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Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist |  | Author: James Gurney
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $10.13
as of 11/27/2009 00:37 CST details
You Save: $14.86 (59%)
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Seller: a1books
Rating:  42 reviews
Sales Rank: 4307
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 224
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 10.5 x 8.9 x 0.8
ISBN: 0740785508
Dewey Decimal Number: 709.0343
EAN: 9780740785504
ASIN: 0740785508
Publication Date: October 20, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
An award-winning fantasy artist and the creator of Dinotopia, James Gurney instructs and inspires in Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist. Renowned for his uncanny ability to incorporate amazing detail and imagination into stunningly realistic fantasy settings, James Gurney teaches budding artists and fans of fantasy art step-by-step the techniques that won him worldwide critical acclaim. This groundbreaking work examines the practical methods for creating believable pictures of imaginary subjects, such as dinosaurs, ancient Romans, alien creatures, and distant worlds.Beginning with a survey of imaginative paintings from the Renaissance to the golden Age of American illustration, the book then goes on to explain not just techniques like sketching and composition, but also the fundamentals of believable world building including archaeology, architecture, anatomy for creatures and aliens, and fantastic engineering. It concludes with details and valuable advice on careers in fantasy illustration, including video game and film concept art and toy design. More than an instruction book, this is the ultimate reference for fans of science fiction and fantasy illustration. "Gurney's Imaginative Realism is a gold mine for artists who want to create images that sing with authority and delight the viewer with rich otherworldly visuals." --Erik Tiemens, concept artist, Star Wars: Episodes II and III "Imaginative Realism is an indispensable, flawless reference for vision makers in any discipline to create their own imaginative realms." --Frank M. Costantino, ASAI, SI, FSAI, JARA, cofounder, American Society of Architectural Illustrators
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 42
A great description of the creative process November 24, 2009
Tim Martin (South Bend, Indiana United States)
This is a great book, but it is not an instruction book for the beginner. The author describes techniques, but it is assumed that the reader is advanced enough to try the techniques on their own. However, that does not mean the book is only for artist. I am not an artist, but I enjoyed the book immensely. The author does a wonderful job of describing the "art behind the art." After reading this book you will be able to look at any painting, drawing, graphic art, etc. with a much keener eye and with deeper appreciation.
The book is written in a way that a lay man can understand the "hows" and "whys" of how a particular look is achieved. It is also a great reference manual for creating your own imaginative world. If you have an artist within, then you will love this book. If you just like fantasy artwork, you will also enjoy this book. Enjoy!
Teaches You the PROCESS November 24, 2009
Theseus (US of A)
This book doesn't really instruct you in how to draw or how to paint. And it doesn't particularly tap into the mysterious process of creativity.
What is DOES show is how this one, accomplished artist manages to take the crazy ideas in his head and eventually move them to the point where they are finished pieces of art. This includes stuff like intricacies of layout, the ways to use photo reference, sketching and how a sketch can function in a given composition. And there's artist nitty-gritty here too: information tools of the trade.
The advice on "starting with the familiar" is worth the price of the book alone.
Finally, this is a handsome book, loaded with color, with sufficiently large space for the illustrations and how-to stuff to live. The binding is solid and seems like it will hold up to a little man-handling and being opened really wide so it can be referred to in a studio. Not a cheapie!
A Treasure Trove of Tips November 23, 2009
Paul Tinsley (Colorado Springs, USA)
I'm naturally adept at art, but for some reason, I never seized any opportunities to fully delve into the subject. I keep trying to find time, but my work and other interests usually rob me of any moments that would be conducive to artistic pursuits. Does this sound a lot like you? Well, this book is going to be a fascinating and valuable helping hand into the subject of creating convincing things that actually don't exist!
This book is a veritable treasure trove of helpful advice and tips on how artists use various tools and methods to train their imaginative energies into yielding the substance of imagination on paper. I expect it will be particularly helpful to people wanting to delve deeper into this subject and needing some pointers on how to approach varying subject matters. This book can save the budding artist a lot of time by bringing them closer to the tried and tested methods that help artists to explore the unexplored.
I am very excited about finding this book, as it will answer many questions that have plagued my thoughts over the many years as I have dipped into and out of fantasy art. It's also inspired me to pick up my pencil again and try to find time to embark on some adventures on paper!
I thoroughly recommend this book from novice to professional artist as the coaching that it provides can help various abilities at many different levels.
Outstanding!! November 19, 2009
Christina Paul (Anamosa, IA USA)
As someone with both a son and a partner who are both fine artists, and as someone who does a bit of 'hobby' paointing, I was really very curious and excited to take a look at James Gurney's Imaginative Realism. I was not at all disappointed. Unlike other books that show how to sketch what you see, carve out shadow and light with the techniques of the author, Gurney gives a really great rundown on how to see what is in front of you in order to paint it more realistically. I have particularly been partial to his work with National Geographic and his renditions of Ancient Egyptian culturre and reconstruction of earlier temples, tombs,etc. Not just painting from imagination, James Gurney does the homework about how people, places and things should look as well as the drape of fabric, gesture, expression and he does it in a way that helps artists keep those things in their heads and put it on the canvas.
I was very impressed with his understanding of texture, technique to make a piece look more period, and the use of architectural marquettes and the effective lighting of these in order to really add the idea that you could step into the painting. Whether you are painting what you envision might have happened in history, or thinking up an alternative one to put on canvas, this book really was a pleasure. I spent hours just going through the picture and graphic rich pages. This one is definitely one for the shelf of any fine, graphic, or computer artist.
Perfect Inspiration for Amatuer to Professional Artists November 19, 2009
T. Adlam (South Florida, USA)
Being a huge fan of Dinotopia, I was extremely excited to learn how the creator imagined up all those wonderful characters and settings and I was not disappointed.
The tone of the book is not overly academic and the author is not condescending. In fact, the writing style is rather conversational and has a "do what you feel most comfortable doing" approach while explaining how he approaches his various projects.
The book is broken up into the various sections, each building on the prior:
* Tradition: He offers a basic overview of art through the ages along with the process and influences of some great artists.
* Studio: What items one might need in her personal art studio along with lighting equipment, mediums, and tools.
* Preliminary Sketches: How to warm up your imagination, how and why thumbnail sketches can be helpful along with storyboards. He also dips into perspective and how to play with broad spectrum color.
* History & Archeology: This section explores how art tells stories and how we can use history, along with perspective, to capture these stories.
* People: Drawing people can be tricky, because it's simple to draw two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and limbs, but the key is to bring out the expressiveness of character through facial expressions, posture, and costumes. This chapter also delves in using tools such as live models, photographs, maquettes, and setting to amplify these types of drawings.
* Dinosaurs: When people think of dinosaurs, snarling frightening reptilian beasts come to mind, but Gurney challenges us to think of them in a broader perspective, such as going about their daily business (i.e. scratching an itch). Not only that, but placing them in uncommon settings or offering them uncommon elements, such as clothing. He even discusses the benefits of sculpting your own miniatures.
* Creatures & Aliens: What would a book on painting what doesn't exist be without a section on all things far-out? But this chapter does more than explain how to imagine an alien, it broaches the subject of mythology (mermaids), the preternatural (human hybrids), supernatural (skeleton pirates), and fantasy (animal characters and cyborgs).
* Architecture: Building a city is involved. There are four steps (one of which involved sculpting a maquette) and plenty of time invested, but the end result will be nothing short of magical because although the city might exist nowhere besides your imagination, it might be enough to fool the mind into thinking it does exist somewhere tangible.
* Vehicles: Gurney offers valuable advice when he says "start with the familiar." He then elaborates by explaining how to mold various objects into a vehicle or exaggerating its features to create something entirely new, but realistic.
* Plein-Air Studies: Our world is rife with settings and people and animals which can be sketched on location and then transformed into something fantastical. Gurney explains where and how to look, paying especially close attention to colors and shapes.
* Composition: This section discusses how to arrange everything you've learned in the previous chapters into a powerful image with the most impact through tonal values and shape placement. There is even a section which discusses eye-tracking, or the movement of one's eyes as they look at something, and how to exploit it in your artwork.
* Procedure: In this section, Gurney gives the general run down of how to proceed with a painting--the first section which could be seen as a "stey-by-step." It continues by explaining how to combine all the elements into a finished piece of art.
* Careers: The final section is a nice tack-on for anyone interested in developing an art career. It has sections for paperback covers, movie, video game, toy, and theme park design.
When I finished, I was blown away by how much art education was packed into such a short book. A majority of the chapters expresses the benefits of creating a maquette, or small sculpted model, when developing a character or scene. This might be overkill for some people, but it helps one think three dimensionally. And there were plenty of other tidbits peppered throughout which made me stop and say, "That's a great idea!"
It's important to note that this is not a typical "step 1, step 2" how-to-paint book. It's main goal is to offer advice and tips for bringing out your own creativity and developing your own artistic skills, so having a strong foundation in traditional art techniques would be helpful.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 42
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