A Guide for the Realist Painter (James Gurney Art)

I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about how to paint, and paint with color, instead of just sticking to my line drawings on pencil and paper. This book thrust open the gates for me, as James Gurney breaks every element down into its simplest forms. He discusses the full range of how color and light work in the world, and more importantly how they are perceived through our eyes. His fully colored pictures from his Dinotopia books are what make this more than just a textbook and make it an exciting read, so that the reader may enjoy learning what James Gurney has to offer. I highly recommend it as the go to book for anybody that wants to learn how to paint.

An established artist in the science fiction genre, this book has great tips on making your art 'sing' - wonderfully composed for those who learn by copying examples and those who want to know the chemistry so to speak of making fantastical creatures and their imagined environs.

Gorgeous paintings and a thorough review of realistic/naturalistic applications of color. I haven't read Gurney's first book, Imaginative Realism, but this book doesn't feel like a supplement. It's a full masterclass in color theory, except practical!

Amazing book! I recently finished my degree in illustration and this book is worth far more in terms of teaching me what I need to know than my university education was. I have his imaginative realism book too which is great but this one is even better! Not only are James Gurney's illustrations simply stunning, he's obviously also a great teacher, he explains things very succinctly and clearly, making it very easy to grasp the concept he's talking about and start to apply it to your own work. Each double page spread explains a different concept to do with light and colour with his beautiful illustrations as examples. The way its organised is great and information is very easy to find, I have it sitting next to my computer for handy reference. I really couldn't recommend it more highly.

Already having so many books on color, I avoided buying this book, thinking it would be like all the rest. Well, it wasn't! I devoured this book. It is jam-packed with useful information. (Some of which I was amazed that anyone had taken the time to figure out!) I highly recommend adding this to your library! This is one of my favorite purchases and I have no buyer's remorse with this one.

A must have for the library of those interested in painting. Covers in detail every possible lighting condition and all the characteristics of color. Illustrated with Gurney's own art. See if you can find another book with 57 out of 58 five star ratings. And the other one was a four star! I couldn't. I think you'll like it.

I saw this book in the bookstore and immediately had to order it from the store. It's a great handbook for plein air and indoor oil painting. The reproductions of his oil paintings are excellent and unlike most painting technique books, his ideas are shown exactly on the same page as the paintings themselves. It's a great visual book on its own, but one should take the time to read it all - something I don't do with most art books. There is a lot of knowledge packed into this volume and he reveals all the missing understanding of light and color principles that many artists don't have. Buy it NOW!

Excellent overview of lighting and color for the realist oil painter. It does what the title says. There is an overview of color theory, then considerations of how to represent various lighting conditions on various subjects, all illustrated with examples.

I've taught color and painting at the college level for 37 years and this book amazes me. There is so much knowledge, so generously shared that I've made it my text for both my color classes and my painting classes. Mr. Gurney's depth and his ease of explanation are so rare and yet reading (and rereading ) this book has continued to hold my attention and amazement that this much information could be packaged in such a thorough manner. The breath of his work combined with the freshness of his subject (Dinotopia) will draw in even the most reluctant readers in my classes.
Six stars would be insufficient!

I am a professional well known career painter and have seen plenty of books on color and light. This is by far the BEST book I've seen on the subject - clear, clean and precise and easy to understand. Knowing the subject, I bought the book to review it before recommending it to my students, (I teach numerous painting workshops). Needless to say, I was very impressed with the content and will most certainly recommend it to my students.

I have many books about paintings as well as books on how to draw and paint. This is the only book that excites me enough to get me to take up a paint brush. This book is full of beautiful color illustrations. It provides countless practical tips that are easy to understand. It covers topics such as Old Master's Color, Magazine Illustration, Direct Sunlight, Overcast Light, Window Light, Candle and Fire Light, Indoor Electric Light, Street Light and Night Condition and many many other practical and useful tips. It is impossible not to paint better after reading the book. It is a useful reference for any casual as well as professional painter.

Good coverage of the subject with lots of info presented in an easy to follow format. Provides tips on how to deal with almost every conceivable lighting situation as well as how to define your palette to add realism to paintings.

A really nicely printed and laid out book. Even if you don't wind up ever using it, you'll love reading it.

It's also a great reference for understanding realistic painting, I've seen it recommended tons of times in concept art and game art circles, which is what I'm interested in, and all those people on the internet were definitely not wrong.

If you were thinking of picking this book up, it's absolutely worth the money, just do it.

The strength of this book is its illustrations and brevity. On each topic, the author makes his point fast then provides one of his beautiful Dinotopia illustrations as an example. Given the cost of this book, the quality of the color printing is impressive.

I am a photographer, retoucher and digital artist, and I find this book extremely helpful for any visual artist. We all need to be able to render believable light and shadow and choose right colors no matter what medium we're using, and James Gurney is amazing at seeing light and color and explaining it to those who'd like to learn. Highly recommended!

This book goes into depth on many aspects of lighting, shading, and general rendering in 2d. I have many coworkers who heartily recommend this for texture artists and even lighting artists, not to mention 2d artists.

I recommend this book for anyone from aspiring artist to professionals in any form of art. From digital 3d to traditional 2d.

"Color and Light" is full of great images, but the author gives in-depth info on how to get the great effects and atmosphere in your own work. I find myself coming back to this book over and over. It is kind of an art course with so much useful teaching! Fun to look at, too!

This heavily illustrated book presents excellent information on the way that light works and is perceived. It has generous examples of the use of color to portray light, especially for painting. A good index helps access to problem-solving.

Whenever I purchase a book like this I always read the reviews. Overall I'd say they were accurate this time. The book is more of a guide to how you see lighting of the natural world, how to build a limited palette, and make realistically lighted paintings. To be honest though this is not a "How-To" type of book. It is great if you are like me and have been painting for years and are wanting to polish your skills. If your are new to painting this book still has a lot to offer, beautiful pictures, great examples on how light interacts from multiple angles and times of day.

I was pleased with the straightforward approach and explanation of the effects of light on color, and the effective use of that knowledge applied to painting. There are lots of great illustrations for each point. I would recommend this to anyone trying to gain a deeper, broader understanding of the use of color in painting.

I enjoy reading and watching anything that James Gurney produces, and this book lived up to his usual high standards. Very thorough discussion on some fundamentals of painting you might not easily find elsewhere. Recommended.

Great book for anybody who wants to learn about color theory. It's exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to learn more about colors. The history and how it interacts with the world around us. I wasn't looking for a how to guide. If you are looking for a how to guide then this is not the book for you. If you truly want to learn more about color theory then pick this book up.

As a realistic artist with many years experience painting animals, I still found new helpful information on every page. It's truly a book worth revisiting not only for the knowledge but Gurney's paintings are a visual delight!

Color and Light is the missing link in teaching and learning color theory. Some of the things he says, i.e. about learning to being able to paint perfect color chips could of come out of my thoughts. The color theory class I had when I was studying wasn't any different. This book is a very solid collection of transferring the theory into real use. I highly recommend it for anybody who wants to learn more about painting and drawing, not just for the realist genre, but for the abstract as well.

Within 20 minutes of receiving Color and Light and having only briefly leafed through it, I already knew it was my new favorite book, and arguably the best in my collection of over 60 art books. I fell in love so quickly that I e-mailed Mr. Gurney that same day to show my appreciation in sharing his knowledge and insight.

As a professional illustrator, this book is entirely invaluable. It's a comprehensive, easy to understand look at how to render and understand color, light, and form, with information that will help not only novices, but even the most seasoned art vets.

List price is $25, you can get it here for roughly $17 right now, but it's a book I would've gladly paid $60+ for. It's that good, worth every penny and then some.