Animal News

Over at the farm yesterday, Lenny harnessed up the Belgian draft horses. He wanted to give them some practice with ground driving.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YQLQwG4crTjGemcVH_-wITSX1RzeItnrpH0GDzLkYSjKHGVUsFxdKjXOs6fCO9p2RC2tgyvHT8U4ZsTXxh0ISCuCuLaKnN8hh7j8vup4GwVBGk0Kr3q8TFXVRVhvLTuJ9NSWwV94TVY/s1600/Miniature_Horse_Harness.sm.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YQLQwG4crTjGemcVH_-wITSX1RzeItnrpH0GDzLkYSjKHGVUsFxdKjXOs6fCO9p2RC2tgyvHT8U4ZsTXxh0ISCuCuLaKnN8hh7j8vup4GwVBGk0Kr3q8TFXVRVhvLTuJ9NSWwV94TVY/s400/Miniature_Horse_Harness.sm.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />Even the miniature horse Skye was in harness. She’s pregnant. A baby miniature foal is due in the next few days. I’ll try to do some sketches when the day comes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHw0s_GrQ5ilYSWJYkpkbuR1V06AvVvOsXTxZ8RaAHXyASvb_0p3FTdJEe0qqUTQZtv1NQSgZaOWcYcdL_sKr_09ENu-EjhSVvGbvAL7hGFNmU_csjkVos3iVS6a7uStVEZ2c0KeUYr9s/s1600/Ground_Driving.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHw0s_GrQ5ilYSWJYkpkbuR1V06AvVvOsXTxZ8RaAHXyASvb_0p3FTdJEe0qqUTQZtv1NQSgZaOWcYcdL_sKr_09ENu-EjhSVvGbvAL7hGFNmU_csjkVos3iVS6a7uStVEZ2c0KeUYr9s/s400/Ground_Driving.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Lenny let me try ground driving behind Sofie and Abby. It’s the first time I’ve tried it. He told me to lean back a bit to let them know I was behind them.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KsZnHG6kJ0S1uAAkB_p0lkwvSVD52PRyG63BL2gxw9HjcdIEW7KJrrOomTgVMwrV0mMqgDZ2x9hmqKgAMk7u4drsRWZDsD0uAgdZ5Xa6MsBiqRVr6o2hyJz7vHqWeZ9YXKd_5qtjQoc/s1600/Plowing.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KsZnHG6kJ0S1uAAkB_p0lkwvSVD52PRyG63BL2gxw9HjcdIEW7KJrrOomTgVMwrV0mMqgDZ2x9hmqKgAMk7u4drsRWZDsD0uAgdZ5Xa6MsBiqRVr6o2hyJz7vHqWeZ9YXKd_5qtjQoc/s320/Plowing.sm.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />I was pretending I was walking behind a couple of Anchiceratops, like in <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html"><i>Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara.</i></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGAGSGFJjfZyMzMUdWyhH2js4MO-vpeT3-D0cclKltbvsAEBf6lWzx_deRCA_TNFhbDT1H-NyrlVuIo0HravHU4Wk4hlmwYjcxlj9WIiCn7nlvKi8CequGEm5tt6vi9tgGlnw9yN5mDs/s1600/Rose_breasted_Grosbeak.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGeWS4x-ZqCnYDiKvvrOfjEaK7aGmBNobzOBfglUIdYbIdLMbVaPewL6yUd6EkDLjkyUR380dKQFRUpqqX5MFZPo2-IgWC3OCqdUJCBewH3M1Uy_3fH90r_n8kxhhVyi59V2ho6dlZQY/s1600/Black+Bear.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLGeWS4x-ZqCnYDiKvvrOfjEaK7aGmBNobzOBfglUIdYbIdLMbVaPewL6yUd6EkDLjkyUR380dKQFRUpqqX5MFZPo2-IgWC3OCqdUJCBewH3M1Uy_3fH90r_n8kxhhVyi59V2ho6dlZQY/s320/Black+Bear.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />The other news is that on Saturday night a big black bear came right up to the back of our house. I think he smelled the bird feeders. It's the first black bear I've ever seen on this side of the Hudson River.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGAGSGFJjfZyMzMUdWyhH2js4MO-vpeT3-D0cclKltbvsAEBf6lWzx_deRCA_TNFhbDT1H-NyrlVuIo0HravHU4Wk4hlmwYjcxlj9WIiCn7nlvKi8CequGEm5tt6vi9tgGlnw9yN5mDs/s1600/Rose_breasted_Grosbeak.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGAGSGFJjfZyMzMUdWyhH2js4MO-vpeT3-D0cclKltbvsAEBf6lWzx_deRCA_TNFhbDT1H-NyrlVuIo0HravHU4Wk4hlmwYjcxlj9WIiCn7nlvKi8CequGEm5tt6vi9tgGlnw9yN5mDs/s200/Rose_breasted_Grosbeak.jpg" width="188" /></a><br />Soon it will be time to close up the feeders for the season, but there have been some spectacular birds passing through, such as my favorite, the rose breasted grosbeak, a bird we see only one day a year.<br /><br />Previously on Gurney Journey<br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/04/flashy-princess.html">Princess the Belgian filly</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-surprise.html">Christmas Surprise (birth of Joy, the donkey) </a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/01/joy-in-farmyard.html">Joy in the Farmyard</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/02/snow-plowing-with-draft-horses.html">Snow Plowing with Draft Horses</a><br /><br />By the way, <a href="http://acopal.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=56">ACOPAL (America China Oil Painting Artist League) has announced its winners and finalists</a>. The link takes you to a gallery of the work accepted. I'm delighted that my painting Chandara was chosen as a finalist.

Animal News

Over at the farm yesterday, Lenny harnessed up the Belgian draft horses. He wanted to give them some practice with ground driving. Even the ...

Read more »

The Stone Figures of Ebulon

Inside the seated stone figures of Ebulon of Dinotopia are many levels of rooms hollowed out from the rock. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVCXtlWB4CIUIPgc0Y2opLUeMx-1V9TTCA9LT-leMxJ_-UQ7RP0Czmdo1akWrF9c0cpYxLzB-PrlHrMQjryxUUiesp7afmO3syPp-fwGsBSQVpPP8AL_ij-9CjkTy5tHwyCujPjybGSg/s1600/Ebulon_Maquette.sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdM-szJJZPb4GTtqCD_CM-5cysF2RA6FkduY6APVJ18VFefeBIzklyfTRFA7TnBGWaUipCFIhV0zNwvAPRLYyx0tDd7tBr46DY5i9yeQP0orntq66UOdSBUxMofP-apCe4kEZpDnNbuo/s1600/Ebulon+Cutaway.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdM-szJJZPb4GTtqCD_CM-5cysF2RA6FkduY6APVJ18VFefeBIzklyfTRFA7TnBGWaUipCFIhV0zNwvAPRLYyx0tDd7tBr46DY5i9yeQP0orntq66UOdSBUxMofP-apCe4kEZpDnNbuo/s400/Ebulon+Cutaway.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The sleeping chambers are on the top level, with windows looking out through the eyes of the statue. Below that are workshops and a privy or toilet to the right. The next level contains kitchens and dining areas. The bottom level of this cutaway view reveals a storehouse for barrels of salted fish, and a roosting area for the skybaxes, which leads out to a flight platform on the lap of the seated figure. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVCXtlWB4CIUIPgc0Y2opLUeMx-1V9TTCA9LT-leMxJ_-UQ7RP0Czmdo1akWrF9c0cpYxLzB-PrlHrMQjryxUUiesp7afmO3syPp-fwGsBSQVpPP8AL_ij-9CjkTy5tHwyCujPjybGSg/s1600/Ebulon_Maquette.sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVCXtlWB4CIUIPgc0Y2opLUeMx-1V9TTCA9LT-leMxJ_-UQ7RP0Czmdo1akWrF9c0cpYxLzB-PrlHrMQjryxUUiesp7afmO3syPp-fwGsBSQVpPP8AL_ij-9CjkTy5tHwyCujPjybGSg/s320/Ebulon_Maquette.sm.jpg" width="161" /></a><br />Various views of the Ebulon figures in the book <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html"><i>Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara </i></a>are all based on this rough clay maquette. It was about four inches high, and it only took about a half hour to sculpt. I recycled the clay after photographing it. <br /><br />A physical maquette pays great dividends in the understanding of lighting. Note the warm reflected light in the shadow planes on the right of the figure, compared to the cool tones of the fill light. This information is very hard to invent, and it makes all the difference in convincing the viewer of the reality of an imagined world.<br /><br />From<a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html"><i> Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara,</i></a> published in 2007

The Stone Figures of Ebulon

Inside the seated stone figures of Ebulon of Dinotopia are many levels of rooms hollowed out from the rock. The sleeping chambers are on the...

Read more »

Dinotopia Originals at Brafa Festival

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JzbGKh_RRPHspywByTBwjltpcmOJRJxyaSijtaE9TY8BFI5TzlW79lgV_21kgfrZKmpkfNhCH_fOTpVeEepmomsbynnZIz6kwbKWt_NE0NK-7XctNQaIjIiA6bF96LVCLhVEWbsT29I/s1600/Arthur_and_Telescope.vsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Two original oil paintings from Dinotopia will be offered for sale at the Brafa art festival in Belgium, which officially begins today, January 21st and will be on show until January 30th.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JzbGKh_RRPHspywByTBwjltpcmOJRJxyaSijtaE9TY8BFI5TzlW79lgV_21kgfrZKmpkfNhCH_fOTpVeEepmomsbynnZIz6kwbKWt_NE0NK-7XctNQaIjIiA6bF96LVCLhVEWbsT29I/s1600/Arthur_and_Telescope.vsm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JzbGKh_RRPHspywByTBwjltpcmOJRJxyaSijtaE9TY8BFI5TzlW79lgV_21kgfrZKmpkfNhCH_fOTpVeEepmomsbynnZIz6kwbKWt_NE0NK-7XctNQaIjIiA6bF96LVCLhVEWbsT29I/s400/Arthur_and_Telescope.vsm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The paintings include “Arthur and Telescope,” the illustration on page 1 of <i>Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara (2007)</i>, and “Imperial Palace,” which appears both on page 132 of <i>Chandara</i> and page 154 of <i>Imaginative Realism.</i><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOI2YPy32gcz3OjR4cPKrYGa6ZQdg0ZVOyAu2kcaGNijVjsxPuYyRTbv_2uyC0-aJcT3xGrEq_cnfbYgm6R0S8aUNLamqGprHbpcZnEZUEkXLel5CYtvQhWprl7RjmLiCpDP6sg2YdgNQ/s1600/Imperial_Palace.vsm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOI2YPy32gcz3OjR4cPKrYGa6ZQdg0ZVOyAu2kcaGNijVjsxPuYyRTbv_2uyC0-aJcT3xGrEq_cnfbYgm6R0S8aUNLamqGprHbpcZnEZUEkXLel5CYtvQhWprl7RjmLiCpDP6sg2YdgNQ/s400/Imperial_Palace.vsm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The paintings will be on view at booth 115, the Daniel Maghen Gallery, which has a select assortment of fantasy and comic art from Europe and America. For more information contact Olivier Souille at Galerie Daniel Maghen at info (at) danielmaghen.com. <br />--------<br /><a href="http://www.danielmaghen.com/fr/index.htm">Galerie Daniel Maghen </a><br /><a href="http://www.brafa.be/">Brafa Festival</a>

Dinotopia Originals at Brafa Festival

Two original oil paintings from Dinotopia will be offered for sale at the Brafa art festival in Belgium, which officially begins today, Janu...

Read more »

The Stockbridge Stomp

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOC9Ym_VcJ1If927DW9eY1DmTBP4SaNQUo5TWOBjCMoW2HWwlFSUqO8mWf22fD805TirWXJ2R23cejJeTSPQE6G3m8xZGonVIen01XSPGmaJ4i16KcWq4e4MYJk6IuVK9fPvlnv6845U/s1600/Saurian_Steps.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>When the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts hosted a Dinotopia exhibition in 2006, a small group of Dinotopia fans from all over the world assembled at a mini-convention called “The Stockbridge Stomp.” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqY2pVQP3y-Eri2uEzfJ8_cXQmUVS5hOexpEoNzEwXu01yZuvVad3FvFMiJlHM5e5D2NVoTt6_6d4EdyuuvCBgKS9hUld2YHpwBHEMoRBNPTRrrD9_F-NzHMO8OqDttBv6ZLL1ovLeQw/s1600/Stock.Stomp.Montage.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqY2pVQP3y-Eri2uEzfJ8_cXQmUVS5hOexpEoNzEwXu01yZuvVad3FvFMiJlHM5e5D2NVoTt6_6d4EdyuuvCBgKS9hUld2YHpwBHEMoRBNPTRrrD9_F-NzHMO8OqDttBv6ZLL1ovLeQw/s400/Stock.Stomp.Montage.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />I joined them for the festivities and then invited them to my studio a short drive away, so that they could pose for a painting I was working on. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOC9Ym_VcJ1If927DW9eY1DmTBP4SaNQUo5TWOBjCMoW2HWwlFSUqO8mWf22fD805TirWXJ2R23cejJeTSPQE6G3m8xZGonVIen01XSPGmaJ4i16KcWq4e4MYJk6IuVK9fPvlnv6845U/s1600/Saurian_Steps.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOC9Ym_VcJ1If927DW9eY1DmTBP4SaNQUo5TWOBjCMoW2HWwlFSUqO8mWf22fD805TirWXJ2R23cejJeTSPQE6G3m8xZGonVIen01XSPGmaJ4i16KcWq4e4MYJk6IuVK9fPvlnv6845U/s400/Saurian_Steps.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />We had a big bowl of homemade soup together, and then they put on costumes, some of which they brought with them. They posed in small groups, imagining themselves standing beside a Styracosaurus and a Chasmosaurus. Many of the figures in the painting were based on that impromptu gathering. <br /><br />The painting appeared on the title page of<i> Dinotopia Journey to Chandara. </i>The painting also appears in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top"><i>Color and Light,</i></a> page 116.<i>  </i><br /><br />This painting will be one of about 40 paintings from <i>Dinotopia Journey to Chandara,</i> opening today at the The Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art in, Midland, Michigan. <br />----------<br /><a href="http://www.mcfta.org/">The Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art/ Midland Center for the Arts</a><br /><a href="http://www.arttoartpalettejournal.com/2011/01/prehistoric-giants-are-killer-visuals/">Web article about the exhibit, which includes “Bigger than T. Rex: Giant Killer Dinosaurs of Argentina.”</a><br /><a href="http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/saginaw/index.ssf/2011/01/dinosaur_exhibit_will_thrill_k.html">Exhibit review on MLive.com </a><br /><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html"><i>Journey to Chandara </i>at the Dinotopia Store.</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dinotopia-Journey-Chandara-James-Gurney/dp/0740764314/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_4"><i>Journey to Chandara </i>on Amazon.</a><br />Thanks to all the Stompers!

The Stockbridge Stomp

When the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts hosted a Dinotopia exhibition in 2006, a small group of Dinotopia fans from all over the wo...

Read more »

Air Jousting

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PyYeJ38QL4gjNUl-M1tYKbTsrmi4Bb0iD81oyES_zbNnsSu4DcqjGIgOmcQD5tB_3tS-rDfXEvo8Gbng1xGXeeeq-_wBuyJBw_mWe6DEFmbIYSxOf7S1Zs-iDOqEVRMlSjRVxEq_WyU/s1600/Air+Jousting.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Advanced pterosaur pilots, or “skybax riders” as they are called in Dinotopia, learn the sport of air jousting. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfH2F9Lohi41sCpP8JN5nxVqp_2zdVMGF2t2xS1KLxksSfvkVPfsvgqqZZvz3v0K7B8OZhcgd4rFazDPH9-E-4nSDkOsFEP_dTNrQFgjkPuTe_fAsYtycgSe11jdMHkvZqwHQs-pzw-E/s1600/Air_Jousting.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfH2F9Lohi41sCpP8JN5nxVqp_2zdVMGF2t2xS1KLxksSfvkVPfsvgqqZZvz3v0K7B8OZhcgd4rFazDPH9-E-4nSDkOsFEP_dTNrQFgjkPuTe_fAsYtycgSe11jdMHkvZqwHQs-pzw-E/s400/Air_Jousting.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The armor is a lightweight version of horse jousting armor from the Middle Ages in Europe, where the rider can only see through a narrow slit in his sallet, or helmet. The protection for the eyes of the skybax makes him blind during the approach. A dismounted skybax rider must parachute to the ground.<br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PyYeJ38QL4gjNUl-M1tYKbTsrmi4Bb0iD81oyES_zbNnsSu4DcqjGIgOmcQD5tB_3tS-rDfXEvo8Gbng1xGXeeeq-_wBuyJBw_mWe6DEFmbIYSxOf7S1Zs-iDOqEVRMlSjRVxEq_WyU/s1600/Air+Jousting.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PyYeJ38QL4gjNUl-M1tYKbTsrmi4Bb0iD81oyES_zbNnsSu4DcqjGIgOmcQD5tB_3tS-rDfXEvo8Gbng1xGXeeeq-_wBuyJBw_mWe6DEFmbIYSxOf7S1Zs-iDOqEVRMlSjRVxEq_WyU/s320/Air+Jousting.sm.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />The final oil painting was published in <i>Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara (2007),</i> but it was based on a quick marker sketch that I did much earlier.<br /><br />Beginning January 20, the original painting will appear along with more than 40 of my other paintings, in the exhibition: <a href="http://www.arttoartpalettejournal.com/2011/01/prehistoric-giants-are-killer-visuals/"><i>Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara, The Paintings of James Gurney, </i></a>at the The Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art in Midland, Michigan. The show is the same as the one recently in Lucca, Italy.<br />______<br /><a href="http://www.mcfta.org/">The Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art/ Midland Center for the Arts</a><br /><a href="http://www.arttoartpalettejournal.com/2011/01/prehistoric-giants-are-killer-visuals/">Web article about the exhibit, which includes “Bigger than T. Rex: Giant Killer Dinosaurs of Argentina.”</a><br /><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html"><i>Journey to Chandara </i>at the Dinotopia Store.</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dinotopia-Journey-Chandara-James-Gurney/dp/0740764314/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_4"><i>Journey to Chandara </i>on Amazon.</a>

Air Jousting

Advanced pterosaur pilots, or “skybax riders” as they are called in Dinotopia, learn the sport of air jousting. The armor is a lightweight v...

Read more »

Step-by-Step in International Artist

The new October/ November issue of International Artist magazine has a four-page feature on the making of the painting “Old Conductor” for <span style="font-style: italic;">Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4vRgCsKnntbYhDMmc3aEbndsVRiUU-rZUuRVQ2eQDZRNTJK8u7RTizrtZEHoyR4uY4U21FrXWRKNgHxbw9_d6x7sCVh-iz1HoB9PwYlFQFnjgzs9l7lEwYls9MaE4h8LjmlFPZYufHDd/s1600/IA_Oct.Nov.2010.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522013762650984402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4vRgCsKnntbYhDMmc3aEbndsVRiUU-rZUuRVQ2eQDZRNTJK8u7RTizrtZEHoyR4uY4U21FrXWRKNgHxbw9_d6x7sCVh-iz1HoB9PwYlFQFnjgzs9l7lEwYls9MaE4h8LjmlFPZYufHDd/s400/IA_Oct.Nov.2010.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 336px;" /></a>The reproduction of the various steps are shown larger and in more detail than what appears in <span style="font-style: italic;">Imaginative Realism,</span> and I included some of the reference photos.<br /><br />This issue has other step-by-step demos, including an alla prima oil portrait by Tony Pro. “The Art of the Portrait,” a regular feature of the magazine by Gordon Whetmore, shares news about artists such as Jeremy Lipking, Michael Shane Neal, and Everett Raymond Kinstler.<br />------<br /><a href="http://www.international-artist.com/splash.aspx">International Artist magazine</a><br />Previously on GJ: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/07/utopiales-poster-part-6-washin.html">the Washin Stage<br /></a>

Step-by-Step in International Artist

The new October/ November issue of International Artist magazine has a four-page feature on the making of the painting “Old Conductor” for D...

Read more »

Imperial Palace

The second of three original Dinotopia paintings for sale in the upcoming auction shows the Imperial Palace of the city of Chandara.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Q69xrZSFTKgCunXRyMUH39yjvsgZExsQSkdB3WqLjFyuSNkSYgKmulEpeNw5u6FAvzw7Q45t74nB_b9NVHqsAHo795lQMyOBX-JbijwpYYQPhc7AYsbV3BHum-mM8c8AkrnbuEFojipF/s1600/IMPERIAL+PALACE.sm..jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519002146724514498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Q69xrZSFTKgCunXRyMUH39yjvsgZExsQSkdB3WqLjFyuSNkSYgKmulEpeNw5u6FAvzw7Q45t74nB_b9NVHqsAHo795lQMyOBX-JbijwpYYQPhc7AYsbV3BHum-mM8c8AkrnbuEFojipF/s400/IMPERIAL+PALACE.sm..jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 208px;" /></a>The view looks east across the Zhengtao River. The emperor’s palace occupies a high and remote prominence in the center of the city. Morning sunlight illuminates the top of the gold dome and the flying buttresses, while thunderclouds assemble over Silver Bay.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZi5un101ML_iKUVsMYVl3-r7IbsenBSh3nEAK7Fejl4gnmtTJ-4OO85p7dLDMc5nctbAl-efqOaWT1oTM4koW4sjnoDqa0xeeyhhTNe5wZLEhCL6PdADHa1XXPEg9OB58iwyhbqzabJow/s1600/IMPERIAL+PALACE.det..jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519002141161014354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZi5un101ML_iKUVsMYVl3-r7IbsenBSh3nEAK7Fejl4gnmtTJ-4OO85p7dLDMc5nctbAl-efqOaWT1oTM4koW4sjnoDqa0xeeyhhTNe5wZLEhCL6PdADHa1XXPEg9OB58iwyhbqzabJow/s400/IMPERIAL+PALACE.det..jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>My approach was inspired by several artists of the past who specialized in otherworldly moods in landscape: Frederic Church, Isaac Levitan, Andreas Achenbach, Hans Gude, and Jean Ferdinand Monchablon.<br /><br />The painting is in oil, and appeared in <span style="font-style: italic;">Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara</span>, which was published in USA, France, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece. It also was published in <span style="font-style: italic;">Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn’t Exist.</span> Other paintings from the book toured museums in Yverdon, Switzerland, Newcastle, England, and Nantes, France.<br />-------<br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/09/dinotopia-originals-to-be-in-tajan.html">Earlier post about another painting in the Tajan auction.</a><br /><a href="http://www.danielmaghen.com/fr/index.htm">Galerie Daniel Maghen</a> is the expert adviser in the sale. For more information, please email Olivier Souille at "info@danielmaghen.com"<br /><a href="http://www.tajan.com/fr/departements/bde/bde.asp">Tajan’s October bande dessinée auction</a> (the final online catalog is still in preparation).<br /><a href="http://jamesgurneyoriginalart.blogspot.com/">James Gurney Original Art blog</a><br /><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/">Dinotopia website</a><br /><a href="http://jamesgurneyoriginalart.blogspot.com/">James Gurney Original Art blog</a><br /><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/journey-to-chandara.html">Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara<br /></a>

Imperial Palace

The second of three original Dinotopia paintings for sale in the upcoming auction shows the Imperial Palace of the city of Chandara. The vie...

Read more »

Dinotopia Originals to be in Tajan Auction

Some of you have asked if original art from the Dinotopia books will ever be made available to collectors. For many years I’ve kept them off the market so that I can make them available for museum exhibitions. <br /><br />Until now, no paintings from <span style="font-style: italic;">Dinotopia: The World Beneath, First Flight, </span>or<span style="font-style: italic;"> Journey to Chandara</span> have ever been sold.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFgpeR9qx4d-GCEX5ELFl3CimoeqntAqhabZ9iHU7K0sifFSN1Y4Z2oFJMqo0g7-JzpysxytZhycs0XTWlvXPZCmgTAOZWjuJcHTnb_erUdFEEbAqo9onboT3IstQwGHpksDzMeGytV1P/s1600/Emperors_Offer.sm+copy.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517194828952112738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFgpeR9qx4d-GCEX5ELFl3CimoeqntAqhabZ9iHU7K0sifFSN1Y4Z2oFJMqo0g7-JzpysxytZhycs0XTWlvXPZCmgTAOZWjuJcHTnb_erUdFEEbAqo9onboT3IstQwGHpksDzMeGytV1P/s400/Emperors_Offer.sm+copy.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 242px;" /></a>On October 16, the Tajan auction house in Paris will conduct their first-ever sale of bande dessinée, which includes comics and fantasy art. They have invited me to participate.<br /><br />The auction will include three original oil paintings from <span style="font-style:italic;">Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara,</span> (published as Dinotopia: Un Voyage À Chandara in French).<br /><br />The first painting, from page 151, is called “The Emperor’s Offer.” It shows the main characters, Arthur and Bix, with the officials of Chandara. The image is 17.5 x 29.5 cm on a 25.5 x 38 cm acid-free board, and is signed lower right.<br /><br />This painting is very special to me and I worked hard to capture that other-worldly light and mood. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw03x8gPtEf8fCD3vDIbq4F-EwKJjZOWFJLFuV3ulE1J-F708Bj8UyZQkxfJ9JkaiuN_TmzlN89dFKBzr4mgsDlwPS-Ps7GhJWsh5n2EGS2ZKmpYA0nyxic7o5ycSgr1TmDGU7nLyuIjDB/s1600/Rooftop_Scrap.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517194835569053442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw03x8gPtEf8fCD3vDIbq4F-EwKJjZOWFJLFuV3ulE1J-F708Bj8UyZQkxfJ9JkaiuN_TmzlN89dFKBzr4mgsDlwPS-Ps7GhJWsh5n2EGS2ZKmpYA0nyxic7o5ycSgr1TmDGU7nLyuIjDB/s400/Rooftop_Scrap.sm.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" /></a>I posed a variety of models, including myself and my wife, and used a maquette to work out the pale, glowing silhouette of Chandara in the distance.<br /><br />I’ll show the other two paintings in later posts.<br />----------<br /><a href="http://www.danielmaghen.com/fr/index.htm">Galerie Daniel Maghen</a> is the expert adviser in the sale, which will also include Moebius, Bilal, Pratt, and Franquin.<br /><a href="http://www.tajan.com/fr/departements/bde/bde.asp">Tajan’s October bande dessinée auction</a> (the final online catalog is still in preparation).<br /><a href="http://jamesgurneyoriginalart.blogspot.com/">James Gurney Original Art blog</a><br /><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/">Dinotopia website</a><br />For more information, please email Olivier Souille at "info@danielmaghen.com"

Dinotopia Originals to be in Tajan Auction

Some of you have asked if original art from the Dinotopia books will ever be made available to collectors. For many years I’ve kept them off...

Read more »

Draw-Through

Here’s the preliminary line drawing for a Dinotopia painting called “Flight Past the Falls.” I did it on a separate piece of paper, photocopied it, and transferred it to the canvas with an Artograph projector. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0C7aRyty-IFyE7PBOhAU9PdXDauiEGOAuY0jCBDMsf7ip8zbfJgaY8S3Mneye3OQ5P2spzu4iaO7QLQPd6uvGaxdgJKkk0Q0r5UER6toGErsYoE9BiXDDLmU60ULuLewywRI-967tIem/s1600/Flight.Past.Falls.Prelim.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497878607457480610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0C7aRyty-IFyE7PBOhAU9PdXDauiEGOAuY0jCBDMsf7ip8zbfJgaY8S3Mneye3OQ5P2spzu4iaO7QLQPd6uvGaxdgJKkk0Q0r5UER6toGErsYoE9BiXDDLmU60ULuLewywRI-967tIem/s400/Flight.Past.Falls.Prelim.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" /></a>The rider on the pterosaur was drawn on a separate layer of paper and moved around until I got the position I wanted.<br /><br />What I want you to notice is the “draw through,” which means the lines carried across to invisible parts of the form. For example:<br />1. Circular curve of the bottom half of the globe.<br />2. Chest of pterosaur hidden by wing.<br />3. Eye level or horizon hidden behind falls.<br />4. Curvature of Moorish arch hidden by the flanking buttresses.<br /><br />Note also the centerline markings on the globe, and the winged sculpture. Also note the perspective grid on the side of the drawing.<br /><br />Draw-through helps you keep track of what the form is doing when it slips behind something else. If you work out the draw-through on a separate piece of paper from the finished work you don’t have to worry about erasing the lines or covering them up. <br /><br />You can apply the draw-through principle to figure drawing or any drawing, especially in the early stages. It will make your final drawing or painting more solid and convincing. When an architect draws a building elevation, she knows where the windows and doors are located on the back side of the building.<br />---------<br />Earlier GJ post about the <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/11/skybax-model.html">skybax model and the finished image</a>.

Draw-Through

Here’s the preliminary line drawing for a Dinotopia painting called “Flight Past the Falls.” I did it on a separate piece of paper, photocop...

Read more »

Monkey King

I’m honored and grateful to receive the Monkey King award from CICAF, the annual animation festival in Hangzhou, China. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZRIMWgJcLnrvCXsxtYDoPsLOGByl94Rt0VgCENFLv2GHXifqr5FzCDeU8yJv1JcJry6ussAd8eee-IyD0Iva-y1Wjt4gBvfBZ9E9M_XC1aLrmv4xX7oTFNZZUyFuO8Kxr-YH3B-omrIr/s1600/Monkey_King_CICAF_GURNEY.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494560560276733410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZRIMWgJcLnrvCXsxtYDoPsLOGByl94Rt0VgCENFLv2GHXifqr5FzCDeU8yJv1JcJry6ussAd8eee-IyD0Iva-y1Wjt4gBvfBZ9E9M_XC1aLrmv4xX7oTFNZZUyFuO8Kxr-YH3B-omrIr/s400/Monkey_King_CICAF_GURNEY.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 313px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />The painting that won the award is “Desert Crossing,” from Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara. <br /><br />Next time I visit a troupe of wild monkeys, I will now demand respect as their true sovereign. I will not tolerate the lèse-majesté that happened on <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/11/manhandled-by-apes.html">the previous occasion.</a><br />------<br /><a href="http://www.cicaf.com/English/MonkeyKingAward.aspx">CICAF's Monkey King Award</a><br /><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">Journey to Chandara</a><br />GJ Post: "<a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/11/manhandled-by-apes.html">Manhandled by Apes</a>" and "<a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/11/return-flight.html">Return Flight</a>"

Monkey King

I’m honored and grateful to receive the Monkey King award from CICAF, the annual animation festival in Hangzhou, China. The painting that wo...

Read more »

Estonian Edition

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRL83BrPLCsNu-38NKrbld6l3wbHOxzjGJ5cRoryhNidCeWw3NW8VMNbyiJ1HI6e7g_ehoD5Ts8wbfECVRRhT-6174xUQBVqCj2D3uZkH-oJW161vHNn903-EEgXCR6IUY3HYy6MZ9ld_W/s1600/estoniandinotopia.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479651907832695138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRL83BrPLCsNu-38NKrbld6l3wbHOxzjGJ5cRoryhNidCeWw3NW8VMNbyiJ1HI6e7g_ehoD5Ts8wbfECVRRhT-6174xUQBVqCj2D3uZkH-oJW161vHNn903-EEgXCR6IUY3HYy6MZ9ld_W/s400/estoniandinotopia.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 386px;" /></a> Here's the new Estonian edition of Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara.<br /><br /><a href="http://sopso.com/otsi/u-dinotopia-teekond-chandarasse-james-gurney-LfY5DPXkj">Estonian publisher's website</a><br />Order a signed copy of the English edition (US only) at <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">the Dinotopia Store.</a>

Estonian Edition

Here's the new Estonian edition of Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara. Estonian publisher's website Order a signed copy of the English ...

Read more »

Ozymandias

The painting on the cover of Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara shows a convoy of dinosaurs and people crossing the desert, passing huge statues from one of Dinotopia’s ancient civilization. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaLbE-DYiyWIiV-CLyvZGVWzoZLOzmtc3YvRNTapPBZu4GGDdX-b1USViyJTN_zYWI03jqRx3joLLIy-mFnYd4SglINU4Rj7qhBPxfMvrPt_bPqHg_Gp_Jwgys4-xDH-ZWv6RcuSWryjn/s1600/Desert+Crossing.Face.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478875089706978738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFaLbE-DYiyWIiV-CLyvZGVWzoZLOzmtc3YvRNTapPBZu4GGDdX-b1USViyJTN_zYWI03jqRx3joLLIy-mFnYd4SglINU4Rj7qhBPxfMvrPt_bPqHg_Gp_Jwgys4-xDH-ZWv6RcuSWryjn/s400/Desert+Crossing.Face.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 314px;" /></a>As I painted the fallen stone face on the right side of the picture, I was thinking of Percy B. Shelley’s 1818 sonnet “Ozymandias,” which describes a traveler’s encounter with a colossal ancient statue in the desert: “Near them, on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwO2Uy0jwgwO8wZ5E9LTyKTj4xx7i6SjpmxqIbi7AiLmhyphenhyphenXLZoZNl1JDHhzq25hdZ_mqjWFKmJSeX-U_vnZIjCJ7-Z_-vd1kEv60WyTIq5DXYz_-iX-PBrquaYMWuTz1WKnBpY6N36o-5a/s1600/Desert_Crossing_Detail.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478875092330519362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwO2Uy0jwgwO8wZ5E9LTyKTj4xx7i6SjpmxqIbi7AiLmhyphenhyphenXLZoZNl1JDHhzq25hdZ_mqjWFKmJSeX-U_vnZIjCJ7-Z_-vd1kEv60WyTIq5DXYz_-iX-PBrquaYMWuTz1WKnBpY6N36o-5a/s400/Desert_Crossing_Detail.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 357px;" /></a>The inscription on the stone at the lower left echoes Shelley’s theme of the mute arrogance of a vanished civilization. The phrase says “EVERLASTING DOMINION” in Dinotopian footprint alphabet, ancient Greek, and Aramaic (written with Hebrew letters).<br /><br />The features on the fallen face in the painting are based not on Egyptian forms, but on casts of Michelangelo's David.<br />----------<br /><br />Links:<br />The painting is on view in <a href="http://www.norton.org/Exhibitions/Future/Dinotopia/tabid/436/Default.aspx">"The Fantastical Art of James Gurney"</a> which opens at the Norton Museum tomorrow.<br /><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">The Dinotopia online store</a>, where you can order a signed copy of Journey to Chandara.<br /><a href="http://dinotopia.wikia.com/wiki/Footprint_alphabet">Dinotopia Wiki on the Footprint Alphabet</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozymandias">Wikipedia on the poem Ozymandias</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/09/plaster-casts.html">Previous GJ post on using plaster casts, including the David casts.<br /></a>

Ozymandias

The painting on the cover of Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara shows a convoy of dinosaurs and people crossing the desert, passing huge statues...

Read more »

Dinotopia at the Norton Museum of Art

The staff of the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida is putting the final touches on the Dinotopia exhibit, which will open this weekend.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlh7Su1-N9c3Hedf_KP_vfPMxSzUvopVHP7HSjrAl-JMSPMWlBoVJPfRAiHvceUeXHRcO3wVDG6bXCh5LJ7bCZOMFXtB7mPgVnGBbvLafJyJSy0vlQGozAUL0gIt0Go0OKkOTRHYQhmmM/s1600/Installation.Dinotopia.Norton.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477820008435993026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlh7Su1-N9c3Hedf_KP_vfPMxSzUvopVHP7HSjrAl-JMSPMWlBoVJPfRAiHvceUeXHRcO3wVDG6bXCh5LJ7bCZOMFXtB7mPgVnGBbvLafJyJSy0vlQGozAUL0gIt0Go0OKkOTRHYQhmmM/s400/Installation.Dinotopia.Norton.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>“Dinotopia: The Fantastical Art of James Gurney” contains over 50 original oil paintings, along with preliminary sketches, plein air studies, scale maquettes, and dinosaur fossils. This will be the first venue to show the sculpt of the Protoceratops Bix made by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.<br /><br />I’ll be attending, this weekend, with a colored pencil drawing workshop on Saturday, June 5 from 1:00-4:00 (there’s still space available), and I'll give a lecture on Sunday at 3:00, with a booksigning afterward. Come by and say hi and get a book or poster signed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBQbdMyO3de0lkZyLOuqsAQ1-otjZ0o5Nh8yJJAOMWcdtO4gDTkm5Qk0EbYC0D_vGwM-GptzI_5GIMXJkKXe5Cy1FxXC5qIlD_YYqC7iKuLMdq7_Nzj0q9l3rX41f_EsOcuHK2raR0Jqs/s1600/Norton_Poster_Dinotopia.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477820012653192482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBQbdMyO3de0lkZyLOuqsAQ1-otjZ0o5Nh8yJJAOMWcdtO4gDTkm5Qk0EbYC0D_vGwM-GptzI_5GIMXJkKXe5Cy1FxXC5qIlD_YYqC7iKuLMdq7_Nzj0q9l3rX41f_EsOcuHK2raR0Jqs/s400/Norton_Poster_Dinotopia.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 400px;" /></a>There will be a whole family day celebration on Sunday June 6 from 1:00 to 5:00 with live animals and activities. And there will be events going on all around town during the whole summer. The exhibition will be up through September 5. Call 561. 832.5196 for more information.<br /><br />Norton.org <a href="http://www.norton.org/Exhibitions/Future/Dinotopia/tabid/436/Default.aspx">Dinotopia Exhibit</a>.<br />Download the <a href="http://www.norton.org/Museum/PressOffice/tabid/65/Default.aspx">full PDF of press release with schedule.</a>

Dinotopia at the Norton Museum of Art

The staff of the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida is putting the final touches on the Dinotopia exhibit, which will open thi...

Read more »

Portrait Lighting: Broad

When a face is turned slightly to the side, the nearer side appears wider or broader. It’s called the “broad” side, and the farther, foreshortened side is called the “short” side. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWnsY3MYw_ihvr61Jgo1j96lPKOAm6p1hKU8CkRRpkmeKod8f-8ukQj-EaCwEtzfsO_1_G7ZTEyJzLZ9YFNWe1NuMnmlsRI3Ve-xHN791nx-KbAPwu-r-euovoi0Vg9_6qkl7hKdVvMsY/s1600/Abe.Broad.LET.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474112785299970274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWnsY3MYw_ihvr61Jgo1j96lPKOAm6p1hKU8CkRRpkmeKod8f-8ukQj-EaCwEtzfsO_1_G7ZTEyJzLZ9YFNWe1NuMnmlsRI3Ve-xHN791nx-KbAPwu-r-euovoi0Vg9_6qkl7hKdVvMsY/s400/Abe.Broad.LET.sm.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 361px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Light striking the broad side is called broad lighting. Mr. Lincoln here is lit “broad three-quarter.”<br /><br />The portrait below of Arthur Denison and Bix, from <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/">Dinotopia: The World Beneath,</a><br />uses a low, broad, three-quarter light coming from the right. Note how the cheek on the shadow side has that inverted triangle we saw in the last post, a characteristic feature of three-quarter lighting. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mSc9dKr8I0ewL8UzysYRF0dRIOJ3OwCeWbVlOuMZeONKeCPrMu-y10r1HXD6vdyWl8OIFJu4yWPofYUlwC__KF7A9Rvd19vm_75lcKp2rRXtWqkFWZ0ouEMNIntr4SFXGmTadSVPuwc1/s1600/Arthur.Bix.lq.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474112792947174610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mSc9dKr8I0ewL8UzysYRF0dRIOJ3OwCeWbVlOuMZeONKeCPrMu-y10r1HXD6vdyWl8OIFJu4yWPofYUlwC__KF7A9Rvd19vm_75lcKp2rRXtWqkFWZ0ouEMNIntr4SFXGmTadSVPuwc1/s400/Arthur.Bix.lq.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 342px;" /></a>The forehead and cheekbone planes on the illuminated side are turned with color temperature, rather than with value. The blue color of those planes that angle back suggests the effects of light from a blue sky beyond, even though we can’t see any background in this vignette.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKEpHfBcifcfoBZZPY1wFDXWOoh8FOon6c_roeLGRL5OPFPDJfXzRtiTxVjcxMej1yhlsPmNYtxfTviBh6a9ayPgqibeuljC8CWwnx0ZnNezWfYS_vlCVm5MbOCiuyrI6MKM3le3Gbt2R/s1600/Tribesman.sm.det.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474112801683434610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKEpHfBcifcfoBZZPY1wFDXWOoh8FOon6c_roeLGRL5OPFPDJfXzRtiTxVjcxMej1yhlsPmNYtxfTviBh6a9ayPgqibeuljC8CWwnx0ZnNezWfYS_vlCVm5MbOCiuyrI6MKM3le3Gbt2R/s400/Tribesman.sm.det.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 317px;" /></a>The dramatic broad lighting brings out character in this mountain man from Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara. The shadows help to define the wrinkles in the brow, and the low sun increases the squint.

Portrait Lighting: Broad

When a face is turned slightly to the side, the nearer side appears wider or broader. It’s called the “broad” side, and the farther, foresho...

Read more »

Loose vs. Tight Underdrawings

Blog reader and academic painting student Stephen J. asked me the following question:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“I, and some of my classmates, have been dealing with the issue of how much drawing one should do on the surface of a canvas (board, panel, paper etc) before jumping into paint. This is outside of the studies that are done beforehand and assumes that a drawing is not being transferred. Basically we've bumped into the issue of doing relatively tight, refined lay-ins in pencil and then completely losing those delicate drawings once paint is applied. Some of the teachers and students believe in "finding" the drawing with paint rather than doing a tight charcoal/graphite underdrawing. This could be related to the fact that most of our teachers here seem to advocate the thicker paint application of a certain style of Alla Prima, but I'm not sure.” </span> <br />-<br />Dear Stephen:<br />I practice and recommend both extremes, depending on the picture. When I'm painting outdoors on location or doing a portrait from life, I completely find the subject with the brush (no pencil drawing at all), beginning with spots, big divisions, and measurements. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC0PYFhRR-L6SE5P8B955PpVrH-v2TIBmzpGJ5Jdp-6U81-3j8mkUXYAGiHMDCLcs-tM25UpA03zCLCSwdKwQ8quB7dHhW3llM3LrlZc5PhvPqntTTGmLrd6jRp2FQKsZIDoP1gzL1c9U/s1600/DalleosStep1.Hafffin.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471810457737695090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC0PYFhRR-L6SE5P8B955PpVrH-v2TIBmzpGJ5Jdp-6U81-3j8mkUXYAGiHMDCLcs-tM25UpA03zCLCSwdKwQ8quB7dHhW3llM3LrlZc5PhvPqntTTGmLrd6jRp2FQKsZIDoP1gzL1c9U/s400/DalleosStep1.Hafffin.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 294px;" /></a>Here’s the loose lay-in demonstrated on a 9x12 inch plein-air study, shown with the finish on the right half and the first statement on the left.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiy7dCvE1UVdeDxV807vayECFavVkyGXH6ofh4_9rNhtU5ClBqHsUtRGoqJPB6RVgHdzjfSQxhPmn1c5OkBeLHNHBUF0-DwsXwFaW14tdM-cpnY4qj64uZHPG219mPSXbagCYBCbHb-BD/s1600/Conductor.Haff.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471810448401623954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiy7dCvE1UVdeDxV807vayECFavVkyGXH6ofh4_9rNhtU5ClBqHsUtRGoqJPB6RVgHdzjfSQxhPmn1c5OkBeLHNHBUF0-DwsXwFaW14tdM-cpnY4qj64uZHPG219mPSXbagCYBCbHb-BD/s400/Conductor.Haff.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 370px;" /></a>With other pictures, however, it's a different story. In this painting from <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara</a>, I did a careful pencil drawings directly on the final surface, and I sometimes work out the drawing on a separate piece of paper. <br /><br />With a very complex subject, like a <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/09/cumberland-part-3-acting-it-out.html">sinking Civil War sailing ship</a>, there's no other way I can imagine approaching it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhqatAdwnFRZTuu8suAM1LeI-fBEvqZmOWmmpIXJn8xH_gJyM-YG1CkmSCbiU7JTNbBxpwiFn6hN7sDVBqybtut_TlPBz2dKXCQbfLnCMgDTAcJ5APBsfBA_93BQ18fHqEPXR2h52GH7h/s1600/Santa_Maria_della_Salute.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471810462321784418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhqatAdwnFRZTuu8suAM1LeI-fBEvqZmOWmmpIXJn8xH_gJyM-YG1CkmSCbiU7JTNbBxpwiFn6hN7sDVBqybtut_TlPBz2dKXCQbfLnCMgDTAcJ5APBsfBA_93BQ18fHqEPXR2h52GH7h/s400/Santa_Maria_della_Salute.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 288px;" /></a>Sargent, the maestro of alla prima, sometimes did very careful pencil drawings before he tried to tackle some of his Venetian studies of architecture. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300141408/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=17PXH2P7A16ZF7DYMWAX&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846">Richard Ormond’s new book </a>on his Venetian work includes a reproduction of a line drawing that he did to work out the perspective of the church of Santa Maria della Salute.<br /><br />With an imaginary scene with a lot of figures, historical elements, mechanical forms, lettering, or anything of that kind, I recommend following something like Rockwell's method of the separate full size charcoal comprehensive, or "cartoon" as they used to call it. Of course that practice in one form or another goes back to many of the old masters. <br /><br />The charcoal comprehensive pays dividends because you're not trying to solve basic problems with paint. It’s much easier to do either a line drawing or a full-on tonal study as Lovell tended to do. On top of that, it really helps to do small tonal studies and color studies. <br /><br />Once you've worked out your picture you can be confident of the painting. If the drawing is "saved" in a separate tracing, you should paint boldly with no fear of covering up lines. You can always find them again if you need to.<br /><br />It should be said that there are others who got great results with complex multi-figure scenes without always doing the comprehensive preliminary drawing. They bravely “found it” in the paint, and the painting shows the fascinating struggles. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbL7Kqs0TwLryqIEutyXTw1zG51lzftf2GNKr0MAv22DtcoRQbKtru_l4xjprUkbs9NRNSLZJneoO2931f4G2s1opdRzMbbsmVWNWzBD9kMQRe062uUWiX73dMdUokPb4bHwJUaXNR8mV9/s1600/small_the-easy-chair-unfinished.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471810463579276194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbL7Kqs0TwLryqIEutyXTw1zG51lzftf2GNKr0MAv22DtcoRQbKtru_l4xjprUkbs9NRNSLZJneoO2931f4G2s1opdRzMbbsmVWNWzBD9kMQRe062uUWiX73dMdUokPb4bHwJUaXNR8mV9/s400/small_the-easy-chair-unfinished.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 324px; height: 400px;" /></a>They would include Howard Pyle, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, and John William Waterhouse (above). <br /><br />I’ve also seen demos by Richard Estes and Frank McCarthy, which show a ‘find-it-in-the-paint’ approach on at least some paintings.<br /><br />You can figure out these methods by looking at half-finished paintings, in strokes of overpainted elements or pentimenti that have transparentized, or in the edges of the picture normally hidden by frames. <br /><br />Waterhouse from <a href="http://iamachild.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/john-william-waterhouse-1849-1917-english/">“I am a Child”</a> website.<br />More about the charcoal comprehensive and preliminary drawings in my book <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">Imaginative Realism.</a>

Loose vs. Tight Underdrawings

Blog reader and academic painting student Stephen J. asked me the following question: “I, and some of my classmates, have been dealing with ...

Read more »