Exploring Color: How to Use and Control Color in Your Painting [Paperback]

Nita Leland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1998

Color touches the emotions. More than rigid rules and theories govern its use. But beautiful color is no happy accident - in order to use color effectively, you much understand how it works.

In this classic book, popular workshop instructor Nita Leland illustrates the principles of color with step-by-step demonstrations and finishes paintings. You'll find 87 exercises that help you apply this information in your own work, showing you ways to use color to strengthen your composition?express powerful moods and emotions?create striking harmonies?and more!

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is a highly competent study of color, especially for the beginner. Leland explores the history, science, and theory of artistic uses of color before diving into comprehensive exercises and projects. One learns to control color in glazing, shadowing, and toned supports and sees the effects of six different palettes on the same painting. This volume is recommended for all artists in their early studies and can be followed by Zoltan Szaho's Color-by-Color Guide to Watercolor (North Light, 1998) for more advanced studies.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; Revised edition (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891348468
• ISBN-13: 978-0891348467
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,006 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

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome art technique book, widely applicable, July 14, 2006

By 

Margaret P. "mhp2027" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Exploring Color: How to Use and Control Color in Your Painting (Paperback)

Wow! "Exploring Color" lived up to all of the 5-star reviews, and surpassed them all. I've never been able to say that about a book before. This book focuses mainly on the use of color in artwork -- why some color schemes work, and why others fail. Many other topics are covered and related to back to the use of color, such as composition, presentation, design and types of contrast. Example pictures are taken from a wide range of artwork in different mediums by various artists -- simply wonderful! After each description, the author inserts an exercise for the reader, to help you understand and apply the principle presented. These exercises can be done in any medium (watercolor, oil, pastel, cloth, etc.), and far surpass the "paint by number/follow me" exercises in books aimed at nervous beginners.

"Exploring Color " targets intermediate to advanced artists. Beginers should give it a chance, also. Try it, you'll be wowed.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this book changed the way I look at color, February 12, 2004

By 

"thinkinrainbows" (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exploring Color: How to Use and Control Color in Your Painting (Paperback)

I think every artist should read this book. it immediately changed the way I look at color. just ONE part of the book saved me a lot of headaches and explained a lot of the reason I was having so many problems working with color.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Exploring Color" also clarifies it, June 18, 2000

By 

Susan R Frank (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exploring Color: How to Use and Control Color in Your Painting (Paperback)

This book clarifies the properties of color by first defining them, (transparancy, intensity and tinting strength,) and then creating working pallets based on this truly understandable information. It turned on a light for me, a watercolorist, as Nita Leland appears to be particulary interested in that medium. This book is available in our local library, but it is such a valuable resource, I chose to purchase it, as I functions as a reference book.