Julie Collins studied Fine Art at the University of Reading and has been an artist, writer and teacher since then. She has written a number of colour mixing guides and artists' problem-solving books and also writes for The Artist magazine. She works from her studio in Hampshire, UK, where she explores her passion for painting, drawing and crafts. Julie has won numerous prestigious awards for her watercolour paintings, including, most recently, the award of first prize for Watercolour at the Royal West of England Academy Annual Exhibition 2019. Julie was also elected an associate Member of the Society of Women Artists in August 2019. The three Colour Mixing Guides that comprise this book have sold 40k copies globally. Julie is also the author of Colour Demystified, published by Search Press in 2021, which has sold almost 7,000 copies to date.
This is definitely a ‘no fuss guide’, what an ease to wander through the pages. I love the size of the book, just longer than the length of my hand and just wider so it sits comfortably in my hands.The quality of the paper is really good and feel like they will withstand a lot of flicking through to where I want to look. I like the inclusion of the colour wheel templates, they will come in useful. I like the exercise examples and the right and wrong explanations. There’s a nice section about oils, which I’ve yet to try, solvents and mediums which will be my go to reference when I do get around to trying oil painting. I absolutely love the colour swatch pages and I definitely want to create my own. This book will be a great colour reference guide for me in my painting journey. I’m not a complete beginner at watercolour and acrylic painting, there’s still a lot for me to learn from this beautiful book. -- Pamela Hainsworth * Customer Review * The Colour Mixing Companion is designed to provide a no-fuss guide to mixing watercolour, acrylics and oils – and is small enough to fit in your pocket. Information included on complementary, warm and cool colours, tone, using a limited palette and dull and bright colours. A useful section on essential colour mixes using widely available paints is also included. This is a well-presented and practical guide that will appeal to beginners as well as more experienced artists * Leisure Painter, August 2023 * Modern colour reproduction is up to providing accurate references and, if this is something that doesn’t come instinctively to you, they’ll provide a quick reference for the exact shade or hue you want. There are also some useful notes on the use of colour in practice. -- Henry Malt * artbookreview.net *