Contents
Introduction 6
Chapter 1 Tradition 9
Tradition of imaginative painting 10
Art in the twentieth century 12
Copies from the masters 14
Chapter 2 Studio 17
Tables, easels, and lights 18
Helpful equipment 20
Drawing media 22
Painting media 24
Chapter 3 Preliminary sketches 27
Games to loosen up 28
Thumbnail sketches 30
Storyboards 32
Color experiments 34
Charcoal comprehensive 36
Corrections and tracings 38
Eye level 40
Perspective grid 42
Sticking with it 44
Chapter 4 History and archeology 47
Telling a story 48
Early humans 50
Close or far view 52
Information and atmosphere 54
Chapter 5 People 57
Mirror studies 58
Tone paper studies 60
Acting in character 62
Photographing models 64
Professional models 66
Head maquettes 68
Costumes 70
Characters in settings 72
Managing detail 74
Chapter 6 Dinosaurs 77
Digging dinosaurs 78
Dinosaurs in their environment 80
Unusual behaviors 82
Multiple maquettes 84
Setting up a tableau 86
Homemade miniatures 88
Wings and capes 90
2D-to-3D maquette 92
Coloration 94
Chapter 7 Creatures and aliens 97
Creature maquettes 98
Skeleton model 100
Animal characters 102
Half-human 104
From model to mermaid 106
Cyborgs 108
Chapter 8 Architecture 111
Four steps to build a city 112
Visualizing waterfall city 114
Architectural maquettes 116
Lighting the maquette 118
Clay and stone 120
Chapter 9 Vehicles 122
Start with the familiar 124
Exaggeration 126
Sketchbook as springboard 128
Insect vehicles 130
Walking vehicles 132
Alternate history 134
A lived-in future 136
Engineering 138
Scrap file 140
Chapter 10 Plein-air studies 143
On-location drawing 144
Weird and wonderful 146
Fact into fantasy 148
Museums and zoos 150
Orientalism 152
Chapter 11 Composition 155
Two values 156
Silhouette 158
Chiaroscuro 160
Shapewelding 162
Counterchange 164
Windmill principle 166
Eye tracking 168
Heatmaps 170
Spokewheeling 172
Clustering 174
Flagging the head 178
Vignetting 180
Repose and action 182
Repoussoir 184
Cutaway views 186
Aerial views184
Maps 186
Chapter 12 Procedure 189
Step by step 190
Grounds, mediums, and techniques 192
Texture and impasto 194
Combining the elements 196
Chapter 13 Careers 199
Paperback covers 200
Movie design 202
Video game design 204
Toy design 206
Theme park design 208
Afterword 210
Glossary 212
Recommended Reading 216
Works by and about James Gurney 219
Image Credits 220
About the Author 220
Index 221