Book Review - Color & Light by James Gurney
Kerri Dixon 
Discover why James Gurney’s Color and Light is a must-read for realist artists looking to master lighting, value, and color.
Why Every Realist Painter Should Read 'Color and Light' by James Gurney
If you're serious about learning how to paint realistically, James Gurney's Color and Light isn't just a nice-to-have—it's essential. It’s the kind of book that becomes a permanent fixture on your art desk, with dog-eared pages and sticky notes poking out the top. Here's why it deserves a place in your creative toolkit, plus a breakdown of what makes this book such a game-changer.
Who is James Gurney?
James Gurney is the creator of the Dinotopia series—lush, imaginative books filled with dinosaurs, humans, and breathtaking landscapes. But more importantly for us realists, he’s a master of light. His ability to make imagined worlds look believable all comes down to how he understands light and color.
He paints from life, studies lighting obsessively, and shares his findings generously on his blog, Gurney Journey. This book is a condensed guide to everything he's learned—part science, part philosophy, and all gold.
What the Book Covers (and Why It Matters)
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This isn’t a how-to manual. It’s a thinking book. It changes how you see. Gurney takes you through:
- Different types of light (sunlight, overcast, candlelight, indoor lighting)
- Light and form: how shadows really behave
- Color temperature and how to use it for emotion
- Edges and focus to guide the viewer’s eye
- Mood, contrast, and visual storytelling
- How cameras distort what we see—and what to do about it
Each section is filled with visual examples, diagrams, and plain-English explanations that make even tricky topics (like bounced light or occlusion shadows) suddenly click.
Top 3 Things You'll Take Away
- Better Value Control – You'll finally understand why your mid-tones feel muddy and how to fix them.
- Confidence with Color Temperature – Warm vs. cool isn’t a mystery anymore. You’ll learn to use it on purpose, not just by accident.
- Intentional Lighting – Instead of copying what you see, you'll start making creative decisions about where and how to light your subject.
One Caveat: It’s Not a Quick Read
This is a book you’ll come back to again and again—not one to binge in a single weekend. But every time you read it, you’ll learn something new based on where you are in your journey.
Final Thoughts
If you’re learning to paint realistically and want to take more control over your work—how it feels, how it reads, and how it glows—Color and Light is the book to reach for. It will elevate your thinking, your observation, and ultimately, your art.
Whether you paint animals, landscapes, still life, or imaginative scenes, Gurney gives you the tools to make your work sing.
Go get it. You won’t regret it.
Kerri xx
