"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.
These drawings of baby heads by Andrew Loomis show the importance of careful construction, especially in foreshortened poses.
When the head tips upward, downward, or to the side, those center lines and equator lines really help to place the smaller forms in their proper relationship.
"Fun with a Pencil" is still one of the best books for beginners. However, he does tend to assume from the start that the beginner can think in three dimensions, which is generally not so.
This is the biggest problem in drawing for most learners. Many never get it, and work entirely in flat pattern (which can be attractive and commercially successful).
Don Cox - I agree about Loomis' assumptions. There are certain throwaway lines in books like 'Figure Drawing for all it's Worth' that may discourage the novice. I recall he says something along the lines of 'it will only take a few nights to memorize the figure'. If only it was that easy!
off topic but I received Color and Light and LOVE IT. I have only had a chance to skim through but its looks pretty darn thorough- and its nice to have all these collected observations in one book... the accompanying paintings are wonderful - my father's up around columbia county (i am in NYC) so a lot of your pleine aire. looks quite familiar :)
I first bought this book second hand as an 8 yr old. It was my first 'how to draw' book. Loomis forgot to mention the years of practice and square miles of forest I would have to work through to become moderately competent. But it was an inspiration then and still is.
I've been enjoying working through Loomis' exercises in this book on and off for a couple of weeks now (after James linked to the PDF version available online). My actual intro to drawing was Betty Edward's Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. She takes the draw-shapes-you-see-not-objects approach, while Loomis' is more of the sculptural approach used by comic artists that often draw from their imaginations. I think to be really competent you have to master both methods, really.
6 comments:
"Fun with a Pencil" is still one of the best books for beginners. However, he does tend to assume from the start that the beginner can think in three dimensions, which is generally not so.
This is the biggest problem in drawing for most learners. Many never get it, and work entirely in flat pattern (which can be attractive and commercially successful).
Don Cox - I agree about Loomis' assumptions. There are certain throwaway lines in books like 'Figure Drawing for all it's Worth' that may discourage the novice. I recall he says something along the lines of 'it will only take a few nights to memorize the figure'. If only it was that easy!
James,
Happy Thanksgiving a bit late.
off topic but I received Color and Light and LOVE IT. I have only had a chance to skim through but its looks pretty darn thorough- and its nice to have all these collected observations in one book...
the accompanying paintings are wonderful - my father's up around columbia county (i am in NYC) so a lot of your pleine aire. looks quite familiar :)
I first bought this book second hand as an 8 yr old. It was my first 'how to draw' book. Loomis forgot to mention the years of practice and square miles of forest I would have to work through to become moderately competent. But it was an inspiration then and still is.
I've been enjoying working through Loomis' exercises in this book on and off for a couple of weeks now (after James linked to the PDF version available online). My actual intro to drawing was Betty Edward's Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. She takes the draw-shapes-you-see-not-objects approach, while Loomis' is more of the sculptural approach used by comic artists that often draw from their imaginations. I think to be really competent you have to master both methods, really.
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