Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist

I am afraid I judged this book by its cover and really didn't think that this was the kind of book that would be suitable for me or that I would enjoy. But having encountered James Gurney online and discovered that, rather than just painting dinosaurs, he was a far more traditional painter than I had imagined and decided to give it a try. 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.

Ein beeindruckendes Buch voller Wissen, Erfahrung und vor allem: fantastischer Illustrationen. James Gurney zeigt nicht nur Techniken, sondern auch Denkprozesse und Herangehensweisen, um Dinge zu malen, die es in der Realität nicht gibt – aber trotzdem glaubwürdig wirken. Das Buch richtet sich eher an fortgeschrittene Zeichner und Maler, die bereits ein solides Fundament mitbringen. Für Einsteiger kann es etwas überwältigend sein – aber alleine die Bilder und Skizzen sind schon eine große Inspiration. Eine deutschsprachige Version wär dann auch schön gewesen.

やっぱり、日本語版にしておけば良かったかなと思ってます。もう一冊買おうかな〜！ とても魅力的な絵の数々。恐竜と鳥好きな私の好みにぴったりだわと見ていたらSFな世界のリアリスティックな？空想世界 が広がっていて、英語がほとんどわからなくてもとても感動します！ 恐竜の模型を作製してから、スケッチするという手の込んだ作者のこだわりにびっくりしました。 是非手にとって鑑賞して頂きたいジェームス・ガーニーさんの傑作本です！

What's not to like? Grade A art book with plenty of lessons.

A fantastic overview of the painters process in creating art of thigns that don't exist in real life.