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Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist (Volume 1) (James Gurney Art) Paperback – Illustrated, October 20, 2009
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James Gurney
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Print length224 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherAndrews McMeel Publishing
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Publication dateOctober 20, 2009
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Dimensions9 x 0.6 x 10.5 inches
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ISBN-100740785508
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ISBN-13978-0740785504
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From the Publisher
Explore painting realistic imaginative images for fantasy, sci-fi, and more
- For those interested in recreating history, visualizing extinct wildlife, or simply telling a story with a picture
- Filled with plenty of examples to accompany the text
- Covers painting foundations such as sketching, architecture, and composition, as well as specific subjects including dinosaurs, creatures, and aliens
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Shiver Me Timbers, 1987. Oil on board, 17 × 11 in. Cover for On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. |
Roman Biplane, 1988. Oil on canvas, detail. Paperback cover for Cry Republic by Kirk Mitchell. |
Canal Rescue, 2005. Oil on board, 13 × 14 in. Published in Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara. |
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| Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Volume 2) | Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara | |
| Explore more from James Gurney | A carefully crafted and researched study on color and light in paintings. This art instruction book is the follow up to the acclaimed Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist. | Before there was Jurassic Park, there was a fantastical world where humans and dinosaurs lived together in peace. Revisit this magical land in Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara. |
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Product details
- Publisher : Andrews McMeel Publishing; Illustrated edition (October 20, 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0740785508
- ISBN-13 : 978-0740785504
- Item Weight : 2 pounds
- Dimensions : 9 x 0.6 x 10.5 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
#33,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #51 in Painting (Books)
- #100 in Art History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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I'd be hard pressed to think of this as the type of "How to" book it first appears to be, since there isn't any step-by-step instruction. It does however cover many basic aspects of art that standard books often miss.
The two largest areas this book covers are reference(such as using models or maquettes as guides) and composition which showed some very interesting tips I'd never seen before; like "Windmilling" which helps unify light and dark in a composition. Both are essential to the book's goal of making believable art of invented subjects.
This book also doubles as a retrospective of James Gurney's artwork with many sections centering on paintings he's done. Seeing practical examples of what he's teaching helps drive the concept home.
And of course since the author also created the Dinotopia series, a sizable portion of the book is dedicated to dinosaurs.
Something also missing in a lot of other drawing books, Gurney lays out several uses and careers for the skills he's teaching.
All in all, Imaginative Realism is a solid art book with great pictures and useful tips on artmaking, whether your subject exists in real life or not.
Not just why it looks like crap... but how to fix it. Bless you, Mr. Gurney!
Top reviews from other countries
I am delighted that I did. This is an excellent book written by a painter for other painters and full of interesting insights. It is definitely not for beginners since it assumes that you can already paint and draw well and are willing to work devotedly to conjure up a realistic depiction of an imaginary scene. He is consciously drawing on the heritage of the golden age of American illustration (which I like too) and takes you through all the steps he takes from thumbnail sketches to finished pieces, which is fascinating.
There are a couple of drawbacks : his studio setup, kit and workshop facilities are way beyond what most of us can aspire to so I wish he could be a little more aware about these limitations most of us face. ( Plasticine and cardboard maquettes lit by an Anglepoise work fine for us lesser mortals.) This could be daunting or reduce one to paroxysms of envy. There is very little about any other medium except oil paint and you also have to have a high tolerance for dinosaurs .
However these are minor quibbles. There is not only the enjoyment of being taken through his process of work but a lot of useful information to be gleaned en route. In fact I was so impressed that I immediately ordered his other book - "Colour and Light".
So I can unhesitatingly recommend this to any other realist painter who wants some insight into Gurney's way of working and how to depict an imaginary world.
The information is broken down into manageable bitesized chapters, so you can read the whole book as a whole, or just dip in and out. The illustrations are lovely, and I love reading about how the artist develops ideas and gathers information.
The cover of this book does not do it justice, as it could put some artists off if they are not really into fantasy work, but there are some great illustrations, and the influence of some past masters are evident in some of the work.
The book is a good size and there is plenty to read and lots of information. The book is printed on good quality paper and is really good value for money. A breath of fresh air in the art book format. If you like fantasy art, or are interested in reading about how other artists work then buy this book, you won't be disappointed.
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