Baren Digest             Wednesday, 28 August 2002     Volume 20 : Number 1940


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From: pulpfic#sunshinecable.com
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 09:05:50 -0700
Subject: [Baren 18994] Pigments/colours/books 

Hi Charles,

You wrote: > I have not seen the Wilcox books, but I have a reserve on them
from 

>the library. From the review, they sure do not sound nearly as good as 
>Quiller.


I just read those reviews of Michael Wilcox's books, and having read his
books First, I must strongly disagree with the reviews!

When you receive the Wilcox books from the library, read the Guide to
Selecting Colors first - he explains Pigments very well. Then you'll be
informed enough to read the one on best watercolour paints if you get that one.

As Pigments all have pigment names and numbers, it's quite easy (except
where manufacturers have Not put this information on their labels), after
reading the Selecting Colours book, to go through your collection of
watercolours, inks, acrylic paints, oils or Whatever pigmented media, and as
long as they are Labeled with the pigment names you'll Know if they are
lightfast or Not.

Once I had sorted through my paints, thrown out what was Guaranteed to fade
or colour-shift because of the pigments used, researched better alternatives
in Wilcox's Best Watercolor Paints book, and then confirmed (or Not; some
manufacturers changed their formulas after his book was published) through
manufacturers' charts and actual labels, I ended up with quite a variety of
brands and "grades" of watercolour paints which satisfy the lightfastness
criteria (as well as other subjective and objective quality criteria). No
single manufacturer of artist's paints in any medium is consistent in use of
Only lightfast pigments (as far as I have found), so I would recommend that
everyone reads labels and researches Each desired paint or pigment
individually, and does Not just buy one brand as a "set".

For most other pigmented mediums I have done my own lightfastness testing,
and since reading Wilcox's Selecting Colors book have understood Why
particular paints and inks faded or colour-shifted as they did, and why the
others did not.

You may or may not appreciate Wilcox's writing style (I enjoyed it) but I
think his information is solid in Artist's Guide to Selecting Colors. It is
less easy to rely on the information he gives in Best Watercolor Paints, no
matter which edition you read, because the manufacturers either withhold the
pigment information or they change their paint formulas; sometimes having
one thing on their "current" colour chart and completely Different
pigment(s) according to the details on the tube labels. For this Wilcox
ought not to be faulted - he'd have to update his book just about Weekly to
keep up with the industry nonsense.

My two cents,
        Randi

- -- 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
Randi DeLisle - papermaker, bookbinder & publisher
                pulp fictions & pulp fictions press
Grand Forks BC  Canada    pulpfic#sunshinecable.com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


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From: "John Cleverdon" <jhcleverdon#mindspring.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 12:10:14 -0700
Subject: [Baren 18995] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1937 

The best and most practical book I've read on color is Jack Fredrick Myers'
The Language of Visual Art: Perception as a basis for Design.   He has six
chapters on color, "Light," "Vision," "Color mixing systems," "A practical
basic palette," "Creating light effects," and "Color psychology."  He goes
into the importance of afterimages and simultaneous contrast.  He discuss
the additive as well as the subtractive systems of mixing colors and the
importance of knowing the additive system, since that describes the
complements of afterimages, e.g., blue-yellow, red-cyan, green-magenta.  His
"practical color palette" is based on the subtractive color wheel (magenta,
cyan, yellow) and consists of a warm and a cool pigment of each color (hansa
yellow light, cadmium yellow medium; cadmium red light, acra magenta; cobalt
blue, and phthalocyanine blue.  He adds titanium white, burnt umber, and
black for raising and lowering luminance and density (which terms he prefers
to "values").
I used it as a textbook in a freshman design course, with the students using
Liquitex acrylic paints.
        ----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles Morgan" <cmorgan#uvic.ca>
To: <baren#ml.asahi-net.or.jp>
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2002 12:20 PM
Subject: [Baren 18993] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1937


> I believe the Albers color star is the starting point for Quiller's color
> wheel. I have not seen the Wilcox books, but I have a reserve on them from
> the library. From the review, they sure do not sound nearly as good as
> Quiller. But to each her/his own. Of course, in the end experience is the
> best teacher. But we all have to rely on the experience of others ... we
> will not live long enough to discover everything ourselves. I figure the
> more accurate information I can get from others, the easier it will be for
> me. Anybody else got a good color book they want to suggest?
>
> Cheers ...... Charles






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From: "Lee and Barbara Mason" <lbmason71#attbi.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 16:48:36 -0700
Subject: [Baren 18996] color and ink 

One of the best little books on pigment I have ever seen is the one from
Gamblin artists colors, they make oil paint and etching ink, oil based. Go
to their website and email them for this book on color. There site is
http://www.gamblincolors.com/index.html
There is a lot of information here and it is free...
Best to all,
Barbara

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End of Baren Digest V20 #1940
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