"This is the book that started it all" —Patrick O'Brien, MICA
James Gurney
This weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.
You can write me at: James Gurney PO Box 693 Rhinebeck, NY 12572
or by email: gurneyjourney (at) gmail.com Sorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.
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All images and text are copyright 2020 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.
However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.
I did these sketches of our district superintendent during a school board meeting. He's a lively speaker, with great facial expressions. He was in constant motion, so I tried to pick a few characteristic expressions, just the way an animator might look for key frames.
Reminds me of my grade 6 teacher. He was a meany to me. When ever the children teased me relentless, he never bothered to do a thing. He was always doing magic tricks and jokes. Personally, his jokes sucked and his magic tricks were of the same quality. I have an old pic of him stuffing his face with an ice cream at the zoo. Don't ask me why I took the pic but I guess for future reference.
These are amazing. I always carry around a small sketchbook to draw people, too, but maybe I'm too stuck on making it exact or something. Should I study more anatomy or something? I am usually just hoping people stay still long enough, or face in the same direction so that I can get their features
Hi, Pennington-- I think the key is to work small if the subject is moving. These head shots are less than an inch and a half tall. What always surprises me is that people who move a lot always come back to the same poses again and again, so if you have several poses going, you can work them all together.
7 comments:
this guy looks like a ball of nuttyness
lol did he notice?
Reminds me of my grade 6 teacher. He was a meany to me. When ever the children teased me relentless, he never bothered to do a thing. He was always doing magic tricks and jokes. Personally, his jokes sucked and his magic tricks were of the same quality.
I have an old pic of him stuffing his face with an ice cream at the zoo.
Don't ask me why I took the pic but I guess for future reference.
These are amazing. I always carry around a small sketchbook to draw people, too, but maybe I'm too stuck on making it exact or something. Should I study more anatomy or something? I am usually just hoping people stay still long enough, or face in the same direction so that I can get their features
Hi, Pennington--
I think the key is to work small if the subject is moving. These head shots are less than an inch and a half tall. What always surprises me is that people who move a lot always come back to the same poses again and again, so if you have several poses going, you can work them all together.
Thanks a lot! mine are smaller too. Can I show you some of my recent sketches and see what you think? my url is in the name.
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