Eric Hibit - Color Theory For Dummies

Color Theory For Dummies

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2022 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2022942341

ISBN 978-1-119-89227-4 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-89229-8 (epdf); ISBN 978-1-119-89228-1 (epub)

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12

I know that my life would not be the same without the experience of bright red, light yellow, dark blue, and deep brown or any of the colors that I see and love. I know also that the experience of color is impossible to fully convey in words. Yet the elusiveness of color is just as compelling as its ubiquity. And who knows if the colors I see match your perceptions? We may see color differently!

Congratulate yourself for your curiosity about the extraordinary (yet profoundly ordinary) topic of color. Im pleased to present Color Theory For Dummies and share my knowledge of color with you.

Whether color is a pleasure or a pain depends on individual taste. Some people adore color. Others avoid it completely. And preferences change over the course of peoples lives. You may have picked up this book with the hopes of receiving guidance about color. Or you may feel that you know plenty already. Either way, the fundamental point of this book is to empower you, dear reader, as you navigate the vast world of color.

Empowerment happens though education. The more you learn, the more confidence you gain in working with color. But before you start learning, make sure that you arent carrying preconceived notions about color.

Western culture is hyper-focused on the stale, romantic notion of natural talent, like little Mozart who wrote operas as a child. It's said that someone has an eye for color or no sense for color. These limiting binaries leave no room for genuine creativity, with all its wonderful struggles and subjectivities, or for the truth of how creativity develops: slowly and over time, propelled by curiosity, inspiration, joy, and angst. Creativity is a roller coaster ride of trial and error that never really ends. And creative work itself has no quantifiable or definite system of evaluation. So, I encourage you to free yourself from any limiting ideas about your color sense. Open your eyes anew to the world of color, and be open to your way of seeing and working with it.

No matter what kind of work you are doing or want to do with color, give yourself a big color hug a message of love and support for your work with color.

And lastly, a few words about the color in this book. As you may have noticed, this book is filled with colorful studies to aid in your understanding of color concepts. Although every effort has been made to maintain consistency in printing, some colors will inevitably vary. The lighting under which you view the studies will also change their appearance; this is true for both print and e-book editions. In (and other parts of the book), youll read about the relativity of color and how it changes in context. I hope this brief disclaimer will offset any confusion about how a given color appears to your eyes as you read.

As a teacher, Im committed to accessible learning. Thats why Im thrilled to write a Dummies book. The Dummies brand is known for making learning accessible to a wide range of readers with different interests, backgrounds, and goals. And Im particularly excited to write a Dummies book about color because color is my passion! I studied color as an art student, and I teach color. I have also read the works of plenty of color theorists, some of whom exude an air of esotericism in their writing. In the public imagination, mystique surrounds color (especially in painting and in artists biographies; for example, Van Goghs manic fixation with yellow). This esotericism and mystique hold peoples attention, but also hold people at a distance. I intend this book to be an access point for all kinds of people to learn about color and not feel like dummies in the process.