Video: James Gurney’s Self-Education Journey - Draftsmen S3E04

James Gurney is our podcast guest this week! He’s the creator behind Dinotopia and the author of “Color and Light” and “Imaginative Realism”. James talks with us about how he was able to succeed with his own art education and how it deviated from traditional art schools. We also take a look at popular art books that you can study from, try to imagine what the future of art education looks like, and talk about the struggles of using animals as live models.

Where You Can Find James’s Stuff:

Gurney’s Website - http://jamesgurney.com/

Gurney Journey blog - http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/gurneyjourney

Gumroad - https://gumroad.com/gurneyjourney

His Books (affiliate links)

Imaginative Realism by James Gurney - https://amzn.to/3tEQ5Ti

Color and Light by James Gurney - https://amzn.to/3egK4FO

Dinotopia by James Gurney - https://amzn.to/2QMQYuc

Topics:

00:00 - Intro

03:55 - Teaching Yourself Art

06:47 - Core Curriculum vs Project Based Learning

17:18 - Bringing Community Online

26:01 - James Gurney’s Parents

28:42 - Growing Up Without Art Instruction

30:05 - Art Parents

36:54 - What Books Did You Study From?

40:33 - Drawing from Observation and Imagination

44:11 - Getting Feedback Without Art School

49:50 - What are young art students seeking now?

59:46 - Principles, Concepts, and Techniques

01:04:15 - Howard Pyle’s teaching

01:08:06 - How Long Does a James Gurney Book Take to Make?

01:15:22 - The Business of Art

01:17:28 - Animal Drawing

01:27:04 - How Long Were You a Student?

Books and Resources (some contain affiliate links):

Composing Pictures by Donald W. Graham - https://amzn.to/3sH5IIi

The Artist’s Guide to Sketching by James Gurney - https://amzn.to/3xeNwJA

Howard Pyle Weekly Drawing Sessions (Blog Post) - http://illustrationart.blogspot.com/2012/01/howard-pyles-weekly-drawing-sessions.html

Perspective Drawing by Ernest Norling - https://amzn.to/3ar04E0

Drawing Made Easy by Edwin Lutz - https://amzn.to/3gtQ5BD

How to Draw Animals by Jack Hamm - https://amzn.to/2QPF4Qf

Cartooning the Head & Figure by Jack Hamm - https://amzn.to/3dCO5oL

Norman Rockwell Illustrator by Arthur Guptill - https://amzn.to/3v1ORBM

Art Alphabets, Monograms, & Lettering by J.M. Bergling - https://amzn.to/3tGgr77

Gurney Journey Dover list - http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2012/06/survival-guide-for-art-students.html

Drawn to Life by Walt Stanchfield - https://amzn.to/3n8bf9I

Figure Drawing For All It’s Worth by Andrew Loomis - https://amzn.to/3tIltA2

Creative Illustration by Andrew Loomis - https://amzn.to/2QGjIVz

Gurney Journey Best Art Instruction Poll - http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2012/07/best-how-to-art-books.html

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami - https://amzn.to/3gUjSUz

The Human Figure by John Vanderpoel - https://amzn.to/32DMOre

The Practice of Oil Painting & Drawing by Solomon J. Solomon - https://amzn.to/32zIGsz

The Practice & Science of Drawing by Harold Speed - https://amzn.to/3nbqFtZ

Negotiating a Book Contract by Mark Levine - https://amzn.to/3elrHzp

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators - https://www.scbwi.org/

Animal Painting & Anatomy by Frank Calderon - https://amzn.to/32E19nz

Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams - https://amzn.to/3sF5f9C

Grand Central Academy of Art - https://grandcentralatelier.org/

Show Links and Referenced Artists - https://www.proko.com/492

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#dinotopia #painting #onlinearteducation

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CREDITS:

Guest - James Gurney (http://jamesgurney.com/)

Hosts - Stan Prokopenko (http://www.stanprokopenko.com), Marshall Vandruff (http://www.marshallart.com/)

Production Assistance - Alex Otis (https://www.instagram.com/alexotisillustration/), Charlie Nicholson (https://www.instagram.com/shloogorgh/)

Editing - Charlie Nicholson

Intro Animation - Cody Shank (http://codyshank.com/)

Intro Jingle - Tommy Rush (https://www.instagram.com/tommyrush/)

Music Used with Permission Intro - The Freak Fandango Orchestra