Sunday, November 23, 2014

Book Review: "Graphic LA" by Robh Ruppel

At CTN Animation Expo I bought a copy of Robh Ruppel's new art book Graphic L.A., and want to share it with you.

Robh is one of those rare artists whose work spans imaginative and observational painting. He has worked as a designer for video games and films, and has taught at Art Center. He has also been a leader in digital plein-air painting.

While the book contains some landscapes, the bulk of the images are urban scenes. What I like most about his work is his ability to find beauty in commonplace scenes.

The book includes a mix of finished paintings, thumbnail sketches and step-by-step sequences. The sketches are in tone, most often in marker, while the colored finished paintings appear to be all digital.  

Many of the paintings have evocative lighting ideas that go beyond what photos can capture.

Accompanying the images are helpful chunks of advice, such as "Reduce, refine, interpret." Before he commences a painting, he always explores the possibilities of the subject in two or three tones. "Good value design," he says, "is the clear simple arrangement of a few tones."

He says, "Searching out the composition should take as long as rendering the image. Ultimately, the staging is what tells the story."

The book is 144 pages, about 8x8 inches.
Book: Graphic L.A. by Robh Ruppel

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. I've always (since '06 or so) enjoyed Robhs work. I'll look for this book.
You're great at finding and sharing cool stuff like this, and I appreciate it. Thank you.

Dennis said...

Got this book last week, it's amazing! Those shapes! <3

Lester Yocum said...

"Ultimately, the staging is what tells the story." That is so true in so many ways and areas -- illustration, film, theater, writing, spoken, animation, public speaking, ... Thanks for posting.

krystal said...

...And he's a NICE guy! I can't believe that wasn't mentioned in his bio!

Lys said...

His blog "The broadview blog" is inspiring, but it seems he doesn't update any more.

http://broadviewgraphics.blogspot.it/