Exploring Color Workshop by Nita Leland Book Review & Flip-through, Must-have Art Books

Hi guys! I’m Kate and is this video I will be reviewing a book on colour theory by Nita Leland, Exploring Color Workshop.

First of all, before I go into any detail, I want to say this is is a must-have book for any artist in any medium if you are serious about your art.

This is the 30th anniversary edition of the book, it’s a paperback in a glossy cover and I got mine off Amazon for just over 13£. This is the second edition of the book, the first one was published in 1998 and had only 144 pages whereas this one has 176.

It is a very beautiful book with lots of beautiful images in it, so it’s kind of an eye candy for any artist as it is. But what’s most important about it is that it is a hands on book for any artist out there, be you a beginner or an established painter, this is a book you must have in your library.

Mrs. Leland managed to deliver clear, concise and at the same time very organized book in which every page is as invaluable as the next. It is a technical art manual aimed at teaching you everything you need to know about colour regardless the medium.

The whole book is divided into nine chapters and each chapter is divided into parts, each part taking a separate page or spread.

You do not need to read it from the beginning until the end, you can open the chapter that interests you the most at a given moment and read it but to get the most out of it I suggest you read it once from cover to cover and then can jump around or follow the exercises in order.

This brings us to the next awesome thing about this book. Not only does the author provide the theory she also gives you clear instructions on exercises. You will find 90 exercises in total, each an important lesson to learn about colour. I strongly suggest you do them all, because only by doing will you truly learn the theory.

Furthermore, you will also find eight step-by-step demonstrations on how to apply what you’ve learned.

You do not need to be in art school to understand this book, every aspect is elaborated and explained so that anyone who is a complete beginner will understand it. Another cool feature is the glossary of art terms, you will learn what’s a fugitive pigment or what reflected light is, what’s a simultaneous contrast and what are split primaries and so on.

At the end of the book, you will find an index which is really handy when you are trying to look up a particular thing like saturation or opacity, or anything else, as well as an index of color exercises.

And you will also find a color index guide, giving you a list of colours in all it’s hues together with pigment names and pigments they usually consist of.

Not only is this a very beautiful book, it is a wonderful reference material and a guide, to which you will be coming back again and again. If you are looking for a book that will help you learn colour theory this is the one.

Hope you found this review helpful and if so click like under the video. Let me know in the comments which art books are your favourite or if there is a book you’d like me to review! And I will see you in the next video! Thank you for watching and don’t forget to subscribe! Ciao!

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