Reviews on Amazon.com
 An outstanding practical guide...goes right to the point., November 6, 2009
By Reynaldo R. Pena
I have taken several color theory classes, and I cannot deny that you always learn something new, especially with beginners. I was amazingly surprised with this book in the way that answered all my questions and made me able to choose mine color scheme and judge any painting in from of me. I have visited the most of Europe's museums and could tell when something is wrong but I did not know the specific reason. Now I do.
Color Theory in Plain English, October 25, 2009
By Kevin L. Nenstiel
Dan Bartges believes that all artists, from beginners to masters, can benefit from more grounding in color theory. The most common artistic errors come not from a lack of form, but from mishandled colors. And this short but detailed guide tells you how to mix paints, how to use the color wheel, and how to arrange colors in energetic, eye-catching relationships.
My own painting course dedicated just one ninety minute class to color theory. I spent most of that trying to fathom why my every attempt to blend yellow turned into a muddy greenish brown. But Bartges' straightforward, practical-minded pedagogy of color is natural enough that even this art school dropout can savvy the exercises with enough time and practice.
This is emphatically not a complete painting course. It is about color, nothing more. Nevertheless, I wish my professor had been this thorough. Bartges includes steps for beginners to set up a studio, gesso paper for plein-air painting, and turn a sheet of foam core, a piece of plate glass, and some masking tape into a professional quality palette.
More than this book will be needed to make an artist out of me. But this book fills a gap in art pedagogy that my professor slid over. Artists need to know how to use, balance, and understand color, and Bartges teaches this without needless jargon or art school ephemera. Beginners and mature painters alike should study this simple guide to color theory.
Great guidance for anyone who uses color, October 22, 2009
By Alice Berger
Sometimes the biggest difference between a mediocre painting and a truly spectacular one is the artist's choice of color. In Color Is Everything, Dan Bartges demystifies this important technique, and shows us how to choose a color scheme for our paintings.
Working with a basic color wheel, he shows us how to use it to maximum advantage. Whether we decide on an analogous, split complementary, tetrad, or another specified combination, we can be sure we've chosen the right colors if we follow his simple directions.
Once Bartges explains these combinations, he then shows us how master painters used them in their own creations. We're then encouraged to try to replicate their results, so we can develop this color sense for ourselves.
If you're interested in creating master works of art, and you've never explored the use of color, you will find this book a valuable tool. I'd also highly recommend it for anyone who wants to be sure they choose the most appealing colors for anything from painting the living room to crafting a bedroom quilt. These techniques will ensure your color scheme is the best it can be.
Everything you need to know about color schemes for painting, in a beautifully illustrated and simple guide, August 29, 2009
By Nathan Andersen
I'm not a serious painter, more of an art lover, but I found this beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully designed little guide to be fascinating throughout.
It is a practical and hands on guide to color theory for painting, that introduces the reader step-by-step to the basic principles that underlie "color sense." The author argues it is not a mysterious gift, possessed only by a few, but is something that can be learned through the application of a few simple principles and with the assistance of a color wheel and some practice mixing colors.
The book starts with some simple exercises, asking the reader to identify the color scheme of a few classic paintings, and then to mix hues that match. While I didn't do the exercises on my first read, I was able to identify the color schemes and found the author's advice for mixing hues to be very instructive. While the principles that apply to mixing paints are different from those that apply to color correcting video and photography, the ideas about color schemes that "work" certainly apply to the finished product in video or photography and for that I found this to be quite useful. Highly recommended for painters, but also for those, like me, who love painting and would like to have a better sense for how paintings work and for how to work with color in any medium.
Loved this as a resource for painting, photography and more, July 25, 2009
By Stephanie Manley
I have had the pleasure of taking some art classes in the past, oh, how I wished I had this book when I took my water color classes. For so long I have tried to figure out the mystery of color. Dan Bartges takes the mystery out of the use of colors through insightful narration, through pictures, and then guiding you through exercises to help drive the points across. For me, the exercises really help!
I have been able to take this knowledge into my photography, and beyond. Having some theory behind placing objects together really assists you in putting things together. This book can assist you in your painting, your decorating, and other arts and crafts. I would highly recommend this book to anyone trying to brush up their color skills.
great!, July 15, 2009
By "grumpydan"
As an artist, I found Dan Bartges' book "Color is Everything" to be quite educational and informative with color problems that I have experienced in the past. Explaining the use of the color wheel helps understand how to mix and complement the colors you want. I recommend this book highly for both the beginner and advanced artist who want to understand color schemes.
Beginners to Advanced Painters Can Learn What All Great Artists Know, July 12, 2009
By "Book Reviews By Debra"
Color can make or break a painting. The author keeps the information simple enough for the beginner and yet informative enough for an advanced painter. AWhile this book's purpose is to assist painters it can also benefit the average person wanting to decorate their home or coordinate their clothes. The directions begin with a trip to the art story where you are guided through your shopping experience. The next step is learning to mix colors. A color wheel is a must have tool. My favorite part of this book is the color scheme test...I failed. The colors in this book are vivid.
Artist will find this book invaluable. I have no talent when it comes to painting. I have tried but to no avail. Yet I found this book fascinating. I poured over the color plates. Don't miss out on Color Is Everything get your copy today.
 Practical Resource for Artists, July 10, 2009
By Jemima Adams
This book is a very practical guide to understanding how to use color in any artistic project. Based on the concept of the color wheel, 'Color Is Everything' guides the reader to a greater working knowledge of color schemes which appeal to the eye and enhance your artwork.
The book opens with basic information about art supplies and color wheel basics. It then introduces six different color schemes that always work well and teaches you how to recognize these schemes in the paintings that are reproduced in the book. The final sections of the book teach how to plan a color scheme for your next painting and how to improve bad paintings.
The author Dan Bartges is a successful full-time artist with a lot of experience teaching art classes. I found this to be a helpful book that I know will improve my own fledgling paintings. This book taught me a lot and I am eager to try a new paining.Its glossy and colorful presentation is very appealing and appropriate for the subject matter!
A critically important 96-page compendium of instruction specifically designed for amateur painters,
July 8, 2009
By Midwest Book Review
Whether the medium is acrylics, watercolors, or oils, color is at the core of a painting's success every bit as much as composition, subject matter, or technique. That's why "Color Is Everything" by Dan Bartges is such a critically important 96-page compendium of instruction specifically designed for amateur painters, and is so well done as to have an enduring value for experienced painters, craft enthusiasts, and as a curriculum supplement for art class teachers and art instruction tutors. Superbly illustrated with one hundred flawlessly produced full-color examples and illustrations, the text is replete with 'art student friendly' exercises to develop color selection competency. Produced with the cooperation and support of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and The Color Wheel Company, "Color Is Everything" is comprehensive, authoritative, and an indispensable reference guide that should be carefully read by anyone who has ever aspired to attain the level of artistic competency that is implied by the appellation 'museum quality' as applied to their own work on canvas with watercolors, oils, acrylics, or any other medium with respect to color.
Color is Everything, June 21, 2009
By Sandra K. Stiles
Color is Everything by Dan Bartges is the best color theory book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I have been dabbling in painting for several years now and still have a problem with color. After reading the book I took my very first painting and was able to figure out what I need to do to fix it so that I will like it again. The fix is very simple. I have had a color wheel for years, due to quilting but never really had someone explain and give examples of how to use it. Believe it or not it came with a color theory book for quilters. The most beneficial part of the book was where he put up pictures and had the reader figure out the color scheme used. The ability to do hands-on work with the book was also very helpful. I pulled out some of my fabric I had put together for quilts and found some very common mistakes I had made. These would have been not too pleasing. I usually have my daughter help pick out my color schemes based around one central color because she has that "natural ability" that so many of us don't have. I will share this book with her as she has been experimenting with painting. This is definitely a book for the beginner and advanced artist or artist in training. I will give this book 5 out of 5 and recommend it to my quilting and arts and crafts friends.
An excellent resource for art major courses in the foundations of painting, June 21, 2009
By Charles Ashbacher
I am not in any way an artist, but that skill is not necessary to appreciate this book. It is about color schemes in painting, how colors complement and clash and the schemes that will work best to capture specific images. The opening is an explanation of colors and the creation of a color wheel where the colors are organized according to how they complement each other. This is followed by a description and demonstration of the six color schemes:
- Monochromatic
- Analogous
- Complementary
- Split complementary
- Triadic
- Tetrad
The next chapter is devoted to exercises in recognizing color schemes. A painting is presented and the reader is asked to identify which color scheme and colors were used in the creation. Chapter 5 is a series of photos where the reader is quizzed to determine what color scheme would best capture the image. These two chapters alone make this book an excellent resource for painting courses in classes for art majors. The explanations are so clear that even I could understand them.
Making an understandable plan for the colors to be used in a painting is a necessary precondition for that painting to catch the eye in a positive sense. Bartges puts down all of the information necessary for the reader to understand the fundamentals of color scheming and how to do it right as well as how to fix it when it is wrong.
Color is Everything, July 26, 2008
By Margaret F. Megee
I loved this excellent, readable book! It is very helpful for all levels of painters, and those of us who aspire to be artists. I think it is also applicable to other aspects of everyday life, such as home decorating and wardrobe coordination. I learned so much about how and why colors either work together or don't, and how to attain color harmony. It's well-organized and beautifully illustrated. And, appropriately, the color reproduction is amazing!
Color Is Everything, July 24, 2008
By Martha W. Steger
As an amateur artist and a gift-giver to artists, I find Bartges' book to be the answer to great dilemmas: color questions of my own and a way to look very savvy to my artist-friends! This book is to painting what "new math" was decades ago to students who never understood math -- and we can be grateful to artist-author Dan Bartges for its seeming so easy. "Color Is Everything" makes anyone with the least bit of an inkling to put color to canvas want to grab paints, palettes and brushes and head for the hills (or any other destination that is one's inspiration)!
Now I understand color, July 21, 2008
By Leniel Hollabaugh
As an art lover and fledgling artist I often knew that the colors in a painting were exactly right -- or terribly wrong. This wonderful book begins by taking you to the art supply store so that you can get the simple but essential tools which start you on your way. By use of the "color wheel" it guides you in mixing colors to get exactly what you want. Then, with examples of the author's art and classical museum works, it uses the color wheel to explain why the colors are just right -- and sometimes, how to make them better.
Whether you're just beginning to dabble in painting or you've been at it for years, this book, along with the color wheel, will enhance you efforts and make painting more fun.
Reviewed by School Library Journal (August 2008 issue)
Adult/High School—This accessible book offers the equivalent
of an introduction to both color theory and art appreciation worthy
of a high school or community college course. Bartges provides clear
explanations—well illustrated with both color wheels and famous
paintings—of how color schemes work and how to achieve color
balance in one's own paintings. His choice of emblematic works to deconstruct
are better varied than in traditional textbooks, offering works by
women, self-taught painters, and people of color as well as the expected
Picasso, Sargent, and Degas. Exercises include images teens will appreciate,
such as a slice of blueberry pie that looks truly mouthwatering. Although
there are write-in spaces for some of the exercises, these are few
and the volume is not a workbook. The small bibliography suggests texts
librarians will recognize as standards but may lead novice teen artists
to them for the first time. A final section called "Ten Quick Tips
from the Studio" provides real gems that even first-time painters
can appreciate.—Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries,
Nova Scotia
More reviews:
Wendi's Book Corner - http://wendisbookcorner.blogspot.com/2009/09/review-color-is-everything-by-dan.html
Bergers Book Reviews - http://bergersbookreviews.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/color-is-everything/
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