tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post7971648098120777240..comments2024-03-18T07:23:32.809-04:00Comments on Gurney Journey: Visual Backstory: A Checklist for Science Fiction ArtistsJames Gurneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01870848001990898499noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-87479481321560617072019-07-23T14:22:01.175-04:002019-07-23T14:22:01.175-04:00Hi James. Thought maybe you would have those draw...Hi James. Thought maybe you would have those drawings by Ted Youngkin in the Arch section. I remember you had them in an article I read where you showed up at his house and how nice he was. Sounds a bit scary. Lol. Like your blog.<br /><br />John Hullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08220627651730103413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-73503388558684318122015-08-16T23:35:28.719-04:002015-08-16T23:35:28.719-04:00Wow this is like a bonus chapter in Imaginative Re...Wow this is like a bonus chapter in Imaginative Realism. Thanks for such great observations and ideas.richtaurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14302345952270480122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-33464177284183505942015-08-11T12:24:49.805-04:002015-08-11T12:24:49.805-04:00James this post could not have arrived at any bett...James this post could not have arrived at any better time for me, just the kind of insights i was looking for. Thanks for such great advices.Daulat Neupanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18129655327345911050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-68522825990761208062015-08-10T14:02:11.391-04:002015-08-10T14:02:11.391-04:00@Emanuele-
Thanx for that.
Here is an Amazon link...@Emanuele-<br />Thanx for that. <br />Here is an Amazon link to the ‘Surfaces’ book(s). It looks like she also has ‘Soft Surfaces’ and ‘Natural Surfaces.’ Pretty steep prices tho, ‘buyer beware!’<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_0?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3ASurfaces%3A+Visual+Research+for+Artists\c+Architects\c+and+Designers&keywords=Surfaces%3A+Visual+Research+for+Artists%2C+Architects%2C+and+Designers&ie=UTF8&qid=1439227744&rnid=2941120011<br /><br />Still… nothing beats ‘The Hunt’ in the wild. Personal observation and documentation is well worth the effort.-RQ<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02540150780230629982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-85366477079288888612015-08-10T13:08:41.450-04:002015-08-10T13:08:41.450-04:00Your blog just keeps getting better and better. Y...Your blog just keeps getting better and better. You are the master. Thank you so much for your incredible generosity as a teacher.<br />rock995https://www.blogger.com/profile/09995426623977650468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-75110376665112320092015-08-10T10:13:04.513-04:002015-08-10T10:13:04.513-04:00This is the kind of stuff that can take a piece fr...This is the kind of stuff that can take a piece from OK to the next level... yet so much of it is easily overlooked. The vast majority of people are not seeing acutely enough to notice some of this stuff, but its amazing how much it can change a painting once you incorporate it. It seems to be the sort of stuff that you dont appreciate until its pointed out to you. Great stuff!Joe Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10757849750232572431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-69261694483950035012015-08-09T21:37:45.660-04:002015-08-09T21:37:45.660-04:00Very good post James. And especially important is ...Very good post James. And especially important is the observations you made, like "Paint will crack with a particular geometry, with the cracks usually meeting at right angles. " Those observations are important in portraying the reality of surfaces and the ravages of time, the elements, usage etc.David Teterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16747334525619423349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-41444844848567003672015-08-09T20:57:57.133-04:002015-08-09T20:57:57.133-04:00Thank you, great and useful post mr. Gurney.
Could...Thank you, great and useful post mr. Gurney.<br />Could you cover other kind of habits like Fantasy, Steampunk and others? That would be great.<br /><br />Roberto, "Surfaces" seems a very good book, unfortunately it is very hard to find, apparently is not printed anymore.<br /><br />A more recent book i've recent purchased is "How to Render: The Fundamentals of Light, Shadow and Reflectivity" which covers materials and surfaces and their interactions with light. Emanuelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03681438035168925676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-10762116521812506022015-08-09T17:23:01.249-04:002015-08-09T17:23:01.249-04:00This is very cool! Back in the day… set painters a...This is very cool! Back in the day… set painters and set decorators use to use this kind of resource material a lot, and many of the studios had(have?) some really great libraries and ‘morgue-files’ for reference. Even w the great resource the internet is, I still find it very useful to maintain my own picture files for reference. <br /><br />Andrew Loomis suggests an excellent system for filing (and retrieving) source material in his book ‘Figure Drawing for All it’s Worth’ on (pages 201-202).<br />Essentially: Alphabetical Categories A-Z, with subcategories: 1,2,3… , with an index-card catalogue and cross-references. Once its set up, it’s very easy to use (the catalogue could even be used on one of them new-fangled computer things, whatchacall ‘cross-platformed!). There is something about ‘The Hunt’ for images, and the sorting, filing, and retrieving of the images that really stimulates the creative process! But it’s wise to do it in a somewhat thoughtful and orderly way, or else ‘The Hunt’ takes over, and much time can be wasted on a grand adventure thru inner-space. <br /><br />One of my favorite reference books for textures and materials is:<br /><br />‘Surfaces: Visual Research for Artists, Architects, and Designers’ by Judy A. Juracek. (It comes w a CD-ROM) <br /><br />It includes: Wood, Marble, Stone, Brick, Plaster, Concrete, Aggregates, Glass, Metal, and Tile.<br /><br />(Speaking of “grand adventures thru inner-space”. I also really like what the ‘Cyan/Broderbund’ boyz did with the ‘Myst’ and ‘Ryven’ environments.)<br /><br />If other bloggers out there have favorite resources, please... give it up! -RQ<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02540150780230629982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-12127384920720230672015-08-09T16:39:04.065-04:002015-08-09T16:39:04.065-04:00Great list! As someone who grew up around oil pipe...Great list! As someone who grew up around oil pipelines (as in, I would literally have to crawl on several metres of gas and oil pipeline to get to my grandmother's house and gas pipeline explosions were the norm in areas where we grew up) and asphalt (we would walk on the lakes of asphalt and travel through severe cracks and potholes; the shift of the land in an area with asphalt is something you have to experience if you haven't! The houses there, regardless of how many times they tried to fix it, would shift considerably and there were huge cracks running between parts of the land) and electronics (my grandfather was an electrical engineer for an oil company), I approve of this list! I LOVE the ad hoc repairs! People often don't think about the context of a place, too; is it considered "developing" or "first world", etc. I am fascinated by the resourcefulness that comes naturally to people who didn't grow up with as many resources at their beck and call and their ingenuity. krystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943824077845596208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-58464127900605801262015-08-09T14:41:58.608-04:002015-08-09T14:41:58.608-04:00Thank you James for posting this list. While a lot...Thank you James for posting this list. While a lot of this is obvious when you look great sci-fi, it's also the same details that one might not notice because they're being drawn into the world. Thanks for sharing your world building details! Off to go paint!Erica Bottgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16645197464217095453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-37637157991490437442015-08-09T11:34:27.962-04:002015-08-09T11:34:27.962-04:00A very excellent and sharply observed list! As a s...A very excellent and sharply observed list! As a sci-fi writer and an artist, I've found that certain writers are particularly adept at this sort of description. Margaret Atwood and William Gibson come to mind. But your general principles go a long way towards helping artists and writers fulfill their visions! Remember: detail, detail, detail but only as needed for understanding. There is a fine line between art and clutter. R. A. Davieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09753437285756206136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999230124118604245.post-43624860188438418052015-08-09T11:29:50.870-04:002015-08-09T11:29:50.870-04:00Fascinating. Fascinating. Susan Krzywickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11734833252007456199noreply@blogger.com