your own unique and expressive way!

Color is what you make it: sensitive, explosive, dreamlike, atmospheric, somber, cheerful... Nita Leland brings logic and intuition together to create a foundation for color selections that allow you to be more inventive, break out of old habits and experiment with new colors. Her approach eliminates time-wasting trial and error while giving you the freedom to use color in personal, meaningful and exciting ways. Features:

• Artwork from more than 50 contributing artists that illustrates many personal approaches to color
• 85 "Try It" activities that will help to develop your awareness of the colors and combinations that resonate with you
• Step-by-step demonstrations that show how 7 different artists choose palettes and make color decisions as they paint a range of subjects

Learn to use harmonious color schemes, dynamic contrasts and compatible colors to say what you want in your art. With engaging instruction, as well as art and lessons and applicable to any medium, this book will show you how to take your work to the next level.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nita Leland is a professional artist, teacher, lecturer and juror of art exhibitions. She has taught hundreds of workshops throughout the United States and Canada in color, creativity, design and collage. Acknowledged as an expert in color, Leland is the designer of the Nita Leland Color Scheme Selector and featured artist in the video series, "Exploring Color Workshop," a color course for artists and teachers. More information about Nita can be found at www.nitaleland.com.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 160 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; Spi edition (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600610129
• ISBN-13: 978-1600610127
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nita Leland, a resident of Dayton, Ohio, began her journey into art in 1970 when her husband presented her with a gift of watercolor paints, brushes, and papers for her birthday. She taught watercolor painting for several years and developed a passion for color, which led to teaching a color workshop, and then, the publication by North Light Books of her first book, "Exploring Color," in 1985. "The Creative Artist" followed in 1990 and "Creative Collage Techniques" in 1994. "Exploring Color Revised" was published in 1998; "The New Creative Artist" (2006) and "Confident Color" (2008) continued her exploration into creativity and color. In 2000 she self published "Exploring Color Coloring Book," a workbook that accompanied the revised version of her color book. She continues to teach watercolor classes in Dayton and instructs workshops throughout the United States and Canada in color, creativity, and collage. Her Web site, titled "Exploring Color & Creativity," has provided information and links for artists since 1998; her blog of the same name was first posted in 2005. Her DVDs "Creating Confident Color" and "Paper Collage Techniques" were released in 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Help for the color impaired!, October 28, 2008

By 

Picatso "Picatso" (VAN WERT, OHIO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confident Color: An Artist's Guide To Harmony, Contrast And Unity (Spiral-bound)

I've always had problems with color in my paintings. I don't seem to have a color sense so my work BCC (Before Confident Color) didn't always have the most harmonious color. However, after reading Confident Color I have a much better understanding of how color can create an effective painting. Using examples from a wide variety of artists, the book breaks down the colors used and explains why these color combinations are so effective. It also presents different types of color wheels to give the artist a wide range of harmonious color ideas to work with. By using the color information in this book, you can express mood and pull more viewer interest. What's really nice is that the author uses work by both well-known artists and those who aren't well-known -- but all are excellent at what they do. The book would be good for quilters and fabric artists as well, or indeed anyone who wants a better understanding of color theory.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Confident Color, November 10, 2008

By 

Joan Barnes "Joan Crawford Barnes" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Confident Color: An Artist's Guide To Harmony, Contrast And Unity (Spiral-bound)

I have spent the week-end feasting on Nita's new book Confident Color. I am excited and inspired as I go from chapter to chapter in this book. Nita has done it again! She tells it all, and in a way that relates to each one of us. I love the format of this book - easy reading - takes you right in and makes you a part of the process. Each page is loaded with exciting information and a "Try it" portion to include you in the journey. I can't wait to get started on my own color swatches. I have already prepared a box and sample cards to get started. This book is for the beginner and advanced alike. All of the Artist's works included in this book are examples on what Nita is explaining in the process. I would highly recommend this book to all Artists who are interested in perfecting their skills and would like to learn to use color with confidence. I certainly do.



Joan Crawford Barnes
www.joanbarnes-wc.com

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plethora of Color Tips!, January 12, 2009

By 

M. Crowther (Southeast USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Confident Color: An Artist's Guide To Harmony, Contrast And Unity (Spiral-bound)

This book contains great information about color and how to improve your understanding of it. I enjoyed the organization of the book as it was easy to read, logical, and informative. The demos or examples were thoroughly explained and detailed, yet not too complicated. The illustrations were outstanding. Extremely helpful were the tips and suggestions, color combinations and techniques for improving one's color composition and expression. A great buy!