Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Imaginative Realism

I’ve been waiting to tell you the good news: This September Andrews McMeel Publishing will be releasing a book that I have written based on this blog.

I was waiting to tell you until the cover was finalized. It just came in! Here’s what the book looks like. The book is called Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn’t Exist. It’s a big book: 224 pages, 400 illustrations. Andrews McMeel will be doing a beautiful job of production, and they are keeping the price down to $24.99.

This is the main project I’ve been working on during the last year. The material comes from my art school lectures and also from this blog. The reason I wrote the book—and this blog—is that there’s a lot of information that I think is crucial to imaginative picturemaking but I’ve never been able to find it in how-to art books.

Adapting material from a blog into a book turned out to be a much, much bigger job than I first imagined. They’re two different animals, though I tried to keep some of the blog’s informal and practical tone.

A lot of the material in the book has never before been published and hasn’t even been seen on this blog.

The spark for doing the book grew out of a discussion on this very blog a year ago last February, where you all shared profound insights about what you liked in an art book. I have learned so much from you all, and I hope you’ll see that reflected in the book.

I’ll tell you more about Imaginative Realism in future posts.

67 comments:

jonwoodward said...

Wow James, that is fantastic - congratulations!

As an avid reader of your blog and an aspiring illustrator I will definitely be buying a copy of the book.

If it is even a smidgen as useful and informative as your blog is, it would be worth twice the very reasonable price of $24.95.

Super excited about the book as I hoped you would one day release one - awesome! Only drawback is that September is sooooo far away :)

Andy Mac said...

Hoorah!
I'll be ordering mine asap :D

Beth said...

Very, very cool. Thanks very much for doing this. The cover is awesome. :-)

Beth

Patrick Dizon said...

I hope it gets to be available here in the Philippines. :)

Dave H said...

Congratulations and thanks your generosity through the blog.

The cover is great. I just realized that the figure's face, his hand and the tip of his brush are in sharper "focus" than the rest of the image. That is an extraordinary effect.

craigstephens said...

Fantastic! I'll be getting that for sure. Maybe you can autograph it when you come out to visit Frank!

Paolo Rivera said...

Awesome! Congratulations... can't wait to see the finished product.

Andrew said...

Congrats indeed! I'll be certain to squirrel away $30 to spend on this when it comes out. This is very exciting news.

Mark Heng said...

Most Excellent!!!! I can see this becoming THE Christmas present of 2009!

Unknown said...

YEA! Oh YEAH! Dude, I've got $25 burning a hole in my pocket RIGHT NOW! I am so amped to hear that you are releasing a book of your wonderful insights.

Can we "pre-order" from the publisher?

Congratulations James!

Unknown said...

That's fantastic - congratulations!

badbot said...

consider that's already in my library

best regards,

nicolas

Anonymous said...

Oh wow! That's great news! I am so glad it will be an affordable price. I sure will order that when it comes out!
I can throw out all my other artbooks now :D

TomHart said...

Great news James! Congratulations!

You're very kind in your comment that, "I have learned so much from you all, and I hope you’ll see that reflected in the book."

As much as I know that teaching, when done correctly, is a two way street, I'm sure that we readers owe you much more than you owe us. You're a very generous soul and your love for your art and craft is infectious.

tosher said...

Looking forward to that coming up. I'm putting it on my Amazon wait list.javascript:void(0)

Dorian said...

YUMMY!!
congratulations :D

Anonymous said...

Awesome news! I'm definitely getting one. Aside from basic figure construction, I've never seem much devoted to drawing from the mind.

Thank you!

zelas said...

Wow! I'll be looking forward to it!

allie said...

This is great news! Congratulations! I'll be sure to order one as soon as I can!

Jean Wogaman said...

Count me in. $24.99 is an absolute steal!

By the way, I love the illustration on the cover.

Jason Peck said...

Hey James,

Wonderful News, Ill definitely buy up a copy. Cant wait. :)

Best Jason

Steve said...

Tom Hart expressed my feelings perfectly -- your generous, enthusiastic spirit is a gift to us all, James. I'm constantly impressed by your curiosity and wide-ranging intelligence. Selfishly, I just hope the completion of this book doesn't represent the end of the Gurney Journey blog. My days would be poorer without it. I'm looking forward to buying, and learning from, the book.

Chris Jouan said...

Reference that doesn't require batteries or electricity! I can't wait!

Anonymous said...

cant wait. how wonderful!

Brian said...

I've been hoping you would do a book like this. Can't wait for the release.

Victor said...

This is fantastic news!

Is this a soft cover? Would anyone else here be interested in a fancy hard cover edition? I would happily pay twice as much for a nice hard bound copy to stash away, using the soft cover as a "beater" reference.

Tyler Davis said...

Way to go James, I want to add my congratulations to your growing list of fans and well wishers. I can hardly wait until September.

Daroo said...

That's exciting news -- I can't wait to get mine!
Congrats Jim!

Joe Slucher said...

Very excited to hear about this.Sounds far more comprehensive than what has been done in the past and the title makes me hopeful that it won't be about materials and techniques as much as other books have been.

Matthew Gauvin said...

sweet! I've been needing a book like that.

Blaze said...

That's fantastic! I will look forward to reading this when it comes out - great work!

Ezra said...

Congratulations! I can't wait to buy it!!!

JP said...

Hah! This is wonderful news! I will buy a copy for sure. Congratulations, and I can't wait to see the special surprises that the book format will present..

nana said...

That's amazing news! Thank you for compiling all the incredibly valuable information on this blog. I've always enjoyed how the this blog seems to be a hodgepodge of information from different fields of art. I've learnt so much here...
Can't wait for the book to come out! Will it be released simultaneously in the UK?

Jean-Baptiste Monge said...

Hello James,

would you said me when the book ar available on amazon! and if it 'is possible to order it for France.

Friendships
JB Monge

karlsimon said...

Thats great news! Ive learnt so much since I started to read your blog. And ispired by yourself and people like Nathan Fowkes I decided to start my own blog aswell. Still alot to learn though so I look forward to the book!

karlsimon

Charley Parker said...

Congratulations!

This is a great idea, and definitely something to look forward to, even if (as you yourself might have predicted had you been able to step back from it far enough) it turned out to be "a much, much bigger job than you first imagined" (grin).

Erik Bongers said...

You mean, I printed out this whole blog for nothing???

António Araújo said...

Jim, you just made my day :)

I'll preorder it right now! :)

J. E. Morris said...

Yay! Terrific news. I'll definitely be ordering a copy. I recommend your blog every chance I get.

Pete said...

I like to do historically themed art and much of that doesn't exist anymore. This could be a big help to other folks who paint in that genre too! Can't wait!

Anonymous said...

YAY! That one is definitely on my must have-list!

Unknown said...

Oh my... This is epic news. Congratulations and thank you for putting all that hard work and effort into the production of this book. I can't wait to get this book!!!

Björn said...

AAAAAAH I'm so excited! This is great news!

LJay said...

Wow, this is awesome! I have been looking forward to something like this for a long time. I check the blog daily. I'll definitely be ordering one or more as soon as I can. Andrews McMeel do beautiful publications.

Ray Lederer said...

This is going straight to the top of my Amazon wishlist. Thanks for keeping the price so low. I hope it translates into many more sales for you. I cannot wait to crack this open. Thanks James! -Ray

Jo said...

That's fantastic, can't wait to order a copy!

Unknown said...

Congratulations James!!!!!!!

Richard Smitheman said...

Great stuff, congratulations! I look forward to it.

James Gurney said...

I am extremely overwhelmed and grateful for your response. Don't worry, the blog won't quit with this book! I'm just warming up.

For every rabbit trail I head down, I discover five more still waiting. Thanks for taking the "journey" with me.

The Art of Kim Kincaid said...

Wonderful news!! I hope you are planning on a HUGE first printing, Mr. Gurney, because this book will be on the top of many people's "must have" list.

Jeff Ward said...

Congratulations! I was hoping you would do the book. This is definitely something to look forward to.

SILVER KNIGHT said...

Congratulations Sir! Been a fan of your work since I saw some of your National Geographic Illustrations, Dinotopia and Chandara. As an aspiring illustrator, your wisdom is a constant guiding inspiration. Thanks for another great book!

Warmest Regards,
RM

Smurfswacker said...

What fantastic news! Allow me to be the 55th person to congratulate you. I'll be looking forward to the book with bait on my breath...uh, with bated breath. Bate, bate.

Ron

Rob Hummer said...

Congrats indeed, and much thanks in advance for what's sure to be an outstanding book to experience and learn from and that we're all now awaiting with much anticipation.
Great news! Can't wait to have it in hand.

Tony Shasteen said...

Great news! I'll be buying that!

John Picacio said...

Huge congrats, Jim! Can't wait to buy one. I'll definitely blog about the book when it releases.....

Eric Braddock said...

Awesome! I must have this, you are an bottomless pit of information, this blog is a daily must and I'm excited that you created a book based off of it.

Very very cool indeed! Thanks for all your generosity and professional wisdom.

Unknown said...

great news! It's on the wishlist :)

R. Adrian Z said...

wow!!!
Congratulation Mr Gurney
i will order this , like it's delicious .

best

David B. Ellis said...

I'm so glad to hear about this book. I think the advice you give is enormously useful to the aspiring illustrator (especially of science fiction and fantasy; my favorite subjects). Particularly in regard to the creation of models and maquettes for visual reference---that's been the single most helpful thing to me in the process of studying illustration. I hope there will be at least a chapter focusing on that topic.

I'll definitely be buying a copy.

gmangmang said...

Hey James,

Thanks a lot for stopping by my blog...your work is really great and inspiring. I really like this blog also, it shows the behind the stage stuff involved with growing as an artist.

I'm going to pick up your book if I can find it at the Labrynth bookstore here in Toronot

Stephen James. said...

Awesome!

J M said...

That's very good news. I'm sure it will be an excellent book.
Congratulations!

Jamie Williams Grossman said...

Such wonderful news! I was hoping you'd put something into print from all this work, that we could hold in our hands and leaf through as a single volume. Can't wait!

Nathalie said...

I second all those enthusiastic reactions, what a wonderful idea! I too pre-ordered it and will be eagerly looking forward to it. :-)

Breathe Deep Seek Peace Nathalie

ricardo said...

Everybody's given their compliments, I have to give mine too. :)

Congratulations and THANK YOU for publishing it! I simply can't wait for a link to make my pre-order.