I admit I fell for the title first and when I read the book blurb, I knew I needed to request it. Yes coloring books are all the craze but that wasn’t why this title caught my eye, the two words Design and Workbook were. My art education ended in jr. high. Yes, I took an architecture history course in college, but other than spending time strolling through the Met and MoMA, that’s about as formal as my art education gets. It’s a challenge now working with artists and those special people who just “get” color. I am challenged greatly if asked to mix more than two to three, could this title be what I’ve looked for?

Yes. And it’s so much more.

Knauer has condensed modern art history, color theory, and quilting into 144 pages of an amazing book. It is helpful for those who have aspirations to quilt (such as I do) , those who want to understand the relationship of color and space, and for those who love to color!

After a clear introduction to Knauer and his philosophy to modern art and color, we jump into sections that cover seven aesthetics of modern art. They are organized beautifully and make the book really work.

Each section begins with an overview of the aesthetic. We then see a sample quilt followed by an example in modern art. Following this foundation, there are both design exercises and coloring exercises to cause the reader to test and stretch ideas.

It is the design exercises that set this workbook apart from all the coloring books proliferating on store shelves and provides useful education for all artists. For example, in the section Balance, the reader is asked to add a shape that balances the composition and then another to again throw it into imbalance. Repeating until the desired effect is reached. Wow, it’s not easy. It’s made me stop and think about how I use shape and color value and layout. For more on these experiments please read Quilt Design Coloring Workbook: Why Include Design Experiments???

The appendices includes a summary of modern art movements with selected artists and selected further readings.

I highly recommend this book!

I received an eARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for a review. The FTC wants you to know. ( )