Good color theory book: Suggestions?

[cateaic]

Hey, I'm looking to focus more on painting and I'm looking for a good book on base color theory so If you have suggestions please post em! Thanks =)

I know theres a book forum on here already but its 50+ pages and I don't have the energy to scan through every page.

[Craig D]

http://www.huevaluechroma.com/

[briggsy@ashtons]

And you can talk colour with the author right here!.

There's also a video on colour theory by Jason Manley expected to be available on CA any moment now.

[Rist]

And you can talk colour with the author right here!.

There's also a video on colour theory by Jason Manley expected now.

please

[Costau D]

Is there anything on how to APPLY color theory to your works? Or should we just know it to get the colors we want in the painting?

[briggsy@ashtons]

Could you expand a little on the first part of your question, Space Chimp?

[_Mario]

Is there anything on how to APPLY color theory to your works? Or should we just know it to get the colors we want in the painting?

This analogy could explain it a bit: It's like with words. You learn how to spell them and what they mean but in the end their application depends on how you use them in context with other words (sentences, paragraphs).

In the end how colours work depends on the whole painting, not on individual colours in isolation. You learn what effect they can have (colour psychology) and how they work with each other (colour theory). This knowledge can help you when you paint something but won't tell you what to do.

Sort of.

[Cthogua]

This analogy could explain it a bit: It's like with words. You learn how to spell them and what they mean but in the end their application depends on how you use them in context with other words (sentences, paragraphs).

In the end how colours work depends on the whole painting, not on individual colours in isolation. You learn what effect they can have (colour psychology) and how they work with each other (colour theory). This knowledge can help you when you paint something but won't tell you what to do.

Sort of.

I completely agree, and I'd like to add a corollary. You can know heaps about the informational part of color theory, ie "this color is the compliment of that and has this effect when combined with blah" and still not really effectivly work with color. The information gives you the tools, but only using those tools actually strengthens your abilities with them. I read in a book giving advice to young artists once that theory is important and good, but must be followed by practice, with significantly more time spent on the application of that theory than the memorization of it. The book suggested something to the tune of a 1:50 ratio of time spent learn theory vs time spent applying it. Color is an even bigger monster than most I think too. The basics of color theory can be learned in a afternoon, a mastery of the use of color can evolve over a lifetime of work.

That having been said, a suggestion: I like Stephen Quiller's color theory books because he focuses less on realistic uses of color and more just on their relationships and what sort of emotional impact color choices have.

[Costau D]

The replies were great guys, thanks. It actually helped me feel like I'm going in a right direction. Now, the hard part I have a problem with is having the logic side of my mind effecting the creative. Specifically, when it actually comes to lighting. I also like working in 3D, which transitions well into painting, and I have hard times mixing the actual color of the textures of objects with the surrounding lighting well enough where it looks attractive.

I think in this case it just comes down to practice and application. I just have a hard time figuring out color schemes and how certain light effects that of the environment, and how to be creative with it but also plausible with a side unreality and creativity. In a sense I'm probably thinking WAY too much about it and I should be patient with it, but will there ever be a time when experimenting with a project to get it to look right take a shorter amount of time? Because I'm tired of burning out... There just becomes a point in a project when you know something should be changed, but you just get tunnel vision in the way you think, and it feels like trying to scratch outside of that box... Mmmm maybe i'm delving into an irrelevant subject at the moment. There is just a lot too all this, and I ahve a weird obsession of thinking I need to know it all, in order to simplify it and use it...

Perhaps this is just a sign of extreme lazyness, and looking for easy ways to do things. o_O

[briggsy@ashtons]

For help with creating plausible effects of light I would draw your attention especially to the Principles of Colour section on the Dimensions of Colour site.
http://www.huevaluechroma.com/101.php
to
http://www.huevaluechroma.com/108.php

This part is still very much a work in progress, and at the moment is very short, but I hope you still find something of use as it is.