Making Color Sing
by Jeanne Dobie
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Book Reviews of Making Color Sing
Book Review: Must-Read for any watercolorist
Summary: 5 Stars
The talented Jeanne Dobie does a lot of her work in the sun-drenched Florida Keys. While there are many good books on color and pigment, Dobie explains how light in a painting scene shifts moment by moment and how you have to be ready to capture that brilliant moment with the right palette.The book gives advice on which colors to put in a limited palette for brilliance. (As anyone who has done watercolor even for a short time knows, there are hundreds of colors available, but when you MIX them, sometimes you get a flat, dull result that looks like mud on the paper.) Choosing a limited and CORRECT palette for the painting you are going to do is one of the most critical steps after creating the composition. Dobie includes important facts about which paints stain the paper (and cannot be lifted up again), which are transparent and can be used as a wash or glaze, and which paints are opaque. And if you follow the "purist" rule of no white paint, you learn how to leave the whites (use the paper for brilliant whites) and no black paint (which causes a visual hole in the paper.) Instead, Dobie shows the student painter how dark colors like brown or a visual black can be mixed that still look luminous and interesting on the paper. This is a very difficult technique to master--shadow detail can make or break a painting.
I disagree with one of her points, however, on mixing greens. While it is true that green pigments direct from the tube are far more brilliant and transparent than any you can mix, I find certain mixed greens from yellows and blues to be subtle for shadowed foliage, and sometimes the pure paint greens are jarring and unnatural to me. I tried to follow this "use unmixed" greens rule, and I end up mixing mine anyway, though I own many shades of green paints.
Of course, the best part of the book are the paintings. These are inspiring to the reader, but this author can also write and explain herself well. This book should be a standard on any watercolorist's shelf.
Book Review: She Tells You What's Behind The Magic
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a learning watercolor artist and I read many books on the subject. This is one of a handful that I find to be particularly informative. While most art instruction books tell you what to do and how to do it, Jeanne Dobie patiently explains why. In other words, she tells you what is behind the magic. For example, she says that you cannot get a good green by mixing any yellow and any blue, because, a yellow such as cadmium yellow contains some red and a blue such as ultramarine also contains some red, and the presence of red in green (the hoped-for color), which are complements on the color wheel, yields gray. Thus the resulting green is very muted. Explanations such as this are invaluable to me, because the underlying reasons she gives completely convinces me that she is right and the knowledge is extensible to other color combinations.
There are many such gems of knowledge in this book. Jeanne Dobie teaches you how to create not just contrast, but a "singing" combination of colors, and how to mix your own blacks and your own whites to achieve much more nuanced presentations. And there is much more.
Admittedly, some artists do not feel bound by these "rules" of color and can still produce very good art. Charles Reid comes to mind. For the rest of us, the wisdoms Jeanne Dobie shares in this book are an important part of an artist's knowledge base.
Book Review: Book is Excellent But Needs Updating
Summary: 1 Stars
Jeanne Dobie's book was recommended in the watercolor class I took and at first when I looked at the pictures I was not interested as I do not care for Dobie's style as illustrated in the book and would never buy the book based on her work. However, after borrowing the teacher's copy I began reading the text and found the information valuable and useful after trying the suggested exercises. Dobie's book along with Tom Hill's The Watercolorist's Complete Guide to Color combine as excellent references for learing to use color pigments and making colors "sing" instead of making mud.I am giving Dobie's book 1 instead of 5 stars as it seriously needs updating considering some of the pigments Dobie uses are not lightfast and the inclusion of more modern pigments that replace these non-lightfast pigments would be useful all considering the book was first published in 1986, which is 18 years ago. The lightfast references I am going by are Hilary Page and Michael Wilcox's books analyizing watercolor pigments.
Aside from Dobie's use of some outdated pigments (see handprint.com) the book is an excellent reference and her advice as to color mixing valuable.
Book Review: Making Color Sing
Summary: 5 Stars
"Into" watercolor? If so, this is a 'must have' reference that will not stay on a shelf, but be nearby your painting/study area as a useful tool in mixing and painting with watercolors. Not only is it written in clear and precise language and well illustrated with examples from the author as well as other artists, but it also is chock full of practical, valuable information on pigments, color theory, application techniques, and tips and hints for problem solving in case of unexpected consequences. I found this book easily readable and useful to both decorative artists and fine artists, experienced or beginner. It covers both the why, the what with, and the how to of watercolor application and much of the theory is applicable to other media as well. Even the non-painter will look at works of art with new eyes after reading this interesting and informative text.
Making Color Sing
Making Color Sing
Book Review: Making Color Sing by Jeanne Dobie
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a jewel. After spending a lot of time with the David Dewey book The Watercolor Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists, and doing a lot of watercolor "experiments", I was ready for more advanced concepts. Jeanne Dobie does not waste your time with the review of the basic skills. Instead, she refines and perfects your understanding of watercolors. A world opened up for me as I studied the chapter titled, "Mouse Power". Other gems include explanations of how to mix luminous darks and maintain sparkling whites. Jeanne Dobie inspires you towards higher levels learning. This is not a book for beginners, but for those looking to advance their basic skills. I highly recommend this book!!