Archives: Textbook

A Practical Book about the Munsell Color System, for Artists and Designers

Controlling Colour with the Munsell System helps artists and designers understand colour and use it effectively. This affordable book accurately reproduces over 1500 standard Munsell colours. Developed over a century ago, and now standardized scientifically, the Munsell system organizes colours in artists’ terms. When working, an artist or designer is continually asking how light or dark a colour is, whether its hue is warmer or cooler, and whether it is duller or more saturated. The Munsell system features just these properties: hue (red, bluish green, purple, etc.), value (light vs. dark), and chroma (dull vs. saturated). Artists need to see physical examples to choose colours confidently, so this book presents the universe of hue, value, and chroma in 41 Munsell colour plates. (For those just interested in neutrals, a Munsell-accurate grey scale is also available for sale on Ebay, with item #223003792036.) Controlling Colour with the Munsell System is in the form of a binder, from which individual hue leaves can be removed. The individual colours are printed patches rather than swatches. The patches have been spectrophotometrically measured to insure accuracy, achieving DE’s of less than 1 for most of the swatches. For artists, designers, and painters who want a practical, hands-on, understanding of colour, Controlling Colour with the Munsell System is a unique working tool that would be an asset in any studio. (For Canadian customers: this book is also sold on the Canadian Amazon, and buying it there instead of on Ebay will save you a lot of money on shipping.)