Customer Reviews

The New Munsell Student Color Set (2nd Edition)

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if you are a beginning artist, an aspiring designer or just someone fascinated with color, then this is a great publication to train yourself in the many nuances of color vision.

the format is a small black three-ring binder of 13 white card pages, and 13 small plastic baggies of dull finish color chips, somewhat smaller than postage stamps. each page presents an empty grid of color (light to dark down the page, and dull to brilliant across it) that you must fill in manually by placing each chip in its assigned position. there are no codes or color names printed on the back of the color chips to help you along, but there is an introductory page explaining the basic concepts of hue, chroma (saturation) and value, the three basic attributes of color.

accompanying the binder is a staple bound color primer by joy turner luke. although the production values are pretty modest, this is one of the best overviews of color i have read anywhere, particularly for artists and designers. luke gets into the history of color research, the basics of color vision, the details of color mixing (she has some sobering critical thoughts about the many commerical "artist's color wheels" on the market today), color design and more.

the color chips are fussy to work with; they are delivered unattached to the card pages so that you can sort and rearrange them in various color tests or color demonstrations, but it's easy to mix them up. i found it most convenient to glue them into place, so that they wouldn't get lost and were ready for quick reference. that tedious exercise apart, this is a very instructive introductory resource for young adults and color students of any age.

This is a great teaching tool for students and professionals. As a student worker for a professor in my Textile and Apparel program at The University of Northern Iowa, I completed the color set and now want one of my own. It helps expand the understanding of hue, chroma, value, and richness

This is a text book for serious artists who are interested in color. It comes with 10 colors charts, each on its own page, with color chips illustrating how changes in value (light/dark)and chroma (bright/dull)affect each color. The chips come in little baggies for each color. You have to sort them by value and chroma and put them in the book.

Sorting all those color chips reminded me of mixing paints--without the mess. It was a good exercise because successful color mixing requires the ability to distinguish hue, value, and chroma.

It also comes with a page that has a color wheel, a grayscale (value scale), and a row of chroma changes for a Red at value 4. It is called a Hue Value/Chroma chart.

Because of the cost of this book, I was hesitant to buy it. I downloaded and read Munsell's "A Color Notation." It struck me as more accurate and less confused than the wide variety of currently popular books on color. It also didn't conflict with anything I already believe about color. I knew interior designers and textile designers use Munsell to create complex and beautiful color schemes. I recognized that there was some order to the best color designs, but I couldn't figure out what the pattern or organization actually was. After reading "A Color Notation," I wanted to know more, so I bought this book.

I have many books on color, but I wish I had read this one first. It actually made sense and cleared up some of the confusion left by the other books. It was well worth the price!

Following are the chapter titles of this 138-page book.

1. The Vocabulary of Munsell--which covers hue, value, chroma.

2. Science, Color, and Art--which discusses the Renaissance, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and the Electronic Age.

3. Light and Color--which talks about the visible and invisible attributes of color and the differences between glossy and matt colors.

4. Vision and Color--which is about how the eye and the brain function, and how they alter perception of color.

5. Color Anomalies, Preference, and Emotional Response--which explains "warm" and "cool" hues, advancing and receding colors.

6. Additive Color Mixture: Mixing Light--which is about the mixture of light beams (used in televisions and computers).

7. Subtractive Color Mixture: Mixing Paints.

8. Relationships among Colors--which talks about simultaneous contrast, successive contrast, separated colors, color assimilation, color texture, and the transparency effect with opaque paints.

9. Combining Colors--which covers color harmony, balance, harmonious sequences, Munsell color paths.

10.Color in Designed Products, Installations and Printing.

Professionals in the fine art of painting recognize that the Munsell color system is the standard and best method for identifying and articulating color without using meaningless silly descriptions like "fire engine red." By learning the numeric method of describing color by Hue/Chroma/Value the artist will discover how Munsell has established a universal language for color that all artists can readily understand and duplicate. Learn how easily it is to mix a color using this color formula, and then accurately remix that same color again and again flawlessly.

The Munsell Student Set is an inexpensive, good place to start a serious study of color theory. While the construction of color charts (charts and tiny color chips provided) are instructive in themselves and the charts as a great source of color reference for mixing paint, the exercises also help to aid the student in learning to identify values, understand chroma and hues which is especially essential in painting realistically; it also trains the student artist in how colors influence and intensify each other when placed beside or in proximity to each other. Learn also the principle for how colors can be easily harmonized in a painting.

I recommend this set as a good reference and a basis for developing color theory; money is well spent and affordable. A must for the student painter who desires to develop professionally as an artist.

I got the first edition for a great price. it is not very different from the 2nd edition. The colour charts are exactly the same as in the second edition. There is one chart for hue, value and chroma and 10 charts for each colour. The text contents are quite technical. There aren't many pretty pictures. 3 ring binder has colour chips, colour charts and the text.

This is an excellent book for the artist wanting to understand color. It's not a mixing guide though, it's about learning to see and identify the properties of color.

This book teaches all there is to know about colors and the Munsell system. As an artist, I need to understand thoroughly about the use of colors. This is a great tool for anyone who is serious about this difficult but fascinating subject. The chips are a bit small to work with. But it's like having fun with finger-painting and learning at the same time. And you don't even get your finger dirty!
Dom (dominicsanson.com)

This has more to do with Amazon than the Munsell Student set. My package showed it was delivered on the day I was assigned to fill out my color set, however it was no where to be seen! I waited 2 days before reporting to Amazon that it wasn't delivered but said online it was. It was a Friday and I heard back from Amazon on Saturday. They overnighted a new one to me. It arrived Monday and I was able to complete my assignment by Wednesday and turn it in on time! I didn't have to jump through any hoops or call customer service a dozen times! It was so easy!

Glad i found this book for cheap and the person keep the book in great condition and took a little long but not bad if your willing to wait for it.

This edition has been revised and improved. See 2001 edition.