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| The Beader's Guide to Color | 
 enlarge | Author: Margie Deeb
Publisher: Watson-Guptill
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy New: $10.51
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (23 reviews)
Sales Rank: 34501
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 144
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.4
ISBN: 0823004872
Dewey Decimal Number: 745.582
EAN: 9780823004874
ASIN: 0823004872
Publication Date: July 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Demonstrating how colour can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork designs, this guide will interest beaders at all skill levels. Colour is discussed in depth, including the basics of the colour wheel, the psychological and symbolic associations of all the colours of the spectrum, plus whites, blacks, greys, metallics, and neutrals. Other essentials covered include blending techniques, how a bead's surface finish affects its colour, and how colour can be used to create and accentuate pattern, rhythm, and movement within a beadwork design. More than 20 projects- each of which represents a specific colour scheme or palette-include a discussion of the palette, multiple colour illustrations, a beadwork pattern, and a listing of the beads required to complete that design.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
Vibrant! August 13, 2008
One of my favorite parts of this book is called 'meet the colors', and it deals not just with the primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, but also with neutrals, earth tones, white, gray, black, and metallics. Each section discusses the characteristics and affinities of its color(s) as well as symbolism, emotional associations, and so on. A budding jewelry designer would find this a gold mine of ideas not just for mixing and matching bead colors, but also for creating dynamic and enticing product descriptions that are more than just a drab recounting of the item's colors and traits.
Once the reader has gained something of an understanding of the colors themselves, Ms. Deeb discusses various ways of creating color schemes. She delves into both theory-based color schemes and more fluid designs based on seasons, emotions, and symbolism. Ms. Deeb includes a handful of things that make these discussions more than just theory, and more than just another lesson in artistic color theory. First of all, the book is filled---and I mean FILLED---with photographs of beaded artwork that make abundant use of color, and the author discusses the use of color in each one.
The author is also remarkably good at including beading-specific information, and not just as asides. For instance, she always takes into account the addition of different types of metal or colors of cord or thread when working with beads. She discusses which metals fit into which seasonal color schemes. She details the ways in which thread, cord, and beading wire coloration affect the appearance of bead colors. She takes into account whether beads are faceted, rough, or smooth, as well as their shapes, and in particular what sort of finish is used.
Most of all, her passion for beading and color shines through on the pages, giving them a vibrant energy reflective of her subject. I can't imagine someone coming away from this book without at least a dozen ideas spinning around in their heads.
An absolute beader's necessity! April 23, 2008
This book is a absolute necessity for anyone working with beads. This book is sure to be a vital and well-worn fixture on all bead tables - it already is on mine! Margie clearly understands the magical and complex interactions of color and light and she presents her knowledge to the reader in glorious and vivid detail. The book rates a top review just for its eye-candy value alone but it is much more than that. If you have never worked with a color wheel before you will gain a thorough understanding from this book. And if you have worked extensively with color for years, you will still come away from this book with new insights and inspiration. The book is written in a user friendly manner and the illustrations and artwork combine very cohesively with the text. The result is an absolute treasure of a book.
An excellent book for anyone interested in color December 6, 2007
_The Beader's Guide to Color_ by Margie Deeb is not just for beaders, it is for anyone (sewers, interior designers, quilters, or jewelry makers) who wears or uses color.
The major sections of the book are:
- Color Theory & Design
- Theory-Based Color Schemes
- Emotional & Symbolic Color Schemes
- Inspiration & Technique
Each section has numerous subsections, such as "Blue & Cyan", "Color & Design", and "Color Harmony" (and others) in Color Theory & Design; or "Natural", "Luxurious", and "Clashing" (and others) in Emotional & Symbolic Color Schemes. Each subsection typically covers 1-4 pages, making this an excellent book to browse through or to read in smaller parts.
And I am quite glad that the book is broken up into so many subsections, as there is a HUGE amount of information, with a lot of depth to it too. I still find something new to think about or consider each time I read it, and I've owned my copy for at least two years now.
Some of the things that I am personally very grateful for are:
- Explanations of both the artists' pigment color wheel and the ink color wheel, the differences between the two, and frequent reference back to the color wheels in the Theory-Based Color Schemes.
- TONS of very professional and detailed photographs of beading projects done by Deeb and many other artists. There are wall hangings; jewelry with glass beads, seed beads, stone beads, metal beads, and combinations of those; loom-woven and freehand seed bead projects; tabletop pieces such as vases or bowls. Some projects are center on a single large bead or stone, some revolve around a certain type of bead or stone, and some focus not on the feel of the overall piece. Some pieces are very structured and geometric, some are organic and portray flowers, leaves or animals, and some are very freeform. Whatever your particular style or project, you will probably be able to find a palette or a photograph that you can relate to.
- The pages devoted to some of the individual colors. While you may not always agree with Deeb in what emotions and connotations each color evokes, it will still be worth your time to consider WHY you don't agree and what the color mean for you.
- Demonstrations of how the mood and feel of a piece can change just by going to warmer, cooler, brighter, or dimmer colors, and why it's important to decide at the beginning of a project if you want something that is eye-catching all on its own, or that will blend well with something else.
- Numerous Delica seed bead palettes as examples of what can be done with each color scheme. While I don't use seed beads myself, the examples help me understand how to take theory and turn it into something real.
The only criticism I have of the book is Deeb seems to have a preference for purple; purple, mauve, and lavender seem to be in a disproportionate number of the example palettes. However, that is a very minor criticism.
I would probably have had to take at least one or two college color-theory classes to gain as much as I have from this book. I would recommend it without reservation to anyone who uses color for personal adornment (clothing, jewelry, etc.) or for their surroundings.
For Delica beadwork and those interested in successful color combinations in beadwork October 17, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A definite must have book for all Delica beadworkers AND for those that really want a useful, classic book on color theory applied to beading. Deeb's book uses Delica beads (and their appropriate numbers) to provide stimulating examples of the best uses of color for a multitude of designs. However, you don't have to use seed beads to appreciate the HIGH quality of this book when in comes to color wheels and color theory. What I learned in one or two semesters of fine art in college design classes is in a few well-written pages of this book followed with examples that you can apply directly to bead/jewelry art. Deeb's writing style keeps you interested and clearly describes how the color wheel works. Plus her beadwork designs are exciting (so are those from her other books - a few pieces of her artwork from those bead books are in here) and tempting to try in other color combinations using her recommendations for producing stimulating beadwork. This book is an excellent reference or guide to help make your own projects sizzle with color.
 Very useful book with good information! August 16, 2007
Last month during a beading class, both the instructor and a classmate mentioned this book when I said something about how I always struggle with color. I was eager to purchase it, and am really pleased with all the information it gives!
As other reviewers mentioned, Margie Deeb spends a great deal of time talking about color theory, and she does so in an easy-to-follow way. She also talks about how certain colors evoke certain moods and feelings, and provides many color photos of examples so you can see what she means.
She also provides a fantastic overview of how to use a color wheel. For instance, I knew about using a color wheel by looking at the squares and triangles where three or four colors meet, but I didn't realize all the other ways you can use a color wheel to find complementary colors. For me, this information alone was worth buying this book for.
Another strength of the book is that she provides bead numbers for Delica color palettes. This was very interesting, but I tend to use size 11 and size 15 seed beads more frequently, so I'm not sure if the color numbers will help me as much as a future reference. Her inclusion of these color schemes is still great, though, since they give me something to base a design around.
The only downsides (and they are small ones) is that the sample projects are not really to my liking (they tend to be things like wall hangings) and that the writing can be a bit overkill when she describes the moods that certain colors evoke. Overall, though, I would definitely still purchase this book since it contains so much information and is reasonably priced and because I bought it more for the color theory than for the included projects (and I know we all have very different tastes). It's definitely worth the cost of the book!
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