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Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter [Paperback]

James Gurney
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
RRP: £16.99
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Book Description

9 Dec 2010
James Gurney, New York Times best-selling author and artist of the Dinotopia series, follows Imaginative Realism with his second art-instruction book, Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter. A researched study on two of art's most fundamental themes, Color and Light bridges the gap between abstract theory and practical knowledge. Beginning with a survey of underappreciated masters who perfected the use of color and light, the book examines how light reveals form, the properties of color and pigments, and the wide variety of atmospheric effects. Gurney cuts though the confusing and contradictory dogma about color, testing it in the light of science and observation. A glossary, pigment index, and bibliography complete what will ultimately become an indispensible tool for any artist.

This book is the second in a series based on his blog, gurneyjourney.com. His first in the series, Imaginative Realism, was widely acclaimed in the fantastical art world, and was ranked the #1 Bestseller on the Amazon list for art instruction.

"James Gurney's new book, Color and Light, cleverly bridges the gap between artistic observation and scientific explanation. Not only does he eloquently describe all the effects of color and light an artist might encounter, but he thrills us with his striking paintings in the process." --Armand Cabrera, Artist


Frequently Bought Together

Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter + Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist + Figure Drawing for All it's Worth
Price For All Three: £40.93

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Product details

  • Paperback: 244 pages
  • Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (9 Dec 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0740797719
  • ISBN-13: 978-0740797712
  • Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 1.5 x 25.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 6,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

About the Author

James Gurney’s unique blending of fact and fantasy has won Hugo, Chesley, Spectrum, and World Fantasy Awards. His work has been featured in one-man exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Delaware Art Museum, and the U.S. embassies in Switzerland and Yemen. He lives with his wife, Jeanette, in the Hudson Valley of New York State.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars You need it, even if you think you don't. 11 Jan 2011
Format:Paperback
I'm a struggling digital artist, always looking forward for new tutorials and useful bits of info about color theory, since you never know enough about it. I bought this book after reading some other reviews and I'm really glad I did.

I wasn't familiar with James' blog, even though I'm a big fan of all his work for his Dinotopia series. His prolific contributions to this blog and, eminently, his teaching career, have given him the ability to explain everything clearly, with some of the most beautiful examples you could hope to have, all done by Mr. Gurney himself. There's a lot to like and learn from this book, everything is understandable and achievable, and his Gamut references are priceless. I have a modest collection of books and DVD's about color, but this work is, by far, the best I have ever read.

With this amazing print quality, all of the great advice and knowledge, and for this price, you really need this book, even if you are a classical or digital artist, or just like art for what it is!
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant 15 Dec 2010
By Parka HALL OF FAME TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Length: 1:01 Mins
Color and Light is the latest book from James Gurney and it's fantastic. It is a very accessible guide that's filled with interesting and useful information on color and light. It's fortunate we have so many colors today at our disposable, and now with this book, something to help make sense of them.

The book talks about color in a very practical sense, as you would see them in life. The lessons are observations of light and colors from James Gurney's years of painting experience. He brings his points across with his own beautiful paintings as examples, clearly explaining why and how he uses colors. It amazes me the amount of work James Gurney has created over the years, and this book is filled with them, from his plein-air to Dinopedia paintings.

There are lessons on sources of light, light and form, understanding the color wheel, how light reacts with surfaces and other elements, and visual perception. You'll learn interesting things like why the moon looks blue, when happens to light when it travels through green canopy, tips on mixing colors, and a whole lot more. There are lots of tips and techniques included. The book is also well researched and I enjoy reading the history of color as they were used in the past by other artists.

It's really a no-brainer to pick this up if you're into creating art, or even if you just want to check out the beautiful paintings in the book.

Highly recommended reference. And you should also check out his other book Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist.

(There are some pictures of the book on my blog, just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable 18 Feb 2011
By livius
Format:Paperback
"Color and Light" is a really good book and a better purchase. Result of the passion for research and thirty years of experience, it shows how the traditional artistic knowledge is the base of contemporary realistic illustration too.
With the same spirit with wich Leonardo da Vinci, in his "Tattato della Pittura", showed that the road to better represent reality, was the analysis of physical phenomena, rather than the simply copy of other painters' work, Gurney investigates with his distinctive scientific approach the light and visual perception phenomena, that bind the Color to the Light, between ancient and modern knowledges, describing how they can be used with success in the artistic profession.

Above all, Gurney demonstrates how the direct experience will lead to image more effectively than the use of photographs and virtual simulations.
Therefore, the book is recommended not only to the illustrators who use traditional techniques, but also to those who think that mastering the illustration is the result of practical only, while the theoretical knowledge is superfluous.

If I have to find small defects - that absolutely does not reduce the total value of the book - I can say that the structure of the edition, which devotes two pages to each topic, not always connecting the content to pages later, it is sometimes scattered, making the book is not only a practical manual or a collection of articles, nor a treaty. Therefore, I particularly liked the chapters more homogeneous, such those about the gamut and pigments, which I found really valuable, while the first chapter, about the representation of color and light in Old Masters' painting, it seemed to me a little hasty, almost a second introduction.

In conclusion, I thank James Gurney for giving us this book, which is a generous gift of his experience and his love for art to us all.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Unlike many other art books
Very thorough, well thought out and educational. Just great overall with tons of useful info that you can keep coming back to.
Published 1 month ago by Nibras Ibnomer
5.0 out of 5 stars Gurney fan
I've got Gurney's Imaginative Realism, too, and follow his blog - gurneyjourney.
He's a good teacher and is enthusiastic about learning, which comes across.
Published 2 months ago by AndraK
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Hmmm i was thinking this book was more alike lectures or tutorials, but actually the book explains the colors and light by side with painting of great artists. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ana Gomes
4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but too much fantasy / sci-fi / game art for me
A decent quality book for the price and well laid-out. The author / artist is obviously very experienced & talented, and the book is good for covering a number of techniques &... Read more
Published 2 months ago by R.Webb
5.0 out of 5 stars Best purchase!
This is probably the best book on colour I have see so far!

The types of light secion (contrejour, moonlight, overcast, window light... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Maria
5.0 out of 5 stars Color and Light
A present for my grandson and he loved it. Now he just needs time to read it and practise what he has read
Published 4 months ago by Evelyn H Harkins
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Color and light made easy. It's a very concise but complete guide, always accompanied by great visual examples (mainly the author's own paintings) of the subject discussed. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J Isi
5.0 out of 5 stars Everything is included
The book that haves everything about color and light. Simply excellent. I would say the ultimate guide for every artist
Published 4 months ago by Stamatis
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good for painters
When you want to know which colors you have to choose as a painter you must consider this book. Also recommended for plein-air painters!
Published 5 months ago by Guido
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and de(lightful)
James Gurney has writen a wonderful book on colour and light which will provide a useful reference for any scene you are likely to come across. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. D. P. Burns
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