Smooth the Husky

We've been hanging out with my son Frank in Colorado, along with his dog Smooth. Smooth is a husky mix rescue who loves going on hikes. 

Here are some sketches of him in watercolor. I love his black and tan coloration.

Gouache in the Rockies

Yesterday Jeanette and I, our son Frank, and his dog Smooth hiked up to Jewel Lake in the Medicine Bow Mountains of northern Colorado. 

I brought the painting gear but forgot to put on sunblock, so I was pretty roasted by the end of the day. 

The air was above freezing, so I was able to do a gouache painting of the view from up there.

I made a 1-minute video and uploaded it (above) directly to Blogger. It should be embedded above as a playable video. Does it work on your computer or do you just get an empty space? 

Above is the embedded version from Facebook. You can also watch the video by clicking over to my Instagram or Facebook page. 

Just Glue Some Gears On It (and call it Steampunk)

Something fun for Sunday— a period-style video reminding makers to build Steampunk contraptions and attire that make sense.


The video is by the multitalented Reginald Pikedevant — Here's his introduction to himself.

If you're an email subscriber, you'll need to follow this link to the video on YouTube)
Thanks, Frank.

Using Gouache and Casein to Paint a Wolf

Over on Instagram, Suzypal asks, "How do you decide between casein or gouache?" Answer: You can use both together and use the advantages of each.

They're both similar in a lot of ways: opaque, matte, water media. The main difference is that casein dries to a more closed surface, meaning the dry paint doesn't reactivate when it's wet. Gouache can be reactivated.

Alaskan Wolf, gouache, 5 x 8 inches.

When I painted this Alaskan wolf in gouache yesterday, I used black and white casein for the background. Once I laid the background down, I didn't want it to change too much.

I chose gouache for the wolf because I wanted to be able to reactivate it. That was the only way to get the softness of the fur, especially in the shadows, like under the mouth and on the neck.

To do that softening, I re-wet a postage stamp size area with a flat brush dipped in pure water—really quick, no scrubbing! With a rewet surface, I could gently coax out softness with another brush or with my finger, or I could drop in a stroke that would blend into a blur.


(Use this link to view video on Facebook) Where I wanted fine details of fur in the lights and the halftones, I used gouache in a more dry-brush mode, and I used a few touches of light and dark watercolor pencils.

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Expand your GurneyJourney Reach:

James Gurney on Instagram — Daily serving of color, light, and Dinotopia

My public Facebook page —Where you can see short videos that don't always appear on YouTube

Gurney on YouTube — Almost 200 free videos, fun and instructional.

Taxidermy by: Lynn Stewart

Event: SKB Workshop in Dubois, Wyoming / 5 days, 15 instructors, 150 students.

Gouache: Mostly Holbein, M. Graham , and Winsor Newton

Painting a Pronghorn in Gouache

Yesterday I painted a pronghorn in gouache for the one-hour Quick Draw event at the SKB Workshop.

If you receive my blog as an email, you may need to follow this link to watch  the video on YouTube because the email version doesn't support embedded videos.

More info about what I mention in the video:

Other artists shown: Guy Combes, John Seerey-Lester, Jeanne Mackenzie, Mort Solberg, John Phelps, Greg Beecham, Heiner Hertling, and Tom Lucas.

Pronghorn expert: DeVere Burt, Cincinnati

Ancestral cheetah-like predators: "Did False Cheetahs Give Pronghorns a Need for Speed?"

Taxidermy by: Lynn Stewart

Event: SKB Workshop in Dubois, Wyoming / 5 days, 15 instructors, 150 students.

Music by: Kevin MacLeod, Incompetech.com

Gouache: Mostly Holbein, M. Graham , and Winsor & Newton

Surface: Arches Watercolor Pad.

Painting at the Whiskey Basin

A small group came with me out to the Whiskey Basin to paint the fall color along Torrey Creek. I could only get a few video snapshots for you because I was teaching, too and I forgot my main camera bag.

I did have the new diffuser with me and it stood up to some pretty strong wind. I'll show you how to make one of those in a future video.

Here's the painting in casein, about 4 x 7 inches in my watercolor sketchbook. 

(Link to YouTube)