American Masters Show at the Salmagundi Club

I'm pleased to announce that four of my landscape paintings will be exhibited and offered for sale at the <a href="http://www.americanmastersart.com/">American Masters show</a> from October 14 - 24 at the Salmagundi Club in New York.<br /><br />I'll be honored to be sharing the walls with artists like <a href="http://www.americanmastersart.com/artists/#/john-stobart/">John Stobart</a>, <a href="http://www.americanmastersart.com/artists/#/burton-silverman/">Burt Silverman</a>, <a href="http://www.americanmastersart.com/artists/#/christopher-blossom/">Christopher Blossom</a>, <a href="http://www.americanmastersart.com/artists/#/dean-mitchell/">Dean Mitchell</a>, and <a href="http://www.christensenstudio.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=40189&Akey=72569C3T">Scott Christensen</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwBmdzYDDYQBu36Duk_88BaqtAYvqBFgQfuFTudcNVmSgwgfWXGX69UmNgaxvOCM22X9ZPGLk5S2FGUyWKOiocoAeAyC9JZe7VQvPZRp5qFKghEpnFPZkpte6MT5VLzJ5hzE4eRGkYII6/s1600/wintersunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwBmdzYDDYQBu36Duk_88BaqtAYvqBFgQfuFTudcNVmSgwgfWXGX69UmNgaxvOCM22X9ZPGLk5S2FGUyWKOiocoAeAyC9JZe7VQvPZRp5qFKghEpnFPZkpte6MT5VLzJ5hzE4eRGkYII6/s1600/wintersunset.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Winter Sunset</b></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">oil on canvas mounted to birch panel, 11 x 14 in.<br />Framed Dimensions: 18 x 21 in.<br />Publication history:<br /><i>Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter</i> by James Gurney, Andrews McMeel, 2010, p. 183.<br /><i>American Artist</i> magazine, Gurney cover feature, November 2006, p. 39.<br /><i>International Artist</i> magazine #80, August/September 2011</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Exhibition history:</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">“Dinotopia: Art, Science, and Imagination,” Lyman Allyn Art Museum, September 22, 2012 – February 2, 2013 </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0k70RjvIuMtxwGgu3dAvU_dAmQrDlZd9NKqk63hLZZsAq8cjgzCy3IMcv1rIJtDo6cBJrWKr3tC5Xz8QJSTX96SaZA269UYzvJ_bt7DZrpWp4g2lG0bJFnkohvZgqZuzfT8gBwXETT4hE/s1600/Creek+above+Kaaterskill+Falls.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0k70RjvIuMtxwGgu3dAvU_dAmQrDlZd9NKqk63hLZZsAq8cjgzCy3IMcv1rIJtDo6cBJrWKr3tC5Xz8QJSTX96SaZA269UYzvJ_bt7DZrpWp4g2lG0bJFnkohvZgqZuzfT8gBwXETT4hE/s1600/Creek+above+Kaaterskill+Falls.sm.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><b>Creek Above Kaaterskill Falls</b><br /><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">oil on linen, 20 x 16 in.<br />Framed Dimensions: 23 x 27 in.<br />Publication history:<br /><i>Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter</i> by James Gurney, Andrews McMeel, 2010, p. 2.<br /><i>Plein Air</i> magazine, April 2005, p. 54.<br /><i>American Artist</i> magazine, Gurney cover feature, November 2006, p. 38.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzWggIClaYjkDe1_oN6zjsV7GN6Pv0jbA4o6S2TqSH0-nptKQfEirjtyq06CvBSvsHBFW-mjIHl2iChqUym_dMFW4_WrSdZGy6aT2QNrjeJfHtIVWeMJvAJ2yiORLwR7HAfjUNSwmCrcF/s1600/Falls+at+Devil's%2BKitchen.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzWggIClaYjkDe1_oN6zjsV7GN6Pv0jbA4o6S2TqSH0-nptKQfEirjtyq06CvBSvsHBFW-mjIHl2iChqUym_dMFW4_WrSdZGy6aT2QNrjeJfHtIVWeMJvAJ2yiORLwR7HAfjUNSwmCrcF/s1600/Falls+at+Devil's%2BKitchen.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><div><b>Falls at Devil’s Kitchen</b></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">oil on canvas mounted to birch panel, 12 x 16 in.<br />Framed Dimensions: 21.5 x 25.5 in.<br />Publication history:<br /><i>American Artist</i> magazine, Gurney cover feature, November 2006, p. 39.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFF2m4JzrmnaFHgDeNHjdDkB1JWX1xkjKhaXwBoKgGy8osvQALC-7E7OAee6IS8xAHiUFtppT6kMC_21UqBcXAkeWYlpFu-Dx_fb1PEuLXx0dweVySzUzAHPOKKuKL0O29TSd4Nvhyphenhyphen31k/s1600/Gurney_Kaaterskill_Falls-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFF2m4JzrmnaFHgDeNHjdDkB1JWX1xkjKhaXwBoKgGy8osvQALC-7E7OAee6IS8xAHiUFtppT6kMC_21UqBcXAkeWYlpFu-Dx_fb1PEuLXx0dweVySzUzAHPOKKuKL0O29TSd4Nvhyphenhyphen31k/s1600/Gurney_Kaaterskill_Falls-large.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><div><b>Kaaterskill Falls</b></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">oil on linen, 20 x 16 in.<br />Framed Dimensions: 23 x 27 in.<br />Publication history:<br /><i>Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter</i> by James Gurney, Andrews McMeel, 2010, p. 179.<br /><i>The Conservationist</i> magazine, December, 2004, p. 19.<br /><i>American Artist</i> magazine, Gurney cover feature, November 2006, p. 37.<br /><i>International Artist</i> magazine #79, June/July 2011.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Exhibition history:<br />“Dinotopia: Art, Science, and Imagination,” Lyman Allyn Art Museum, September 22, 2012 – February 2, 2013 </span></div><br /><div>For art students, this will be a not-to-be-missed exhibition. For collectors, this is a rare chance <a href="http://jamesgurneyoriginalart.blogspot.com/2012/12/attic-scene-one-hundred-years-index.html?view=classic">outside of auctions</a> to acquire my paintings, as I don't sell very many originals, and these are important ones from <i>Color and Light.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Jeanette and I will be attending the <a href="http://www.americanmastersart.com/auction/">opening event on October 17</a>.</div>

American Masters Show at the Salmagundi Club

I'm pleased to announce that four of my landscape paintings will be exhibited and offered for sale at the American Masters show  from Oc...

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When do you paint highlights?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A couple of years ago I visited the <a href="http://www.lesley.edu/aib/">Art Institute of Boston</a> at Lesley University as the guest of the illustration department. After giving a lecture, I did a portrait demo of painting professor Tom Barrett. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qLEoqc_7sj3SAicwQwtDtzGGNQ7Lfz5Jez0lYF6ZZGQT864cAmwnz0Btw6gLa7t65uXJIZ7bzX6YOC-T9ugkMbgVbjlpD-uZ2xX70mTmmzp-h4su1NQIxhrTCng0zMc6Pj8ZDzeup6JC/s1600/Gurney_Tom_Barrett_Keith+Maclelland.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qLEoqc_7sj3SAicwQwtDtzGGNQ7Lfz5Jez0lYF6ZZGQT864cAmwnz0Btw6gLa7t65uXJIZ7bzX6YOC-T9ugkMbgVbjlpD-uZ2xX70mTmmzp-h4su1NQIxhrTCng0zMc6Pj8ZDzeup6JC/s400/Gurney_Tom_Barrett_Keith+Maclelland.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />As you can see, there were at least three sources of light (two incandescent floods on stands and the window light, but the one next to the table predominated. The drawing is in water-soluble colored pencil and watercolor about 8 x 6 inches.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHd-uCeujlXWKP8WmuCg576MQ7F0o-0itbk19ipAsdKaumT_-jxF25WQDAkF8RWER10ZK1DQiNsNFtZJrINd5HAamzZi_0lqsAHPoGK_rFcNY8KvGUe2KLFz0UNcVhlS1WFkVi29eVylS/s1600/Tom_Barrett.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHd-uCeujlXWKP8WmuCg576MQ7F0o-0itbk19ipAsdKaumT_-jxF25WQDAkF8RWER10ZK1DQiNsNFtZJrINd5HAamzZi_0lqsAHPoGK_rFcNY8KvGUe2KLFz0UNcVhlS1WFkVi29eVylS/s400/Tom_Barrett.sm.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">Once I had established the preliminary drawing, one of the earliest decisions was where to place the highlights, since I was using transparent watercolor only. So when I laid the first washes of skin tone across the face, I painted around the white spaces on the forehead, the tip and bridge of the nose, and the cheeks.</div><div class="p1"><br />In watercolor, since highlights are the lightest values, they must be left as unpainted white paper. They can also be masked out from the start, or applied with gouache at the last. In oil paintings, highlights should generally be saved for the last. </div><div class="p1"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuHGYJNM8xrLcfT4pBJceBIEUwotY3Abph382GJoUGI46Ih7UX4ko5rGmd1dgnzWRdPsyP4lvvlBdvmSz61ByYz60SZOFIRfJ1VqPszpNkZpWUFqzsQbnCqLjdWkKUeXNuIgyPBbwLU_d/s1600/Highlights+in+IA+90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuHGYJNM8xrLcfT4pBJceBIEUwotY3Abph382GJoUGI46Ih7UX4ko5rGmd1dgnzWRdPsyP4lvvlBdvmSz61ByYz60SZOFIRfJ1VqPszpNkZpWUFqzsQbnCqLjdWkKUeXNuIgyPBbwLU_d/s400/Highlights+in+IA+90.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />There's a lot more on the subject of "highlights and specularity" in the six-page article that I wrote for the current issue of International Artist magazine, which should be on the newsstands now.</div>----<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aiboston/page67/">Flickr stream with more photos of my visit to AIB</a><br /><a href="http://www.lesley.edu/aib/welcome/">Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University</a><br /><a href="http://www.international-artist.com/splash.aspx">International Artist magazine, Issue 90</a><br />Photo above by Keith MacLelland<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Media<span style="background-color: white;">: </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00134QBQO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00134QBQO&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">watercolor pencils</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00134QBQO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WN625W/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000WN625W&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">water-soluble pastels</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000WN625W" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Water and ink applied with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KNJEMW/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000KNJEMW">water brushes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000KNJEMW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, one filled with water, and the other filled with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00095OFXO/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00095OFXO">fountain pen ink</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00095OFXO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. </div>This subject is also covered in my book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740797719/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0740797719&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Amazon)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0740797719" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">also available signed from my website store.</a>

When do you paint highlights?

A couple of years ago I visited the Art Institute of Boston  at Lesley University as the guest of the illustration department. After giving ...

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Highlights and Specularity, Part 1

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This photograph shows three spheres with varying surfaces. The one on the left is matte, the one in the middle is glossy, and the one on the right is highly reflective. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeUj2TNzd2fn3qJS781iw6oTtSbXAxr1Q5rohLm6aJZvFlm63MuMmFpEQwseLlojXnF68dM5VpAGMe_LOY4ybr7B28XkO2dlJhQ1GlhUd6Z755W9T395-4F6Eilj6xAOP2sVcjddJ5mvc/s1600/Specularity+Matte+Gloss+Mirror+Highlights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeUj2TNzd2fn3qJS781iw6oTtSbXAxr1Q5rohLm6aJZvFlm63MuMmFpEQwseLlojXnF68dM5VpAGMe_LOY4ybr7B28XkO2dlJhQ1GlhUd6Z755W9T395-4F6Eilj6xAOP2sVcjddJ5mvc/s400/Specularity+Matte+Gloss+Mirror+Highlights.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>On the matte sphere there is no highlight. On the glossy sphere in the middle, the highlight is clearly apparent. The mirror-like sphere on the right also has a highlight, which is really a reflection of the light source. The light source is the sun shining through a window.<br /><br />The right sphere also reflects the scene around the ball, including the white paper background and the dark room behind the camera. In the right ball, you can even see a reflection of the middle ball, with a highlight in the middle of that reflection.<br /><br />That same pattern of reflections of the paper, room, and neighboring ball is subtly visible in the middle ball as well.<br /><br />In the middle ball, there is a second, smaller highlight just to the right of the primary highlight. This secondary highlight is the sunlight is reflected <i>three times. </i>The light bounces off the middle ball, bounces back off the right ball, and bounces <i>again</i> off that little highlight on middle ball back to your eye.<br /><br />So we've arrived at a definition: A highlight is a specular reflection (Latin "speculum"=mirror) of the light source on a shiny surface. The shinier and smoother the surface, the brighter and clearer the highlight.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFWAps0E2LhNT1fWeHXgE_lFYFALV8BnrGazAwpQJ5lusA_lEjjc1P7qbfTCGqBDzvecAdSOq6_9bIKij0SmRleoremXZewvtcPiGHZTLj8tEyMNZIRZ6t2SxgGb5N228aoRp14ko2_uR/s1600/Specularity.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFWAps0E2LhNT1fWeHXgE_lFYFALV8BnrGazAwpQJ5lusA_lEjjc1P7qbfTCGqBDzvecAdSOq6_9bIKij0SmRleoremXZewvtcPiGHZTLj8tEyMNZIRZ6t2SxgGb5N228aoRp14ko2_uR/s400/Specularity.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />These three diagrams show what's happening at the surface level. On the matte surface, light arrives from the top left and hits the rough surface. Some light gets absorbed and the rest scatters away in all directions. This is what happens when light hits a matte surface like a sand dune or a sweater.<br /><br />The glossy surface of the middle ball bounces a a portion of the light at the same relative angle as the incoming light, but some of the light rays hit uneven spots and bounce in random directions. This is like bouncing a golf ball on a country road. It will probably bounce the way you want it to unless the golf ball hits a crack or a pebble.<br /><br />The mirror-like surface is so smooth that all the light bounces off the surface predictably at the same relative angle, like bouncing a ball off a basketball court. (Edit: a true mirror-like reflection requires a metallic surface, and cannot be achieved by smoothness alone. Thanks, David!)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnZRj5r_EQHX83djDoCwEoMPCGR79Fx8N7sZcAnXDVYY-nqujv9Q9U4m9Fq_EkSRlqphAfjs0_F595ODT1143zD0uopCxmeBS1rojVZxVUTBEwmsdsqk6GqDxWsaRDqYqMYYtwpotlF4a/s1600/Light+and+shadow+on+a+sphere+form+modeling+highlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnZRj5r_EQHX83djDoCwEoMPCGR79Fx8N7sZcAnXDVYY-nqujv9Q9U4m9Fq_EkSRlqphAfjs0_F595ODT1143zD0uopCxmeBS1rojVZxVUTBEwmsdsqk6GqDxWsaRDqYqMYYtwpotlF4a/s400/Light+and+shadow+on+a+sphere+form+modeling+highlight.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><div class="p1">Since highlights belong to the world of specular reflection, they should be thought of as somewhat separate and distinct from the normal modeling factors (light, halftone, and shadow) of diffuse reflection. Artists in the world of 3D computer graphics can control the form-modeling and the specularity as separate components.<br /><br />I wrote an article on this subject of "highlights and specularity" for the current issue of International Artist magazine, which should be on the newsstands now. This blog post is just a little piece of it.</div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Fg0N4shgHsOJkaYebXZeUM8dj3B88aHbfKY2aLreu6JJVnzOhjIDXwR0AUW_swvL-BLmMRFgBTSnqNGbZvb61v2AWmZ08n8E77As3LjygLrKhYV3_izNrIOogp9bYq3_RDtA_lnrnwZx/s1600/Highlights+Article+IA+James+Gurney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Fg0N4shgHsOJkaYebXZeUM8dj3B88aHbfKY2aLreu6JJVnzOhjIDXwR0AUW_swvL-BLmMRFgBTSnqNGbZvb61v2AWmZ08n8E77As3LjygLrKhYV3_izNrIOogp9bYq3_RDtA_lnrnwZx/s400/Highlights+Article+IA+James+Gurney.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The six-page article contains a lot more examples and explanation, and it includes artwork that has never been reproduced in print before. I'll talk more on the blog about highlights in real-world examples tomorrow.<br />----<br /><a href="http://www.international-artist.com/splash.aspx">International Artist magazine, Issue 90</a><br />This subject is also covered in my book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740797719/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0740797719&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Amazon)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0740797719" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">also available signed from my website store.</a><br /><br />

Highlights and Specularity, Part 1

This photograph shows three spheres with varying surfaces. The one on the left is matte, the one in the middle is glossy, and the one on the...

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Digital gamut mapping tool for Windows

Cristian Romero has created a free digital tool for analyzing color schemes. All you have to do is drag a "jpg," "png," or "bmp" into a box, and it will output a gamut map. The gamut map shows which colors are inside the color scheme and which are outside. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHVuz6pxvv04QmC1bLIBkWvCzYypkJkrMBkQ7rVmRBk3eeY1NV7q31CKb8w5cxTkBsr9wuXyLctBBGzJQH059puI3Kk1762_FcrD0Vm6hGqVDjxkpQafaPImwLPQ8qTCFnWIbG2i4azhU/s1600/kgamutdemo02.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHVuz6pxvv04QmC1bLIBkWvCzYypkJkrMBkQ7rVmRBk3eeY1NV7q31CKb8w5cxTkBsr9wuXyLctBBGzJQH059puI3Kk1762_FcrD0Vm6hGqVDjxkpQafaPImwLPQ8qTCFnWIbG2i4azhU/s400/kgamutdemo02.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Here is a painting by Anders Zorn, showing the narrow range of colors used in the picture. The scheme is centered in yellows and oranges. The "extra-gamut" colors (colors that <i>don't</i> appear in the scheme) are magenta, blue, cyan, and green.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_0WTtECs7z9RpVRPAb3is7SYG0YG_BpTv71DgcuS6pAr5fiivk0gBQ3GNNUMT2z71G2OpgVIyaN7Nycux-d9cL9tj1tMFhsSyQ6vUBEemSPAYnQgYE-w70j0JxbSVHBCmdee9uPqBbwr/s1600/kgamutdemo04.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_0WTtECs7z9RpVRPAb3is7SYG0YG_BpTv71DgcuS6pAr5fiivk0gBQ3GNNUMT2z71G2OpgVIyaN7Nycux-d9cL9tj1tMFhsSyQ6vUBEemSPAYnQgYE-w70j0JxbSVHBCmdee9uPqBbwr/s400/kgamutdemo04.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />This image has a wider gamut, extending across neutral gray at the center of the circle. It has full intensity yellows and reds as well as some cyan, green, and violet. The gamut doesn't reach all the way to the outer edges of the circle because some hues are only partially saturated.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5GHeAFKfn-alYXfpHD3QTitWo7CpBN9iyTmlYfl4-s7OETzSjdlN7xYNN2nq3M3jxgluOSgypHgkYm7xSOevDXpH_qHf0mh9M9ZJ5ncGGOvgFZdAX4vQOCZXNJCKoZc3OlwbFIVku7uS/s1600/kgamutdemo05.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5GHeAFKfn-alYXfpHD3QTitWo7CpBN9iyTmlYfl4-s7OETzSjdlN7xYNN2nq3M3jxgluOSgypHgkYm7xSOevDXpH_qHf0mh9M9ZJ5ncGGOvgFZdAX4vQOCZXNJCKoZc3OlwbFIVku7uS/s400/kgamutdemo05.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Here's a fine example of a complementary gamut, a narrow slice of the color wheel from orange to cyan-blue.<br /><br />The gamut mapping idea is useful both for <i>analyzing</i> color schemes, as we see here, but also for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfE4E5goEIc"><i>generating</i> the color schemes</a> that you want for your picture.<br />------<br /><b>Further reading and exploration</b><br /><a href="https://plus.google.com/100352447937933295855/posts">Christian Romero</a>'s <a href="http://cr10blog.blogspot.com/2013/02/kgamut.html">KGamut</a> (samples) and <a href="http://kauel.com/kgamut/kgamut.zip">free download</a> (It works in Windows with Linux and WINE and it worked fine - openSUSE 12.2. ;-)<br /><span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration: underline;">There are other digital tools at Live Painting Lessons</span><br />There's more about gamut mapping in my book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740797719/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0740797719&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">Available on Amazon</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0740797719" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and signed <a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">from my web store</a>.<br /><div>Previously on GurneyJourney:</div><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/09/part-1-gamut-masking-method.html">Gamut Masking, Part 1</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/09/part-2-gamut-masking-method.html">Gamut Masking, Part 2</a><br /><div><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/09/part-3-gamut-masking-method.html">Gamut Masking, Part 3</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfE4E5goEIc">Video by J.G. about generating color schemes with gamut masks</a></div>

Digital gamut mapping tool for Windows

Cristian Romero has created a free digital tool for analyzing color schemes. All you have to do is drag a "jpg," "png," ...

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Korean and Chinese editions of Color & Light

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am pleased to announce brand new Korean and Chinese editions of <i>Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HKaO__hB6XbbsiEAPc3vFvlGVieu9wLJJcGBWbJ_ipUORh6CsMNlzi_TOMFbe7ghAtxt-xAp5Y56O2BlQXdQ0eOqYqWGRKKLI4fEMXI70K3VrTs5oUeadjaHF5CEJb5Wqw1byOzFikVC/s1600/Korean+Edition.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HKaO__hB6XbbsiEAPc3vFvlGVieu9wLJJcGBWbJ_ipUORh6CsMNlzi_TOMFbe7ghAtxt-xAp5Y56O2BlQXdQ0eOqYqWGRKKLI4fEMXI70K3VrTs5oUeadjaHF5CEJb5Wqw1byOzFikVC/s400/Korean+Edition.sm.jpg" width="346" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Korean edition is published by DooboCMC in Seoul by arrangement with Andrews McMeel Publishing in Kansas City.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQwneMKMnGL1rl9kuVI2HNXnU1NfVPOWfBArrhAJzCsYrMpDmeY0PKtZ6VBAzigmNcSfz6111-0p9znISsC4R9vGJwIMu66W1yrZOXvhF436BRC3kOo6Xz-dMAZoKUWwGtYQJXUeLpkGx/s1600/Korean+blurbs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQwneMKMnGL1rl9kuVI2HNXnU1NfVPOWfBArrhAJzCsYrMpDmeY0PKtZ6VBAzigmNcSfz6111-0p9znISsC4R9vGJwIMu66W1yrZOXvhF436BRC3kOo6Xz-dMAZoKUWwGtYQJXUeLpkGx/s400/Korean+blurbs.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLEKfWsBEjcWvuxI5VmPp44uw70cxd5v20QoS9JWVWnqTag5C3gl9pFjwfTuvElyr22gYL2wbIavsGMcIBoNS23dP8O_H1_YiNOykitj_eI89ZbgLoLFwtoGIy-I9d9VCYxex7TvW9OCv/s1600/Color+and+Light+Sheung_Shui.HongKong.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLEKfWsBEjcWvuxI5VmPp44uw70cxd5v20QoS9JWVWnqTag5C3gl9pFjwfTuvElyr22gYL2wbIavsGMcIBoNS23dP8O_H1_YiNOykitj_eI89ZbgLoLFwtoGIy-I9d9VCYxex7TvW9OCv/s400/Color+and+Light+Sheung_Shui.HongKong.sm.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>The Chinese edition is published by the Posts & Telecommunications Press in Beijing, under authority of Andrews McMeel.<br /><div><br /><div>Korea and China are rapidly becoming global powerhouses for visual effects, animation, concept art, and fantasy art, not to mention traditional painting, so I hope the books will be of interest to the artists in those countries, and to those artists in this country who are more comfortable in their native language. I would be very interested to learn more about how color theory is taught in the art academies there.</div></div><div>-----<br />Thanks, <a href="http://www.petersakievich.com/">Peter</a>, for the photo</div><div>Other Asian editions previously mentioned on GurneyJourney:</div><div><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2012/03/color-and-light-in-japanese.html"><i>Color and Light</i> in Japan</a></div><div><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/05/ir-in-japanese.html"><i>Imaginative Realism </i>in Japan</a></div><div><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2013/01/chinese-imaginative-realism.html"><i>Imaginative Realism</i> in China</a></div><div>On Amazon US: </div><div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740797719/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0740797719&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0740797719" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div></div><div><a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">Signed book from our website store</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>

Korean and Chinese editions of Color & Light

I am pleased to announce brand new Korean and Chinese editions of  Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter.  The Korean edition is ...

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Bookshelf Brotherhood

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGv36Xqm_BvZ7ywRE1KQQ4Igj6ppsVzvUq40annVHOo93tAbcIXaxqhpMbT-WzbBWNNj-ngnXUMQbZ1-QKagJDP6qcpBKrOpL-43pgSjn2KbVs3xE8MjsfO1G1kuzn7cwcbtgyIThd070i/s1600/ImagineFX+books.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGv36Xqm_BvZ7ywRE1KQQ4Igj6ppsVzvUq40annVHOo93tAbcIXaxqhpMbT-WzbBWNNj-ngnXUMQbZ1-QKagJDP6qcpBKrOpL-43pgSjn2KbVs3xE8MjsfO1G1kuzn7cwcbtgyIThd070i/s400/ImagineFX+books.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://stefankopinski.com/stefan_kopinski_gallery/info.html">Stefan Kopinski</a> has <a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">Color and Light</a> and <a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/241/241">Imaginative Realism</a> on his bookshelf. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://stefankopinski.com/stefan_kopinski_gallery/info.html">Stefan</a> is a freelance illustrator for the games industry who visualizes "weird and wonderful ideas" for Sega, Capcom, Forge World, Mantic, and THQ. Here's his <a href="http://stefankopinski.com/stefan_kopinski_gallery/gallery/Pages/illustration.html">illustration portfolio</a>.</div><br />The photo appears in the new issue of<a href="http://www.imaginefx.com/"> ImagineFX magazine</a>. Thanks for putting me in such good company!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599290634/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1599290634">Spectrum 19: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1599290634" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300098065/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0300098065">John Singer Sargent: The Later Portraits</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0300098065" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401227821/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1401227821">Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes (Adam Hughes Cover to Cover)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1401227821" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /><div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/2732433306/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=2732433306">Lucian Freud 1996-2005</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=2732433306" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div></div><div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076242415X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=076242415X">Best of Norman Rockwell</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=076242415X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div></div><div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401215769/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1401215769">Fables Covers by James Jean</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1401215769" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div></div><div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1921002409/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1921002409">EXPOSE 5: The Finest Digital Art in the Known Universe</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1921002409" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div></div><div><a href="http://www.danielmaghen.com/fr/l-univers-des-dragons-deuxieme-souffle_l15.htm">Universe des Dragons,</a> Galerie Daniel Maghen</div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0955153069/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0955153069">Digital Painting Techniques, Vol. 3</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0955153069" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /><a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">Color and Light</a><br /><a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/241/241">Imaginative Realism</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFfPENcln8eewXfX74jKx3U1AbSQGeFEaAOt0J9pnG1iT7sBF3xU-i9NTHzqZq7F_yP5sVA6L1MckM7AIzBT1YPjlj-ztD8CwjNYkmM4QV5vXMpo-lZcQt5Ms2hdqyJYntTZEDY_WOeUF/s1600/2s6ad1s.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFfPENcln8eewXfX74jKx3U1AbSQGeFEaAOt0J9pnG1iT7sBF3xU-i9NTHzqZq7F_yP5sVA6L1MckM7AIzBT1YPjlj-ztD8CwjNYkmM4QV5vXMpo-lZcQt5Ms2hdqyJYntTZEDY_WOeUF/s400/2s6ad1s.jpeg" width="393" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">P. S. Ian Malcolm Miles sent me a photo of his bookshelf, too. Thanks, Ian.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Previously on GJ:<a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/01/rearranging-art-books.html"> Rearranging Art Books</a></div><br /></div>

Bookshelf Brotherhood

Stefan Kopinski  has  Color and Light  and  Imaginative Realism  on his bookshelf.  Stefan  is a freelance illustrator for the games industr...

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Gamut Mapping at MICA

<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhgSgaf2Nk3j34F9gFea6EpJj7FPdLu9BCphPLWOGy6v41PWgPjjX7V1Ts8VYHElR8ufDFccRcMaPSyjhMfvBGms7NTGBetxP2k22PfSeXVr7TDs-fbuV_297j88eGdVTeMZ3qJJ6GwI/s1600/Yurmby+Gamut+Obrien+Gurney10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhgSgaf2Nk3j34F9gFea6EpJj7FPdLu9BCphPLWOGy6v41PWgPjjX7V1Ts8VYHElR8ufDFccRcMaPSyjhMfvBGms7NTGBetxP2k22PfSeXVr7TDs-fbuV_297j88eGdVTeMZ3qJJ6GwI/s400/Yurmby+Gamut+Obrien+Gurney10.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Many painting teachers have been using <a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter</a> as a textbook in the classroom. <a href="http://www.mica.edu/About_MICA/People/Faculty/Faculty_List_by_Last_Name/Patrick_OBrien.html">Patrick O'Brien</a>, who teaches painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art, described the lesson he taught out of the book:</div><br /><blockquote>We experimented with your method of gamut masking and mixing color strings. We used pages 123-131 in <i>Color and Light,</i> and also referenced pages 106-107 and 116-117.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9DOy5EmU4aBkw91Iah3D7yLrk-107Z_Q0dPAgZZam_ksArC3r1e7A0RLUn-11YY5FcxJdaSRHdHmdDtj75gAXgnNcJ9NBmYLQkUcYCS8y1KLcOmISlMwM4XI8-SLVvZKxe7IxFMzNZg/s1600/Yurmby+Gamut+Obrien+Gurney6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9DOy5EmU4aBkw91Iah3D7yLrk-107Z_Q0dPAgZZam_ksArC3r1e7A0RLUn-11YY5FcxJdaSRHdHmdDtj75gAXgnNcJ9NBmYLQkUcYCS8y1KLcOmISlMwM4XI8-SLVvZKxe7IxFMzNZg/s400/Yurmby+Gamut+Obrien+Gurney6.jpeg" width="400" /></a>For the exercise I brought in some simple photographs for them to copy, because I wanted to take the drawing element out of it, so they could concentrate on the color scheme. On the morning of class I went to the MICA library to find a color wheel to use. </blockquote><blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2-i6W4uWbyavEaSQnyOv9WLzPxMWWKTh2_svQwsa8vb1TDgGRDw4brtcTNarfKQSuiGcJ83A93pV9sxQh7WnaynlREi_AVUigIRIfMpcNIm42Mri2rM6k-JkiJh2PlWJ44j6GrVnR6c/s1600/Yurmby+Gamut+Obrien+Gurney2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir2-i6W4uWbyavEaSQnyOv9WLzPxMWWKTh2_svQwsa8vb1TDgGRDw4brtcTNarfKQSuiGcJ83A93pV9sxQh7WnaynlREi_AVUigIRIfMpcNIm42Mri2rM6k-JkiJh2PlWJ44j6GrVnR6c/s400/Yurmby+Gamut+Obrien+Gurney2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"> In flipping through all the books about color, I could not find a single good color wheel that went to grey in the center. So we had to use the small color wheel in your book on page 75. We used index cards and tape to make the masks. As you can see, some students' first instinct was to photograph it with their phone and bring it back to their seat.  </blockquote><blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRITN1epnLVDg0RwrEjMyUJZ85dlInR3DtxPMKAkF5XVGu_x5DCs-GGqJ9uIS9yvHdso6EYcWoIlgAfO6SBSEcFqQOk6sLIekmXpCE6QxltUjnzEzjAUqCsfW_R6MHD0wyBkQOygAHCg/s1600/Yurmby+Gamut+Obrien+Gurney11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRITN1epnLVDg0RwrEjMyUJZ85dlInR3DtxPMKAkF5XVGu_x5DCs-GGqJ9uIS9yvHdso6EYcWoIlgAfO6SBSEcFqQOk6sLIekmXpCE6QxltUjnzEzjAUqCsfW_R6MHD0wyBkQOygAHCg/s400/Yurmby+Gamut+Obrien+Gurney11.jpeg" width="372" /></a></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"> I had each student draw the subject twice. We did one small painting in one color gamut, and then their homework is to do another painting of the same scene in the other gamut. Pretty much exactly what you did in your <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EejGPq4GyeA">video with the CircusCircus sign. </a></blockquote><blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSarmdPwEFwPzTESdxJPYhyphenhyphenLN3cn0w4t7ezsjhFOD1_nynb9uCyAQ4CWCxc621_NZf4z12C4fF7r2Pwcg4GEZcplcNsOYsxZfoGJLDlDklaMRyRPMzh6Se4zOWDNyUC41RpfFStLEMn4/s1600/Yurmby+Gamut+Obrien+Gurney8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSarmdPwEFwPzTESdxJPYhyphenhyphenLN3cn0w4t7ezsjhFOD1_nynb9uCyAQ4CWCxc621_NZf4z12C4fF7r2Pwcg4GEZcplcNsOYsxZfoGJLDlDklaMRyRPMzh6Se4zOWDNyUC41RpfFStLEMn4/s400/Yurmby+Gamut+Obrien+Gurney8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"> And now I've been inspired to incorporate these ideas into my own painting as well. I'm working on a New York 1940s maritime scene that would be perfect for a cool gamut.</blockquote><blockquote>Thanks for the great ideas! ---Patrick O'Brien, MICA</blockquote><br />If other instructors are doing class projects based on ideas in Color and Light, please send me photos and a description, and I’ll try to share them on the blog.<br /><br />And if you want to use <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">Color and Light </a>as your course guide, please let me know. At our little web store, we can offer you discounts on group orders, and I can sign them for each of your students.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>MORE INFO:<br /><a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter</a> signed from my web store<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740797719/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0740797719">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0740797719" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> on Amazon<br />All photos by <a href="http://www.mica.edu/About_MICA/People/Faculty/Faculty_List_by_Last_Name/Patrick_OBrien.html">Patrick O'Brien</a><br />Previously on GJ:<br /><a href="http://micaillustration.blogspot.com/2011/11/guest-illustrator-james-gurney.html">My painting demo for Patrick's class at MICA </a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/05/color-theory-in-action.html">Jason Dowd's use of C&L at LCAD</a><br /><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EejGPq4GyeA">Video on Gamut Mapping</a></div><div><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/02/color-wheel-part-7.html">The Yurmby Wheel</a></div><br /><br />

Gamut Mapping at MICA

Many painting teachers have been using  Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter  as a textbook in the classroom. Patrick O'Brie...

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Yellow in Context

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What do all these color swatches have in common? They're all bright yellow. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FYo6OkTk6SHfV1hRgSDs0WkbumqncP7CAd9k6-t85t9NPHi_tn_2jN5I5wozD-gkNC0t27WUvm1rRjKd_KBnOkNsSUCnFVflkZFGMkJSvFFLtLOX2VmFVF2xxTy9qyO1BVSUTUXMt1k/s1600/Despicable+Me+Yellow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FYo6OkTk6SHfV1hRgSDs0WkbumqncP7CAd9k6-t85t9NPHi_tn_2jN5I5wozD-gkNC0t27WUvm1rRjKd_KBnOkNsSUCnFVflkZFGMkJSvFFLtLOX2VmFVF2xxTy9qyO1BVSUTUXMt1k/s400/Despicable+Me+Yellow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">OK, so what's the catch? They are all bright yellow <i>as seen in the right lighting context.</i> That pale one and gray one at the bottom left are bright yellow in a bluish light. The dark brownish colors are yellow in shadow.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPVvXmymi-Ae5nWoS_UC0x456ox1owIizl_Uk6ssYL3sGPiLh1c2CqZ5VZ3CxqNtKpPKKMGrQ9RsyuTFjj_LwSoRWBaFsAdb51XO1J7lq9TvUDXatSF4NfATadeQIMejZRTGqfXIXEWs/s1600/Despicable_Me_Color.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPVvXmymi-Ae5nWoS_UC0x456ox1owIizl_Uk6ssYL3sGPiLh1c2CqZ5VZ3CxqNtKpPKKMGrQ9RsyuTFjj_LwSoRWBaFsAdb51XO1J7lq9TvUDXatSF4NfATadeQIMejZRTGqfXIXEWs/s400/Despicable_Me_Color.png" width="400" /></a></div>All of those swatches come from screenshots of the "minions," the bright yellow characters in the animated film "Despicable Me."<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="253" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TlbnGSMJQbQ" width="450"></iframe><br />(<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlbnGSMJQbQ">Link to video</a>) Here's the new trailer for <i>Despicable Me 2 </i>where the screenshots came from<i>.</i> The lighting designers did a great job of shifting the gamut from one range to another in less than two minutes of screen time.<br /><br />To achieve a feeling of colored light, a painter must often shift the mixture far from the local color. A good rule of thumb is that the color of a given mixture is a combination of the local color and the color of the light source.<br /><br />Related post: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/01/color-constancy.html">Color Constancy</a><br />All this is covered in my book, <a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter</a><br />Images ©Universal<br /><br /><br />

Yellow in Context

What do all these color swatches have in common? They're all bright yellow.  OK, so what's the catch? They are all bright yellow as ...

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Teaching Art in Malawi

Freelance illustrator<a href="http://jessicacasner.com/"> Jessica Casner </a>sent me this inspiring email:<br /><br />"My name is Jessica Casner, and I recently traveled to Malawi for two months to teach the process of storyboarding and illustration to a wonderful group of students. My professor, Ron Mazellan, said that you would be encouraged to know that I left "Imaginative Realism" and "Color and Light" with the teachers due to the fact that their library had insufficient examples on understanding art and the process of its making."<br /><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZzxnA7nqPszXKn34K2zSEhZidm9OutDIiPHk-VSt_LHZaAK183Zaw5R-eaM2FrjsFOAMekvL3oHHlsGfJ9j0PLY9lv2Hw1dE3FIQtSrEeoSbQfHRcdoxURbbSlLoettZis8fEeUFYV4/s1600/Casner_Gurney_Books.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZzxnA7nqPszXKn34K2zSEhZidm9OutDIiPHk-VSt_LHZaAK183Zaw5R-eaM2FrjsFOAMekvL3oHHlsGfJ9j0PLY9lv2Hw1dE3FIQtSrEeoSbQfHRcdoxURbbSlLoettZis8fEeUFYV4/s400/Casner_Gurney_Books.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div>"The Chichewa word for car is "gallimoto", and needless to say there were many shrieks of delight as they understood that some "gallimotos" could fly. Please know that the teachers and students are overjoyed to be able to learn even after I have left, and that you have given them hope and inspiration to create beyond our understanding."<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks, Jessica! I have a special feeling for your gift because my own interest in becoming an artist came from art instruction books I found when I was young. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If anyone else would like to share my books in a special teaching setting, or with their local community center, teen hangout, retirement home, or hobby group, you can <a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/books">order directly from me,</a> and I would be happy to sign it specially for your group.  </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-----</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/books">JamesGurney.com online bookstore</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://jessicacasner.com/">Jessica Casner's website</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">----</div><div><br /></div></div>

Teaching Art in Malawi

Freelance illustrator Jessica Casner sent me this inspiring email: "My name is Jessica Casner, and I recently traveled to Malawi for t...

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Matching dappled light to projecting leaves

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">On a recent sunny day, I noticed this pattern of light and shadow cast across a road. The shadow looked like a piece of dark paper with holes punched out of it.</span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_6TRc-AyhaCeVXKKAB0lmCWAfSf_sa3k1jD6J17yeVjYY_WnUy-ur7IcUlD6LY8C_m8R9EiMo3V8GRwfATe_OIhLmpgmwYHwvEarQ9Yv6kIbyTNIiVS0iQFbDTG7YiMM7SMcSJUNlJc/s1600/Dappled+light.driveway.sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_6TRc-AyhaCeVXKKAB0lmCWAfSf_sa3k1jD6J17yeVjYY_WnUy-ur7IcUlD6LY8C_m8R9EiMo3V8GRwfATe_OIhLmpgmwYHwvEarQ9Yv6kIbyTNIiVS0iQFbDTG7YiMM7SMcSJUNlJc/s400/Dappled+light.driveway.sm.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />The circles of <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/dappled-light.html">dappled light</a> were about three inches in diameter, and they were all of constant size. However some circles were brighter than others.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkR2lLb8u4ZousJ-WFELXQkc-F2N7NDFYlayyn3cYlcI4ZtgEjLMeBXv67KEHWh1wakO_8aafWXaOpxXU9Z9s1jaN_91S3WeXo2G2NNE_sCIWL8wM-OWmCNXB1ssYx5LcUe3Bzmro8n4/s1600/Branch+casting+dappled+light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkR2lLb8u4ZousJ-WFELXQkc-F2N7NDFYlayyn3cYlcI4ZtgEjLMeBXv67KEHWh1wakO_8aafWXaOpxXU9Z9s1jaN_91S3WeXo2G2NNE_sCIWL8wM-OWmCNXB1ssYx5LcUe3Bzmro8n4/s400/Branch+casting+dappled+light.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />I looked up to see what was casting the shadow. It was a maple branch 18 feet above the ground. The branch presented a fairly flat projecting surface with a fixed distance from the ground. This is why the circles were the same size.<br /><br />Typically a tree or a forest presents a variety projecting of surfaces positioned at many different distances from the ground, so the circles or ellipses vary in size and focus. The farther from the ground, the larger—and blurrier—the circles.<br /><br />I wondered if I could match up the projecting surface of leaves with the pattern on the ground.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHW2rlitCEpeJygsKlNycBULxQpGgJztVI5NpNMXP57oXEFQIP4W1j6gUs3St91_O2nNzOZk1AVf3J3iij4wnZbyD-AQa24OL0dUgEcW4ATHcS98eTzCfNlRODdboWSR7rFiuCDiKZTk/s1600/Dappled+Light.vsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHW2rlitCEpeJygsKlNycBULxQpGgJztVI5NpNMXP57oXEFQIP4W1j6gUs3St91_O2nNzOZk1AVf3J3iij4wnZbyD-AQa24OL0dUgEcW4ATHcS98eTzCfNlRODdboWSR7rFiuCDiKZTk/s400/Dappled+Light.vsm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />It's a pretty close fit, but doesn't match exactly because they aren't shot at exactly opposite angles. At the bottom of the photo on the right you can see the sharp cast shadow of my arms holding up the camera.<br /><br />Anyway, it's clear that every opening in the leafy surface, <span style="background-color: white;">regardless of its size or its ragged shape,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> has its corresponding circle or composite blob of light on the ground.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;">The branches aren't thick enough to block the sun from that distance, so they disappear completely in the shadow.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br /><br />Previously on GJ: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/dappled-light.html">Dappled light</a><br />More information about natural light effects in my book "<a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">Color and Light</a>"

Matching dappled light to projecting leaves

On a recent sunny day, I noticed this pattern of light and shadow cast across a road. The shadow looked like a piece of dark paper with hole...

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Light Spill

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had the morning free yesterday in Allentown, Pennsylvania so I set up my chair in an alley called West Silk Street and did this little gouache sketch.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9oFF0inFHXroc7XQz-In1oNfyTBZ2lZr-IpCuxMu7gKDnSWMQxMDQaZQmBKFCu4bz4hMqzDGGe7kNvKOg2z8D_dCM2K44yO2jCwpcA2EtIxbviaRvtV2PZ4gUT7OKcKA3AAhqnD1twI/s1600/Allentown+Alley.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9oFF0inFHXroc7XQz-In1oNfyTBZ2lZr-IpCuxMu7gKDnSWMQxMDQaZQmBKFCu4bz4hMqzDGGe7kNvKOg2z8D_dCM2K44yO2jCwpcA2EtIxbviaRvtV2PZ4gUT7OKcKA3AAhqnD1twI/s640/Allentown+Alley.sm.jpg" width="404" /></a><br />I was interested in an effect that I've been calling "light spill." I've noticed this effect in old photographs or in pictures taken with a camera that has a dirty lens.<br /><br />When an extremely bright field of light is surrounded by very dark forms, the light spills over into them. Even though those forms appear very dark near the sky, I tried not to paint them that way. The color of the light spill is the same as the color of the source of light, so a blue sky will spill blue light and a warm building will spill warm light.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZloRxpWGIosdd6ip8VGpms_95ZcCI_B4XYjpJ1XBJc8CJPjWYyj3YRyFvleNFuoXMRaNBiaBW3NnHmLC-rv6WMiBgbwv3etbrdbACpWW_POWFFkyT7hAAcTt_C4QSCLkrGZQN0YQrEyI/s1600/Light+Spill.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZloRxpWGIosdd6ip8VGpms_95ZcCI_B4XYjpJ1XBJc8CJPjWYyj3YRyFvleNFuoXMRaNBiaBW3NnHmLC-rv6WMiBgbwv3etbrdbACpWW_POWFFkyT7hAAcTt_C4QSCLkrGZQN0YQrEyI/s400/Light+Spill.sm.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>I took some photos while I was doing the sketch. In these two details from the same high-key exposure, you can see the effect of light spill on smaller forms interpenetrating the bright areas. Note how the wires and the streetlight in the top detail are blue where they intersect the sky. The wires turn orange where they intersect in front of the warmly lit rooftops.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Photography has a disadvantage over painting in such super-high-contrast situations, because to really see the light-spill effect in the dark areas, you have to burn out the exposure in the light areas, which appear white in the photos above. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibr9zN5HIHs6Ob1CG9LuygdJQVVePH-rPa5OCOd9Uuf-09xjycttHHZ7XHwm5VxLTkOdSkGxtWWf_gz31n0Kxjgi4lJZgwxRkkgmM8V451eIww-er4TcbWfExWHyuMe3XzvuqSYIaDoY/s1600/Allentown+Alley.det.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibr9zN5HIHs6Ob1CG9LuygdJQVVePH-rPa5OCOd9Uuf-09xjycttHHZ7XHwm5VxLTkOdSkGxtWWf_gz31n0Kxjgi4lJZgwxRkkgmM8V451eIww-er4TcbWfExWHyuMe3XzvuqSYIaDoY/s400/Allentown+Alley.det.sm.jpg" width="316" /></a><br />But in the painting (detail above), I could hold some chroma in both the sky and the building. Gouache is a really nice medium for such experiments.<br />---------<br />Materials: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8883705629/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=8883705629">Moleskine watercolor notebook</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=8883705629" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NB2IDS/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000NB2IDS">Winsor & Newton gouache</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000NB2IDS" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009I52O2/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0009I52O2">Caran D'Ache Supracolor pencils</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0009I52O2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /><a href="http://jamesgurney.com/site/213/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter">Color and Light book</a><br />Related previous posts:<br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/color-corona.html">Color Corona</a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>

Light Spill

I had the morning free yesterday in Allentown, Pennsylvania so I set up my chair in an alley called West Silk Street and did this little gou...

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