Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter
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- Create Date：2021-04-05 13:59:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：James Gurney
- ISBN：0740797719
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Summary
From New York Times best-selling author of the Dinotopia series， James Gurney， comes a carefully crafted and researched study on color and light in paintings。 This art instruction book will accompany the acclaimed Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist。
James Gurney， New York Times best-selling author and artist of the Dinotopia series， follows Imaginative Realism with his second art-instruction book， Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter。 A researched study on two of art's most fundamental themes， Color and Light bridges the gap between abstract theory and practical knowledge。 Beginning with a survey of underappreciated masters who perfected the use of color and light， the book examines how light reveals form， the properties of color and pigments， and the wide variety of atmospheric effects。 Gurney cuts though the confusing and contradictory dogma about color， testing it in the light of science and observation。 A glossary， pigment index， and bibliography complete what will ultimately become an indispensable tool for any artist。
This book is the second in a series based on his blog， gurneyjourney。com。 His first in the series， Imaginative Realism， was widely acclaimed in the fantastical art world， and was ranked the #1 Bestseller on the Amazon list for art instruction。
"James Gurney's new book， Color and Light， cleverly bridges the gap between artistic observation and scientific explanation。 Not only does he eloquently describe all the effects of color and light an artist might encounter， but he thrills us with his striking paintings in the process。" --Armand Cabrera， Artist
James Gurney， New York Times best-selling author and artist of the Dinotopia series， follows Imaginative Realism with his second art-instruction book， Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter。 A researched study on two of art's most fundamental themes， Color and Light bridges the gap between abstract theory and practical knowledge。 Beginning with a survey of underappreciated masters who perfected the use of color and light， the book examines how light reveals form， the properties of color and pigments， and the wide variety of atmospheric effects。 Gurney cuts though the confusing and contradictory dogma about color， testing it in the light of science and observation。 A glossary， pigment index， and bibliography complete what will ultimately become an indispensable tool for any artist。
This book is the second in a series based on his blog， gurneyjourney。com。 His first in the series， Imaginative Realism， was widely acclaimed in the fantastical art world， and was ranked the #1 Bestseller on the Amazon list for art instruction。
"James Gurney's new book， Color and Light， cleverly bridges the gap between artistic observation and scientific explanation。 Not only does he eloquently describe all the effects of color and light an artist might encounter， but he thrills us with his striking paintings in the process。" --Armand Cabrera， Artist
Reviews
Arturo Manuel De la Guardia Oteiza
，
I wish this book had come out before I went to college， it would have opened up my eyes to so many things at the right time， like not taking the rules too seriously but realizing that with color， you can make your own rules if you know where and how to do it， also realizing that restrictions are your best friend。This book can be for beginners but only if they’re committed and paint while reading it。 I will definitely go back to Color and Light to read it again。 One does not simply read this and I wish this book had come out before I went to college， it would have opened up my eyes to so many things at the right time， like not taking the rules too seriously but realizing that with color， you can make your own rules if you know where and how to do it， also realizing that restrictions are your best friend。This book can be for beginners but only if they’re committed and paint while reading it。 I will definitely go back to Color and Light to read it again。 One does not simply read this and is done。 You read， you paint then read again。 And I’m so glad James still teaches all this online， because now I want more knowledge。 。。。more
Disha Chauhan
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Gurney makes things easier for any artist trying to understand light
Shaz
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An amazing book to give beginners information about how colour and light can be used in paintings。 Each page is accompanied by amazing art by James gurney that works as an example。 This book taught me about basic color theory and types of lighting。 Highly recommend
Jiahe Wang
，
I will never be as good as James Gurney and I love that feeling
Žygimantas Kocius
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Very useful book to better understand color and light in paintings
Andrés Santibañez
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Este man me enseñó más que el tec
J
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A must read for all artist， I guess， who work with color in a realistic way。 A very good reference book。
Kim Koserski
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Great takeaways and examples in this book on using lighting and colour to set the mood / convey emotion in your painting。 I wasn't so interested in learning to paint realistically， but I'll definitely try to apply some of his more universal tips in my own work。 It's too bad some of the advice specifically applies to oil painters。 Great takeaways and examples in this book on using lighting and colour to set the mood / convey emotion in your painting。 I wasn't so interested in learning to paint realistically， but I'll definitely try to apply some of his more universal tips in my own work。 It's too bad some of the advice specifically applies to oil painters。 。。。more
Matt
，
An incredibly condensed but rich guidebook for rendering all kinds of light and color， and the logic behind it all。As stupid as this is going to sound， I would give this book 10 stars。 There's just so much good info in there， and more than enough to build a class and/or teach yourself about painting。 I'll be coming back to read this one over many more times as I practice my own art。 An incredibly condensed but rich guidebook for rendering all kinds of light and color， and the logic behind it all。As stupid as this is going to sound， I would give this book 10 stars。 There's just so much good info in there， and more than enough to build a class and/or teach yourself about painting。 I'll be coming back to read this one over many more times as I practice my own art。 。。。more
Lama Alnaama
，
Would highly recommend this artbook to anyone who is either interested in art whether it be through digital art， traditional art or merely to learn the skills as to become an artist。 I wished I had this book as a child but now I get to learn and use the knowledge that I got from this book in my artworks。
Jennifer Jang
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New information:Although plein air painting began in the 1780s， the invention of pigment tubes in 1841 popularized the movement。Terminology:•tIncandescence – heat; Luminescence – cold; Fluorescence – conversion of non-spectral light to spectral light•tContre jour lighting vs flat lighting （eliminates shadows and stresses graphic shapes and design）•tNotation of paints: ex Cadmium yellow light – ‘light’ indicates ‘more yellow’， ‘deep’ indicates ‘more red’•t‘The subjective neutral’ of a gamut is th New information:Although plein air painting began in the 1780s， the invention of pigment tubes in 1841 popularized the movement。Terminology:•tIncandescence – heat; Luminescence – cold; Fluorescence – conversion of non-spectral light to spectral light•tContre jour lighting vs flat lighting （eliminates shadows and stresses graphic shapes and design）•tNotation of paints: ex Cadmium yellow light – ‘light’ indicates ‘more yellow’， ‘deep’ indicates ‘more red’•t‘The subjective neutral’ of a gamut is the white balance bias•tthe ‘saturation cost’ of a triad denotes the limits of the palatte•tAn ‘atmospheric triad’ is a triad that does not cross the central circle of greysForm and color:•tIn order to model form， one must understand the light source; by locating the light source， one can easily locate the terminator on the form。 Improve: cast shadows and dark accents where form meets form•tFoliaged trees vs sparse trees should have different modeling of form。•tLiven green color by painting over a warm underpainting， or putting in some grey reds。•tStretch dappled light into ellipses according to their angle of incidence from the sun。Color in water:•tIn weak light， blue-greens appear bright。 This phenomenon is called the purkinje shift。•tOne can no longer observe the floor of a running stream at around 3 feet•tThe color red disappears at 10 feet•tCaustics do not extend beyond 20-30 feet•tOrange and yellow disappear at 25 feet•tEver deeper depths preserve only violets。Natural Effects:•tAt times reflections/bending of light center around the viewer’s viewpoint， radiating from that point to create a circular effect。 This effect is due to ‘anisotropy’ caused by the direction of the light， such as in stainless steel metals and frost-covered branches in a forest。•tThe sky color different when one is facing the sky and when one is facing the antisolar point （at 180 degrees from the sun） In a cloudless sky， looking into the sun will create the effect of an almost dark grey-green sky。 The sun will have a lighter and warmer corona。•tRight after sundown （when the sun is at 95 degrees）， one can observe the ‘well of the sky’ by looking straight up。•tAtmospheric perspective will cause shadows and objects to mis with incremental amounts of sky color， as a function of distance。 However， white objects will become warmer while gradually losing strength as they near the horizon。 For example， roofs will keep their brilliancy， while clouds near the horizon will become redder/ more orange。•tRainbows form at about 42 degrees above the antisolar point， while a secondary rainbow forms at about 50 degrees。 The band of sky between the rainbows will appear darker。 This area is called Alexander’s dark band。 。。。more
Alexander Leo Swenson
，
If you're interested in learning to draw form， Bridgman and Loomis stand pretty tall as classics （though Scott Robertson's How to Draw is also essential if you're interested more in industrial design and modern techniques for perspective）。The giant gap that modern art left between decent traditional art education and cheap full-color books meant most classic texts on painting focus too much on medium and not enough on color theory - and when they do try to talk about color， they sound like philo If you're interested in learning to draw form， Bridgman and Loomis stand pretty tall as classics （though Scott Robertson's How to Draw is also essential if you're interested more in industrial design and modern techniques for perspective）。The giant gap that modern art left between decent traditional art education and cheap full-color books meant most classic texts on painting focus too much on medium and not enough on color theory - and when they do try to talk about color， they sound like philosophers attempting to describe it the colorblind。 Every single page of Color and Light is full of gorgeous paintings that make the concepts in the text intuitive and revelatory。 Even if you have no interest in working traditionally， this book is worth your time。 。。。more
Sam
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I've been drawing for years but my colouring always fell short， so at the recommendation of some of my favourite online art teachers I got this book。 Despite being based more for painters， this book is invaluable in teaching the principles of colour and light and this will work for any medium。 It explains things generally well and uses good illustrated examples。 The language is easy to read and accessible and I will definitely be referring to this over and over。Some of the best parts include how I've been drawing for years but my colouring always fell short， so at the recommendation of some of my favourite online art teachers I got this book。 Despite being based more for painters， this book is invaluable in teaching the principles of colour and light and this will work for any medium。 It explains things generally well and uses good illustrated examples。 The language is easy to read and accessible and I will definitely be referring to this over and over。Some of the best parts include how different light sources create different lighting （sunlight vs overcast vs night vs candle light vs artifical light）， temperature of light and shadow， how colours are defined by relation to one another， and how light affects local value。It would have been nice to have some more step by step worked examples， but overall a great book if you want to learn how to render and colour forms in a realistic style。 。。。more
Scott Head
，
This book is outstanding for anyone interested in painting in any media。 I learned more in this book than I ever learned in my college days - in art classes， illustration courses， color theory classes， etc。 Each topic is broken down into manageable chunks， usually spanning a two page spread， and illustrated with examples of the topic at hand， and usually from the author's own works。 I appreciate the valuable lessons on color and light， and the practical explanations of how to employ each idea。 T This book is outstanding for anyone interested in painting in any media。 I learned more in this book than I ever learned in my college days - in art classes， illustration courses， color theory classes， etc。 Each topic is broken down into manageable chunks， usually spanning a two page spread， and illustrated with examples of the topic at hand， and usually from the author's own works。 I appreciate the valuable lessons on color and light， and the practical explanations of how to employ each idea。 The book doesn't tackle the other great skill of artists， composition， which is probably just as important as color and light， but then it's not a total course。 A good compositional theory book would be an ideal companion。 Gurney is among the best teachers， I'm grateful to have discovered him and his books。 。。。more
Aubrey Robertson
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Amazing book no matter your medium。 I paint miniatures and this book has given me a solid foundation on which to build。
Katheryn
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Lots of information about managing color and how to perceive images in light， motion， and atmosphere。 A very good reference。
Manuel
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Good
Ben
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For anyone interested in colour theory， making graphic novels or comics， or with a passion for capturing the natural world， I cannot recommend this book highly enough！！ James Gurney is an underrated genius with a true passion and kindness and love of sharing artistic ideas。 I will definitely be revisiting this book often！！
Jackie Duck
，
Probably my favourite art book I've ever read。 While a lot of the time I find the advice and lessons in other art books to be quite situational and specific， this book managed to cover an abundance of critical lessons that are widely applicable and did it in a thorough and coherent manner。 Probably my favourite art book I've ever read。 While a lot of the time I find the advice and lessons in other art books to be quite situational and specific， this book managed to cover an abundance of critical lessons that are widely applicable and did it in a thorough and coherent manner。 。。。more
Sugin Ong
，
Omg！ Forget the the title， this book is for everyone。 James Gurney teaches you how to see。 Most of us claim to see， but we have never noticed the nuances of light。 Learn to perceive the colors in shadow， know that white can be darker than black， and other secrets why some paintings are just so real。 His beautiful art graces the whole book too。 You owe it to yourself to read this， so that the next time nature dishes out a scene from the top drawer while you're on vacation， you'll know where to lo Omg！ Forget the the title， this book is for everyone。 James Gurney teaches you how to see。 Most of us claim to see， but we have never noticed the nuances of light。 Learn to perceive the colors in shadow， know that white can be darker than black， and other secrets why some paintings are just so real。 His beautiful art graces the whole book too。 You owe it to yourself to read this， so that the next time nature dishes out a scene from the top drawer while you're on vacation， you'll know where to look！ 。。。more
Nil
，
best for digital artist
Alli Shoemaker
，
🤯
Ietrio
，
I had high hopes for this book。 It turned out to be a fraud。 An ignorant quotes any source he found and randomly throws in color reproductions。 Pages filled with generic writing about styles with no trace of understanding what's written:- Classicism was not some noble pursuit， but the entrenchment of the king's artists as the newly created cast of university professors。 - color does not "creep in" magazines， but it is a difficult and costly process made gradually available to the masses through I had high hopes for this book。 It turned out to be a fraud。 An ignorant quotes any source he found and randomly throws in color reproductions。 Pages filled with generic writing about styles with no trace of understanding what's written:- Classicism was not some noble pursuit， but the entrenchment of the king's artists as the newly created cast of university professors。 - color does not "creep in" magazines， but it is a difficult and costly process made gradually available to the masses through the effort of people Gurney does not care to know- and so on。 。。。more
Don
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A most useful technical manual for painters。 I’ve been painting for 35 years and learned much that I can immediately apply to my work。
Maryana Gudyma
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Todo artista debería de leer este libro。James engloba todas las técnicas que se utilizan en pintura a la hora de utilizar los colores y la luz， algo tan importante que hace que tu cuadro este lleno de vida o no。 Además， aparecen muchos cuadros de James y son verdaderamente fantásticos， que alegría descubrir un pintor tan ejemplar。
Khanh Cao
，
Great book with lots of examples and applications。 Theories are carefully explained and applied。 Kudos to James Gurney for making this available to us！
Balkaran
，
Really nice look into the importance of light in design and presentation。
Somebody
，
An excellent book for those interested in building upon their fundamentals。The book is filled with examples and artwork to help explain the ideas Gurney expresses。 None of those long paragraphs with flowery language without a single image business。 The book has examples-and tons of it。 Also tons of James Gurneys wonderful artwork which looks really great on print。 Even if you arent interested in the explanations the artwork is worth it。Secondly， this book is not a step-by-step guide。 There are n An excellent book for those interested in building upon their fundamentals。The book is filled with examples and artwork to help explain the ideas Gurney expresses。 None of those long paragraphs with flowery language without a single image business。 The book has examples-and tons of it。 Also tons of James Gurneys wonderful artwork which looks really great on print。 Even if you arent interested in the explanations the artwork is worth it。Secondly， this book is not a step-by-step guide。 There are no tutorials， besides the occasional tip or Try This at Home！ Instead， the book explains the world's light and colour， and how those colours come to be to build your understanding。 You can understand that the top of the sky tends to be more saturated and darker than the bottom where its lighter-but it really helps to understand why。 This allows you create your own unique takes on the natural world-while still being believable。Gurney even goes through his process for palettes which is extremely helpful because palettes always gave me a hard time when starting full illustrations。 Finally the writing is mostly clear and concise。 The explanations aren't rushed， and there isnt too much information to overload the reader。 You can probably pick up this book with little experience in painting， or understanding of colour since it's explained pretty well。 I wouldn't recommend it if you don't know how to paint though-traditionally or digitally。 in order to make the most out of this you need to do your own paintings to solidify your understanding， and if you struggle with painting then you will spend more time trying to learn how to paint than actually putting your light and colour knowledge to use。 Take it slow。 Art is something that takes time， and rushing it might develop bad habits that might hinder your progress in the future。 Whatever floats your boat though！Anyway， good book。 Recommend！ :> 。。。more
Asel Narmanbetova
，
Отличное， красочное пособие по теории цвета и света， как для профессиональных， так и начинающих художников/иллюстраторов。 Материал емкий， охватывающий все главные аспекты традиционной живописи с подробным описанием основных понятий живописи。 Данная книга не только ваш незаменимый компаньон в мире творчества， но и полное мотивации красочное издание。
Gisela Valdera
，