Book Review
Spring Action
Part 2 of 3

Choosing colours is probably number 1 on the list when designing jewelry. I see that time and time again with beaders at the parties and workshops when they grapple with where to start. There are so many choices and the task can be daunting. Some play it safe and stick with just one colour. Some go with conventional wisdom and pair up colours which traditionally have gone well together like turquoise and silver. Often too, beaders pretty well stay within their own comfort zone and stick with colours they always use.

So I was delighted when Margie Deeb, an established author of several publications contacted me asking if I would review her latest e-book called Colour Report for Bead Artisans : Spring/Summer 2008. Would I ever!

I had previously read Margie's book, The Beader's Guide to Colour which is a joy for anyone who loves working with colour. So I was interested to see what this 15 page ebook was all about. Pictured above are two preview pages which shows you a couple of the inspirational designs and colour palettes used for this book.

The colours are based on the Pantone Spring 2008 palettes. These use neutrals such as grey punched up with colours such as purple and yellow, reminding me of crocuses, my favourite spring flower. It is the variations of the ten colours, how they are combined and in what proportions which made this ebook such a pleasure to go through and to be inspired by. For instance, I am not fond of green olives nor their colour but the report has made me think again of design possibilities using the right colours to brighten up this dull, unappetising hue without drowning it out at the same time.

The given recommendations were not just the Delica seed number references closest to the colours featured but also gemstones which is sure to please a wide range of jewelry artisans. What also struck me about her Colour Report is how well laid out the pages were. For artisans who are now dabbling in tutorials of their techniques, this might well be a quality benchmark to aim for.

The price of $9.95 for this ebook is what I would expect for its length, professional layout and value. She also has another book coming out in June : The Beader's Color Palette which has a special pre-order price of $19.95.

Note : No payment was received to review this report nor will I benefit from the sales.
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The Beading Gem's Journal