The Oil Painter's Color Handbook: A Contemporary Guide to Color Mixing, Pigments, Palettes, and Harmony

A contemporary and accessible foundation of color theory and advanced techniques for the oil painter at every skill level

"In The Oil Painter's Color Handbook, Todd Casey presents priceless information that every art school should teach and every art student should learn. The book breaks down the subject of color into useful pieces of knowledge that painters can put into practice. He analyzes color in terms of light, value, pigment, mixing strategies, palette arrangements, and painting techniques. Each topic is clearly and succinctly explained in the text, illustrated with captions, charts, diagrams, and finished paintings. By the end of the book, the reader will have a clear understanding of how realist painters and illustrators have used color through history." - James Gurney, artist and author

"This is the most impressive and complete book on color ever produced. It covers a wide range of color concepts, including some I'd never seen before. It digs deeply into color harmony, techniques, and has powerful examples to demonstrate every concept." - Eric Rhoads, Publisher, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine

From Todd M. Casey, acclaimed artist and expert teacher, The Oil Painter's Color Handbook: A Contemporary Guide to color Mixing, Pigments, Palettes, and Harmony provides everything the oil painter needs to understand all aspects of color and empowers the reader to paint with confidence. As Casey notes, every artist and artist-in-training must learn how to "master the main concepts of picture-making: drawing, light, shadow, value, form, composition, and color."

A follow-up to the bestselling The Art of Still Life: A Contemporary Guide to Classical Techniques, Composition, and Painting in Oil (Monacelli, 2020), The Oil Painter's Color Handbook begins with an in-depth look at the use of color throughout art history. Casey then breaks down the process of understanding color into easily digestible lessons--each clearly explained and richly illustrated with both historic and contemporary paintings--so that the reader can learn progressively and layer more complex ideas as each skill is achieved.

Through clear instruction, step-by-step demonstrations, and challenging exercises, readers will learn to apply these techniques and concepts to their own painting. Once educated with this fundamental knowledge, as an artist, one can begin to find the balance between the science and emotional intuition in creating art. This informative and visually dynamic book will be accessible and appealing to artists, art students, and art instructors, to serious amateurs and hobbyists.

Author: Todd M. Casey
Publisher: Monacelli Studio
Published: 10/19/2022
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 3.62lbs
Size: 11.22h x 9.24w x 1.03d
ISBN: 9781580935883


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 10/01/2022 pg. 57

About the Author
Todd M. Casey was born and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts. His artistic education includes a BFA in Communication Design from Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. After receiving his degree in 2001, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a graphic designer. He then moved to San Francisco to pursue a Master's in Animation at the Academy of Art. While taking the foundation classes for his MFA, he found a true passion in painting, and returned to New York City to the studio of Jacob Collins at the Water Street Atelier and began his classical painting training in 2007. In 2010, he finished his studies and began teaching at the Guild Atelier in Brooklyn, New York.
Casey's work touches on more than simplistic, rigid realism. There is a haunting, nearly literary quality to each frame. A feeling that subjects are viewed from behind rain-kissed, mottled glass, burnished by enigmatic candlelight, or brushed by the soft, hazy edges of a half-remembered dream. His works are classically styled, but progressive in approach--fine, somber details, rendered with a clear, meticulous eye, and yet, subdued with a gentle, melancholic focus. Casey is the author of The Art of Still Life and the recipient of several awards. Most recently, he won first place two years in a row in the Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition, and first place in oil painting from the Allied Artists of America, in 2015. His work can be found in collections throughout the United States, and exclusively on the East Coast at Rehs Contemporary Gallery, in Midtown New York City. Casey lives in New York with his wife, Gina, and baby daughter, Scarlett.