JohnMalcolm1970

I receieved James Gurney's 'Color and Light' book yesterday. It's the follow up to his very successful 'Imaginative Realism' (which up until now had been firmly at the top of my art book collection – and I have a LOT of art books.

It now looks like 'Color and Light' is going to overtake his previous book and sit proudly at the top of the pile. (It's not really a pile – just a large section of my IKEA bookshelves).

James Gurney keeps a very regularly updated and informative blog at: gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/ and if after my rambling review you fancy a copy, there are details there on how to get it.

Like his previous book this is just a goldmine of useful and very well presented information. He's not a digital artist – he works mainly in oils, but on every single page there's something to be learned. It's almost like an art cookbook in a way – Every section introduces something which leaves me thinking "I must try that soon."

He talks about: Types of light (overcast, sunlight, candlelight to name but a few), light and form, types of shadows, a very informative chapter on colour, colour relationships, visual perception* (how all colour and value is relative as our brains take the raw info from our optics nerves and take shortcuts processing it).

That's just a fraction of the info in the book. Even sections that deal directly with real world media, stuff like colour mixing and pigments are interesting and probably useful for a digital as well as traditional artist. I'd recommend this book at it's predecesor to anyone interested in either making art or appreciating how others go about it – and at around 220 pages long it's well worth every penny.

* See the following link for a great example of how visual perception or processed visual information differs dramatically from what our eyes are actually seeing: gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/201…

OK... I think I've stocked up with enough fine art paper and ink to last me a while (not to mention cardboard mailing tubes).

I am offering a very limited edition (of thirty) A3 prints of my latest Nick Cave caricature, that will be customised (name of choice on piano - where mine is atm), numbered, dated and signed.

johnmalcolm1970.co.uk/prints.h… <-----Details here

The quality of the paper and the quality of the new printer has blown me away so far.

I went and got myself a new printer recently. It an Epson Stylus Photo 1400 and it can do A3 and A3+ prints. I've only done a couple of prints from it so far: A borderless A3 print of one of my mum's Scottish hillwalking photos and an A3 print of my latest Nick Cave caricature. I was more than happy with the results.

I've went ahead and ordered myself a continuous ink system (CIS) for it - as there's no way I'm going to be buying 6 seperate ink cartridges regularly. The CSS comes with everthing needed and ink that works out at 6 or 7 complete cartridge changes. Also coming is enough A3 and A3+ Fine Art and Photo Satin paper to last me for a fair while.

I got a copy of Sc-Fi Art now by John Freeman yesterday. It's a really great quality hardback containing just under 200 pages of some great science-fiction artwork. I am biased because I was lucky enough to be asked by John to contribute - but - I'd have bought the book regardless - I did in fact. I bought a copy myself over and above the one I will receive as a contributor. It's available on Amazon www.amazon.co.uk/Sci-Fi-Art-No….

The book, Sci-Fi Art Now by John Freeman has just been released and is available on Amazon. I contributed to this book and had pre-ordered a copy (in addition to the contributor's copy). I was amused to see one "used - like new" copy on Amazon last night at the cost of £1176.82. It made me laugh, but, it's been fixed now. I'm still not sure why it's listed by the seller as used.

Book is at www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/19…