Color Mixing Recipes for Landscapes: Mixing recipes for more than 500 color combinations Hardcover – Illustrated, April 30, 2012

Once one reads through the instructions for how the book is set up, following the color recipes is easy. I love having the clear color-mixing grids to guide me as I create my colors. I also loved the color-theory pages for review (never hurts to review what one thinks she knows). I'd been wanting this book for a long time. I found a used "Like New" copy for a reasonable price, so I ordered it. I got it sooner than I was told to expect it; the condition was, in fact, like new and, except for the mildly dented top corners and top edge of the spine, could've been new for the next-to-none wear it shows. The book was wrapped before it was put into a bubble-wrap mailer, so the book arrived undamaged from shipping. Finally, there was a sweet note inside the envelope from the volunteers who work to sell and ship books from this seller, asking buyers to give them a positive review if our service was worthy of it. Mine was--and thank you to those who worked to get this book to me. Happy I purchased the book, and happy I purchased it from these sellers.

These newer books seem to be better written, communicate better, and are more helpful that those of the olden days when I was young. I especially like his two books on color recipes for landscapes and for portraits. you should look into these three. They are very helpful.In my younger days I tended toward the browns, and overworking paint usually produces "mud." Knowing where to start with some expectation helps you gain a confidence with your color pallet quicker than the hit and miss surprise. Some of those "happy little accidents" Bob Ross used to call them, are not so happy.Having a firmer grasp of color and how to use it to convey mood, time, and so forth is extremely helpful in painting in oil or acrylic. I like the painting styles of Bob Ross and Jerry Yarnell, but these books by Powell are extremely helpful. Especially as Bob Ross used a rather simplified pallet. It is nice to consider colors like chromium oxide green, rose madder, and such to add some spice to a pallet that is Prussian blue, van dyke brown, sap green, indian yellow. etc.

I can't say enough good things about this book. I searched the internet for a book about how to mix colors for outdoor-type paintings, and finally found this one on amazon. I LOVE it! It's exactly what I was looking for.The vast majority of this book consists of the index (subject matter--what you're trying to paint) and the color recipes (exactly how to mix each one). There are a few "how-to's" at the beginning, which I've used and they work exactly as described. This book has color recipes for MANY different species of trees, skies, rock types, mountain types, flowers, etc. It even covers sand and soil types. The book has a chart on the inside front cover that shows the name of the paint colors you need in order to use the recipes. It even converts oil color name to the equivalent acrylic color name, or what to mix to get that color, if a color isn't available for purchase. On the inside back cover, there is a plastic color mixing grid, which takes all the guesswork out of precisely how much paint you need. The book has a spiral binding on the inside, which allows it to lie flat, which I like.NOTE: If you're looking for a "how to paint" book, keep looking. If you're looking for a book about how to mix just the right colors for outdoor-type paintings, this is your book. Before I got this book, my paint colors looked lifeless and dull. Now: No more guesswork, no more wasting paint and no more disappointing mistakes.

This is a good book for visual resource and, of course, for mixing formulas. It can be overwhelming and confusing at times, especially with some of the colour names - such as "permanent" blue which appears to be "ultramarine", however, I found that different paint manufacturers use the two names interchangeably or actually have two separate blues under both names. I have still found Powell's charts to be very useful in keeping me from mixing a muddy colour and wasting paint to get to a specific colour. I would recommend this book as a good reference guide to keep handy while you work.

I've never thought as painting mixtures as recipes before. This thought opens a whole new world instead of spread and try and cover up what you didnt like method that I had been using. This book gives you particulars to start with and in plain speak tells you how to properly blend colors to end up with the color you were wanting in the first place. Easy to navigate with glossery of plants and animals. Whether you have been dabbling in painting your whole life or just starting out finding your paint on canvas voice (or paint on anything in an artistic way...try reverse glass?) this book is the one to get. You'll be hooked on the series.

I've been an artist all my life and yet never really tackled watercolors.So, since colors are the hardest part of watercolor painting, especially greens, I wanted a book that I could just glance at and have a recipe for the color I need. Sometimes you can end up with mud, or a color that clashes with your intention of the color you have in your head.This book really helps me to just turn a page...pick a color I want and use the right combos to get the tone and hue I need.It's a great tool. I highly recommend it for a beginner or anyone just wanting a color reference at their fingertips. It's a lot more time saving than making your own.

Answers questions about mixing many colors. I began successfully using this book within a week of receiving it.

Not quite what I was expecting. I thought it would tell you how to mix colors into other popular colors, such as the three colors you combine to make burnt sienna...