A Working Costume Designer's Guide to Color

A Working Costume Designer's Guide to Color provides readers with the skills and knowledge to create coherent color schemes for costumes.

Drawing on decades of experience in the costume shop, the author guides readers through every step of the process, from finding inspiration for a color scheme and successfully working with the design team to understanding how lighting design can affect costume color choices. Filled with step-by-step illustrations of how to add colors to a set of renderings and color-block samples to illustrate color theory, terminology, and usage of colors, the book covers a wide range of topics, including:

• How to add colors to a set of renderings to clarify characters and character relationships.
• How color interacts with surface pattern and fabric textures.
• Color theory and terminology.
• How to combine colors to make a coherent color scheme using different methods, including using dominant, supporting, and accent colors.
• How to flatter actors while staying within an overall color scheme.
• Color meanings in different cultures and for different time periods.
• How to manage costume changes to preserve or extend a color scheme.

A valuable resource for students of costume design courses and professional costume designers, A Working Costume Designer's Guide to Color provides readers with the tools to create harmonious color schemes that will enhance the look of a production as whole.

Jeanette deJong is Associate Professor of Costume Design and Technology at the University of Oregon. A member of United Scenic Artists, she has been designing costumes and teaching costume design since 1984. Her professional design credits include shows at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Illinois Shakespeare Festival, amongst many other theatres.