An award-winning fantasy artist and the creator of Dinotopia, James Gurney instructs and inspires in Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist. Renowned for his uncanny ability to incorporate amazing detail and imagination into stunningly realistic fantasy settings, James Gurney teaches budding artists and fans of fantasy art step-by-step the techniques that won him worldwide critical acclaim. This groundbreaking work examines the practical methods for creating believable pictures of imaginary subjects, such as dinosaurs, ancient Romans, alien creatures, and distant worlds.Beginning with a survey of imaginative paintings from the Renaissance to the golden Age of American illustration, the book then goes on to explain not just techniques like sketching and composition, but also the fundamentals of believable world building including archaeology, architecture, anatomy for creatures and aliens, and fantastic engineering. It concludes with details and valuable advice on careers in fantasy illustration, including video game and film concept art and toy design.More than an instruction book, this is the ultimate reference for fans of science fiction and fantasy illustration."Gurney's Imaginative Realism is a gold mine for artists who want to create images that sing with authority and delight the viewer with rich otherworldly visuals." --Erik Tiemens, concept artist, Star Wars: Episodes II and III"Imaginative Realism is an indispensable, flawless reference for vision makers in any discipline to create their own imaginative realms." --Frank M. Costantino, ASAI, SI, FSAI, JARA, cofounder, American Society of Architectural Illustrators

Because nature is so expansive and complex, so varied in its range of light, landscape painters often have to look further and more deeply to find form and structure, value patterns, and an organized arrangement of shapes. In Landscape Painting, Mitchell Albala shares his concepts and practices for translating nature's grandeur, complexity, and color dynamics into convincing representations of space and light.  Concise, practical, and inspirational, Landscape Painting focuses on the greatest challenges for the landscape artist, such as: •  Simplification and Massing: Learn to reduce nature's complexity by looking beneath the surface of a subject to discover the form's basic masses and shapes.•  Color and Light: Explore color theory as it specifically applies to the landscape, and learn the various strategies painters use to capture the illusion of natural light.•  Selection and Composition: Learn to select wisely from nature's vast panorama. Albala shows you the essential cues to look for and how to find the most promising subject from a world of possibilities. The lessons in Landscape Painting—based on observation rather than imitation and applicable to both plein air and studio practice—are accompanied by painting examples, demonstrations, photographs, and diagrams. Illustrations draw from the work of more than 40 contemporary artists and such masters of landscape painting as John Constable, Sanford Gifford, and Claude Monet.  Based on Albala's 25 years of experience and the proven methods taught at his successful plein air workshops, this in-depth guide to all aspects of landscape painting is a must-have for anyone getting started in the genre, as well as more experienced practitioners who want to hone their skills or learn new perspectives.

In the latest addition to the Color Mixing Recipes family of books, artist William F. Powell provides instruction on color mixing as it relates to landscape painting in oil and acrylic. Following the format of the other books in the series, Color Mixing Recipes for Landscapes offers a robust index of landscape subjects that correspond to the featured color mixing swatches. This useful book also discusses how color is influenced by the time of day, the angle of the sun, and changing seasons, making it a must-have in every oil and acrylic artist's reference library.

From Caucasian to Latino and East Indian hues, this convenient book features master mixes for an arry of skin colors, plus recipes for hair, eye, and lip colors. The concealed wire-o bound book also includes a plastic color-mixing grid for measuring out paints, as well as a handy conversion chart for finding acrylic equivalents of oil paints and vice versa.

The whys and hows of the various aspects of landscape painting: angles and consequent values, aerial and linear perspective, painting of trees, emotional properties of line and mass in composition, light, unity of tone, plus information on canvas, palette, brushes, more. 34 black-and-white reproductions of paintings by Carlson. 58 explanatory diagrams.

Many would-be painters are intimidated by oil paints -- the medium of masters like Rembrandt and Picasso. However, oils are a very forgiving medium, ideal for the beginning painter. Learn how to build up a painting, how and when to work "wet into wet", and how to make your brushwork describe forms and textures. Discover the secrets of mixing oil with other media, mixing paint with sand and sawdust, and applying it with rags, knives, or your fingers. Then watch artists apply these techniques in a section of demonstrations, where step-by-step photographs show you approaches to themes like architecture, still-life, figures, and landscape.

Create Better Compositions by DesignThe path to better painting begins with Mastering Composition. This effective guide blends clear, visual instruction with 5 step-by-step demonstrations to show you how to plan and paint your best work yet.Composition is the key, and here you'll learn to design paintings with new skill and confidence. It all begins with the armature or structure of the picture plane. Every great painting has one, and you'll see through several famous examples exactly how the Old Masters used armatures to create movement, narrative, harmony and fluidity. Based on these examples, you'll practice what you've learned following a series of hands-on demonstrations.Once you understand the basic principles of design, you'll be amazed at how quickly and effectively your compositions come together. Soon you will be painting more boldly and confidently than ever before with less reworking and overworking.Whether you're a beginner looking for basic instruction or a more advanced painter troubleshooting a specific problem, the proven methods in this book will work for you. Ideal for all mediums, Mastering Composition gives you the knowledge you need to create powerful paintings out of every subject.

The absolute beginner's first strokes can now be fun and rewarding. First Steps offers friendly instruction that is clear, simple and encouraging.

Award-winning encaustic artist Daniella Woolf shares her groundbreaking techniques and ideas in working with encaustic, a highly-versatile and popular mixed-media technique that unifies and brings all elements together. Inside this essential resource on encaustic art, you’ll discover a thorough introduction to materials and methods, pigment exploration, sculptural techniques, and incorporating found objects.Daniella also teaches you how to compose encaustic art by layering such techniques as collage, stenciling, masking, pigmenting, and image transfers into wax, as well as how to fuse the layers with heat. You’ll be inspired by a broad selection of projects and progress into extending the myriad of possibilities using encaustic techniques. The versatility of encaustic is enhanced and beautifully illustrated throughout the book.Also included in the book is a one-hour bonus DVD showcasing Daniella’s expert teaching and the book’s extensive techniques.