"Watercolor in the Wild has been getting some wonderful reviews. Here are some excerpts:
"...His approach is very interesting. For a start, he allows himself about an hour for a painting. Each demonstration here – there are six, covering buildings, animals, people and landscapes – is edited down to about fifteen minutes and covers all the important bits without leaving you thinking, “hang on, what did he do just then?”. He begins, conventionally enough, with a pencil drawing, but then spends the next thirty to forty minutes putting in tones, values and shading. With a quarter of an hour or less to go, he gets to the detail. That’s not enough, surely? No, not for fine detail, but the point is he’s working on very solid foundations: the subject has structure and substance and he doesn’t paint the detail at all, just suggests what the viewer should be seeing so that they create the finer stuff for themselves. It’s very subtle and, although not unique in itself, certainly unusual in combination with so much preparatory work."
"The exception to the one hour approach is a painting of a sleeping foal. Young animals are rarely still and only for short periods and this one is no exception. A large chunk of this section is taken up with watching the creature running round, interacting with its mother and eating. Finally, it needs a nap and we get to work. The point of this demonstration is to show how you can capture the essence of a subject if you’ve already understood it before you lift a brush. I like the fact that, once again, James doesn’t tell you this, but shows you."
"This is an exceptional piece of work and amazingly good value."
"Gurney has a relaxed, conversational demeanor throughout — almost as though you had chanced upon him painting, asked about his materials and techniques, and found him more than happy to oblige. This is, of course, a superb approach for an instructional art video.
"The video production values are high, particularly in reproducing the sketchbook pages as the paintings progress, with lots of close-up views that show the renderings in detail....
"...One of the great things about these instructional videos by Gurney is the wealth of supplemental material available on his blog. This includes relevant material from previous posts and directly related questions answered afterward, all with lots of links to materials suppliers and other relevant resources.
"I now have several books and videos by Gurney, as well as being an avid follower of his blog, and I find a kind of synergy between his instructional materials, in that there is a basic underlying philosophy and systematic approach that comes from his considerable experience. I, for one, am hoping Gurney will follow up soon with a similar video on his techniques for opaque water media (gouache and casein). In the meanwhile, I’m finding transparent watercolor more pliant than I thought I would."
Review from Jackson Sze
"Watercolor in the Wild affords us a privileged look into the working process of a modern day master. James Gurney will inspire you to go out and paint, to try and capture life the way an artist can.With thorough breakdowns of equipment and materials, any artist will be well informed about what he or she needs to get started. The demos are both exciting and educational. As a Landscape Painting teacher, I would highly recommend any artist to watch and learn from Mr. Gurney. Though painting outdoors can be challenging, having this DVD in your collection should provide a constant source of encouragement and motivation."
Jackson Sze - Senior Concept Illustrator at Marvel Studios
https://www.facebook.com/jacksonszeart
"Gurney is an experienced teacher and you can really see that come through here. He is thoughtful and informative, while being very brief and succinct. It's a great companion to his previous DVD “How I Paint Dinosaurs.” Read the rest—Dan Dos Santos, Muddy Colors Blog
"The video production values are high, particularly in reproducing the sketchbook pages as the paintings progress, with lots of close-up views that show the renderings in detail....
"...One of the great things about these instructional videos by Gurney is the wealth of supplemental material available on his blog. This includes relevant material from previous posts and directly related questions answered afterward, all with lots of links to materials suppliers and other relevant resources.
"I now have several books and videos by Gurney, as well as being an avid follower of his blog, and I find a kind of synergy between his instructional materials, in that there is a basic underlying philosophy and systematic approach that comes from his considerable experience. I, for one, am hoping Gurney will follow up soon with a similar video on his techniques for opaque water media (gouache and casein). In the meanwhile, I’m finding transparent watercolor more pliant than I thought I would."
Review from Jackson Sze
"Watercolor in the Wild affords us a privileged look into the working process of a modern day master. James Gurney will inspire you to go out and paint, to try and capture life the way an artist can.With thorough breakdowns of equipment and materials, any artist will be well informed about what he or she needs to get started. The demos are both exciting and educational. As a Landscape Painting teacher, I would highly recommend any artist to watch and learn from Mr. Gurney. Though painting outdoors can be challenging, having this DVD in your collection should provide a constant source of encouragement and motivation."
Jackson Sze - Senior Concept Illustrator at Marvel Studios
https://www.facebook.com/jacksonszeart
"Gurney is an experienced teacher and you can really see that come through here. He is thoughtful and informative, while being very brief and succinct. It's a great companion to his previous DVD “How I Paint Dinosaurs.” Read the rest—Dan Dos Santos, Muddy Colors Blog
"I highly recommend the affordably priced download for anyone who wants to learn more about achieving realistic paintings on location." —Read the rest—Marc Taro Holmes, Citizen Sketcher/Urban Sketchers.
“James Gurney’s latest instructional video, 'Watercolor in the Wild,' is an educational and entertaining trip into the mind of one of America’s most respected artist / illustrators." Read the rest—Darren Rousar, author of Cast Drawing Using the Sight-Size Approach
-----
To purchase the 72-minute video "Watercolor in the Wild":
HD download: (Credit Card) from Gumroad
HD download: (Paypal) from Sellfy buy
BONUS FEATURES (a half hour of additional bite-size inspiration)
DVD: (NTSC, Region 1-North America)
HD download: (Credit Card) from Gumroad
HD download: (Paypal) from Sellfy buy
BONUS FEATURES (a half hour of additional bite-size inspiration)
DVD: (NTSC, Region 1-North America)
The other awesome thing about you sharing these reviews is that many of these are really great blogs that I am going to start following.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside...I sent you via email color palette samples that I put together based on some of the recommendations in your video...feel free to share them if you think they are useful!
Well, I was going to make a purchase sometime soon, but now I will have to do it immediately! (when I finish work.)
ReplyDeleteI downloaded your video and have already watched it twice. You even got me to try something I never do -- paint an animal. I never paint people or animals because they all look like mutant moles. Even when I paint my kitties, I usually start from a tracing. So I tried painting "Rosebud" (the horse? I think that's her name) and am so pleased with the outcome. It really does look like a horse!! Oh ok, it does look a bit like a hyena, but still, I am happy.
ReplyDeleteI've never taken an art class, but watercolor has been an important destressing hobby for me (I'm a cardiac telemetry nurse), but your video gave me a lot of confidence to just try.
Well worth the 15USD.
Eric
Phoenix AZ
eric135.typepad.com
Eric, that's the best thing you could tell me. I'm so glad the video gave you the inspiration to try something new. It's good for all of us to take some risks when we draw or paint, and the consequences of failure are much better than they are with bungee jumping.
ReplyDeleteHi, Marque,
Thanks for sharing. You can't miss with a muted palette--there are so many subtle harmonies that you can play with colors which work together naturally. I like the idea of painting swatches of the pure colors as you did, and you can also paint crossing stripes to see how the colors overlay each other. Have fun on your trip to Italy. --JG
Thanks, DZart!
James, I just watched your DVD this weekend, and it is terrific. It is chock full of helpful, practical lessons from a born teacher. Well done!
ReplyDelete