James Gurney is the author and illustrator behind Dinotopia, a novel from the 90s in which dinosaurs and humans live together. One of his publications is Color and Light – A Guide for the Realist Painter, often recommended in artist circles.
It has more than 200 pages focusing on the study and application of color and light and how to make fiction look conceivable.
The book does not ask for a linear reading and you can read each topic individually, according to your studies. These topics range from studies of night lighting, candlelight, differences between watercolor and acrylic paint, diffused light on a cloudy day (very specific!), what happens during sunset…
I always check this book in my routine. I’m currently working in an illustration about Dragon Age: Inquisition, but I’m still in the early stages, making thumbnails with different color schemes and lighting, as shown in the studies below.
If any color scheme does not work very well, I set it aside and start all over again. That is why those studies are usually made in small resolution. I’ve also set up a folder filled with photo references from catacombs, nocturnal environments or anything that could give me more insight on how to reproduce a realistic color scheme for this piece.
Which brings me to another subject: We often wish to draw stuff directly out of our heads.
I believed this would make the art would feel more genuine. I’ve often seen artists say they felt like using references is a form of cheating. And thus falling prey, I think, to painting something that doesn’t feel like the idea you have in mind, and not having the technical knowledge to fix it. I go through this stage sometimes, and it accompanied me so much more during the early days of art-making.
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