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Mixed Media Color Studio

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Member Reviews

Kellee Wynne Conrad's "Mixed Media Color Studio" is a dynamic exploration of color theory in modern art. Through innovative techniques and vivid palettes, Conrad guides artists in discovering their own creative voice. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to infuse their artwork with vibrant, expressive hues.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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In my opinion, there are two kinds of art books: those that are like, "hey, go with the flow, do your own thing, but here are some suggestions and ideas" and then there are, "here are specific projects and you need to buy 300 supplies to do these." This is the latter. Not everyone wants to get this book and buy gesso and vintage ephemera and if they do, they may not be buying this book because they are already well-versed. I liked the book, but it's for people already involved in mixed media art.

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This is a great book for art people who really want to up their game. There's different types of textures in here and different techniques for many different things.

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I loved Mixed Media Color Studio! This book is packed full of great information/tips. I have learned so much from this book and can't wait to add it to our collection!

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this ARC!

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Learn about art in all its different mediums and colour choices.

How this can help in you designs and the materials that will best help the art you wish to achieve in your creativity.

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A brilliant guide full of ideas, colours, and introductions. Perfect for the artist who is bored, out of ideas, and uninspired. Each colour is highlighted in a wonderful way, encouraging artists to explore using the colours, tones, techniques, and other aspects in ways they've never dared.

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This is a good book to understand the use of colour in work. The book starts with a explanation of the supplies that can be used. Followed by a breakdown of the use of various colours and their impact on painting and style of work. There are various project to test the painter and are fun to do. I enjoyed this book as it opened up many ideas and solved many questions

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Mixed Media Color Studio is a great workbook to help you learn your paint box better. She gives exercises and projects that encourage you to mix your own colors and establish a preferred painting palette. The mixed media ideas include using stencils, postcards, fabrics, papers, newsprint, etc. to add backgrounds or details to different art works. The latter chapters each focused on a color in your paint box (i.e. green, blue, orange, purple, etc). and give a project for you to play and get comfortable mixing and using that color using some valuable art principles such as value, tone, and the rule of thirds. This book is very approachable for beginners, but I find I prefer more specific instruction on brush stroke and technique than what is provided here. Although I find more guided lessons valuable, this book provides many hours of projects and really good tips on how to branch out and make your own art instead of just copying a lesson and ending up with a cookie cutter painting.

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Kellee Wynne Conrad’s Mixed Media Color Studio receives a 4 star rating from me with a caveat. This is not a book for experienced artists. This is a book for beginning artists just starting out with no previous experience. The author discusses color theory and the use of color, complemented with full color photos. The book also goes through some very basic projects and techniques to help beginning artists. The lovely photos are pleasing to the eye and will likely draw in beginners. Experienced artists can skip this one.

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This book has inspired me to leave my watercolour comfort zone and try my hand at mixed media. With a total of 12 projects to encourage experimentation and creativity, it will be a very useful reference book . Highly recommended for anyone interested in art and people of all ages and artistic experience.

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This was a really great book on how to do mixed media artwork. I learned a lot of new techniques. I feel this book is beneficial for someone who is just starting out with mixed media.

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Be creative in being creative through your art
Artist Kellee Wynne Conrad presents her book "Mixed Media Color Studio. Explore Modern color Theory to Create Unique Palettes and Find your Creative Voice – Play with Acrylics, Pastels, Inks, Graphite, and More" published by Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry. Conrad's formula is to "mixing my own hues from the modern printmaker’s colors: primary cyan, primary magenta, and primary yellow" (p. 8). She tells the readers: "The more you play, the more possibilities for creativity will open up to you. Be curious. Create for the experience first. You can’t skip the practice, the process, and the patience to grow and become. When you are determined to live a creative life, the work must come before anything. Use this book to spark something in yourself, to study and explore everything about making art, and to discover what lights you up when you take the time to create for yourself" (p. 8).
The book is divided into four parts: 1) Supplies, 2) Discovering Your Signature Color Palette, 3) Modern Color Theory, and 4) Palettes and Projects. The fourth part contains twelve lessons with a specific project each. Conrad presents also the work of guest artists to underline the lessons (e.g. from Laly Mille, Regina Lord, Melissa Doty, and others). She lists the materials which are needed for the various lessons which are also accompanied by tips (e.g., "Finding Inspiration", "Using Oil Sticks", or "Spray Painting Tips"). There are other books and catalogs created by other artists with color palettes but I highly appreciate that Conrad included the second chapter that will help artists, no matter how little or much experience they have, to create their own palettes. The book presents itself with a great design, examples, and photos and has also an index included which helps for finding a specific topic. I highly recommend the book to all those who want to be creative in the area of mixed media, to those who love color because it is a part of their identity as an artist.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#MixedMediaColorStudio #NetGalley

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I loved this book it is very detailed book on how to use color and mixed media. This book woukd be fantastic for beginners and more advanced artists alike.

The projects are very well done. I loved the photographs they are stunning. The author explains everything simply with easy to understand instructions. I highly recommend this book for both beginners and experienced artists alike.

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I love learning about color! Kellee explains color theory in a very easy to understand style.This book can appeal to beginning and advanced artists. It made me want to try something new without feeling overwhelmed as the author uses simple techniques and materials. She explains everything step-by-step and shows them with example projects.

Also, I find the cover and the format very appealing. I like the clear structure, the design, as well as the beautiful paintings from Kellee and the guest artists.

I was given a preview digital copy to review from NetGalley. I loved it so much that I’ve since preordered a physical copy.

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A detailed look into how to use colour and mixed media in your artwork, with lots of information that would be useful for beginners and advanced artists alike. I loved the projects, and the colour photographs are stunning, a great visual aid to go with the text. The author explains everything simply, and encourages you to give things a try, no matter how they turn out. Highly recommend for all levels.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

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A great instructional book for creative mixed media and color! This book gives a straightforward, but detailed overview from needed materials, color theory, methods, and a variety of vibrant projects. Stunning, colorful, step-by-step pictures accompany all of the projects. A perfect guide for artists and beginners looking to expand their skill set!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

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Mixed Media Color Studio is everything you could possibly want to know about colour theory, and more.

Starting with the basic cyan, magenta and yellow, we learn how to mix infinite colours and shades, exploring how and why they work together. We learn about proportions and colour balance, both on the page, and together, and most of all, we are encouraged as artists to play. Be different. Find your own signature palette, work with different styles. Throw colour at the canvas and see what sticks. Then paint over it.

The second half of the book is filled with guided projects to put the theories into practice, predominantly in the author's preferred style of bold abstracts layered with stencilled images on reclaimed materials.

Is it what I expected? The theory - absolutely. The mixed media component - not so much. I expected a similar in-depth exploration of different media used in art (not just painting) and how it related to colour theory, but instead this was only briefly touched on, under "collage materials" and papers. But it gets 4 stars for the excellent colour theory (and leading me down the rabbit hole of learning about the synthetic phthalo blues, quinacridones and azo yellows)

~Many thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Mixed Media Color Studio is a very useful and creative book that explores the use of colour in an imaginative and informative way. There are twelve different lessons and the book really does encourage you to think about the colour palette you choose. It is useful for artists of all levels including beginners. A selection of artists contribute to the book and a variety of media and projects are used to deliver the lessons. It is a book that will really get you thinking about colour and how you use and choose your palletes.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for making this book available to me. My thoughts are my own.

Mixed Media Color Studio was not what I expected it to be. I was hoping for more mixed media content. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Conrad's approach and gained much insight into art. Mixed media requires out-of-the-box thinking as much of it is abstract. I like to work with handmade paper when I do mixed media. I use modge podge to adhere the paper to my canvas and then work on top of it. Some have been really successful. Others have not been so much. I've never been one for creating abstract like Conrad, but Conrad shows how to do so step-by-step. I would love to do each of the activities she presents in order to learn.

I now know my favored palette. I tend to gravitate toward natural colors that you would find in the South of France: dusky rose, sage, eucalyptus green, mustard yellow, lavender. But, I don't always paint with those colors. I paint what I see, mostly from photographs. My color tendencies tend to be bolder than what is natural.

Overall, this is well worth the read. Like I said, I would love to go step by step through each of her exercises. I think they would help me overcome my "literal" boxiness and allow me to paint more free form.

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This is a colorful book with 12 tutorials to guide you in color fun. There are lots of photos and the instructions are very detailed. The intro tells you lots about colors and color mixing. I love art and our family bought a 120 year old church that we've turned into an arts center, so I am always looking for good art inspiration. Surprisingly, this one just sort of fell flat for me. I think my problem is that it required too many materials and was too specific. I don't want to have to find vintage postcards, a brayer, gesso, etc. to play with color. I prefer much more open-ended projects where you can use what you have on hand. That said, this is really beautiful and others will no doubt love it.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

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