--- product_id: 48916675 title: "Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Volume 2) (James Gurney Art)" price: "221 Lei" currency: RON in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ro/products/48916675-color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter-volume store_origin: RO region: Romania --- # Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Volume 2) (James Gurney Art) **Price:** 221 Lei **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Volume 2) (James Gurney Art) - **How much does it cost?** 221 Lei with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ro](https://www.desertcart.ro/products/48916675-color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter-volume) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description James Gurney, New York Times best-selling author and artist of the Dinotopia series, follows Imaginative Realism with his second art-instruction book, Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter . A researched study on two of art's most fundamental themes, Color and Light bridges the gap between abstract theory and practical knowledge. Beginning with a survey of underappreciated masters who perfected the use of color and light, the book examines how light reveals form, the properties of color and pigments, and the wide variety of atmospheric effects. Gurney cuts though the confusing and contradictory dogma about color, testing it in the light of science and observation. A glossary, pigment index, and bibliography complete what will ultimately become an indispensible tool for any artist. This book is the second in a series based on his blog, gurneyjourney.com. His first in the series, Imaginative Realism , was widely acclaimed in the fantastical art world, and was ranked the #1 Bestseller on the desertcart list for art instruction. "James Gurney's new book, Color and Light , cleverly bridges the gap between artistic observation and scientific explanation. Not only does he eloquently describe all the effects of color and light an artist might encounter, but he thrills us with his striking paintings in the process." --Armand Cabrera, Artist Review: A must for any observational artist - This is quite simply the best book on 'colour & light' I have ever read. Quite simply it has reinvigorated my artwork after years of drifting through the motions. I wish the subject had been so well covered when I was at college. My background is in observational drawing & technical drafting, but for the last few years been pretty much cartooning, all pretty much b&w or limited to largely flat tones, so I went out & read Itten, Albers, Kandinsky to better understand 'colour theory' thinking that'd help. Wrong! Interesting, but of no real help to understanding how light & colour are effected in the real world. James Gurney's book on the otherhand is a treasure trove of explanations of how & why things look the way they do, ranging from shadows, daylight, nightlight, artificial light, reflective light, various angles of light and their effect on the scene and much much, more. It then also talks of chroma / values / palettes / contrast in realistic terms, & throughout is heavily filled with colour examples. There's a lot to digest, & I find myself referring to it often just to refresh my memory. Honestly, I can't recommend this book highly enough if you're looking to better understand light & colour and it's effects on the world around us, it is a real tour de force of observation & understanding on the subject, and in an extremely accessible writing style. Buy this, you won't regret it for a moment! Review: Not an easy read but packed full of interesting ideas and information. - I had already bought and enjoyed James Gurney's previous book and was looking forward to reading this one. I was initially disconcerted by how much harder going this one was. I had read " Imaginative Realism" in one sitting but had to digest this one in chunks over several days. I was a bit disappointed that he only devoted 17 pages to paint and pigments which I felt could have been given more space and attention. Especially since some colours are better suited to oils than other media and the advice to just try them out to discover their properties seemed less than helpful. (Although I was rather pleased that one of the limited palettes he recommended was one I am currently exploring.) This said, there are a lot of interesting topics that are not usually covered separately in most books. The chapters on light sources were something I found inspirational, to the extent that I found myself looking closely at the qualities of reflected light in the cityscape I have been working on. There are sections in the book I am unsure about. The idea of gamut mapping to choose colours is an idea I find overly technical and unsympathetic and am unlikely to adopt. But generally I was delighted to find many things in this book that I had learnt by observation and to find out the scientific basis for them. It would have saved me a lot of trial and error over the decades if I had owned this book at college. There are also a good few interesting techniques to try out that are new to me. Although I tend to premix some gouache greys before starting to paint I haven't tried premixing most of the colours for a piece before I begin. Or pre painted skies to base plein air pieces on, come to that. This is an interesting book that I think any painter will derive some benefit from. You may not agree with everything the author advocates but it will definitely make you think. Unfortunately it is not a book for the complete beginner, unless they are willing to glean what they can and then put it away for later. But if you are already a painter it will not only confirm what you have already learnt but also give you a lot of new ideas. Definitely worth buying. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 12,343 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 11 in Arts & Photography Study & Teaching 55 in Other Art Media & Techniques 56 in Painting (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 5,371 Reviews | ## Images ![Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Volume 2) (James Gurney Art) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71CWwf3PS7L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must for any observational artist *by J***S on 27 August 2011* This is quite simply the best book on 'colour & light' I have ever read. Quite simply it has reinvigorated my artwork after years of drifting through the motions. I wish the subject had been so well covered when I was at college. My background is in observational drawing & technical drafting, but for the last few years been pretty much cartooning, all pretty much b&w or limited to largely flat tones, so I went out & read Itten, Albers, Kandinsky to better understand 'colour theory' thinking that'd help. Wrong! Interesting, but of no real help to understanding how light & colour are effected in the real world. James Gurney's book on the otherhand is a treasure trove of explanations of how & why things look the way they do, ranging from shadows, daylight, nightlight, artificial light, reflective light, various angles of light and their effect on the scene and much much, more. It then also talks of chroma / values / palettes / contrast in realistic terms, & throughout is heavily filled with colour examples. There's a lot to digest, & I find myself referring to it often just to refresh my memory. Honestly, I can't recommend this book highly enough if you're looking to better understand light & colour and it's effects on the world around us, it is a real tour de force of observation & understanding on the subject, and in an extremely accessible writing style. Buy this, you won't regret it for a moment! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not an easy read but packed full of interesting ideas and information. *by L***R on 11 April 2019* I had already bought and enjoyed James Gurney's previous book and was looking forward to reading this one. I was initially disconcerted by how much harder going this one was. I had read " Imaginative Realism" in one sitting but had to digest this one in chunks over several days. I was a bit disappointed that he only devoted 17 pages to paint and pigments which I felt could have been given more space and attention. Especially since some colours are better suited to oils than other media and the advice to just try them out to discover their properties seemed less than helpful. (Although I was rather pleased that one of the limited palettes he recommended was one I am currently exploring.) This said, there are a lot of interesting topics that are not usually covered separately in most books. The chapters on light sources were something I found inspirational, to the extent that I found myself looking closely at the qualities of reflected light in the cityscape I have been working on. There are sections in the book I am unsure about. The idea of gamut mapping to choose colours is an idea I find overly technical and unsympathetic and am unlikely to adopt. But generally I was delighted to find many things in this book that I had learnt by observation and to find out the scientific basis for them. It would have saved me a lot of trial and error over the decades if I had owned this book at college. There are also a good few interesting techniques to try out that are new to me. Although I tend to premix some gouache greys before starting to paint I haven't tried premixing most of the colours for a piece before I begin. Or pre painted skies to base plein air pieces on, come to that. This is an interesting book that I think any painter will derive some benefit from. You may not agree with everything the author advocates but it will definitely make you think. Unfortunately it is not a book for the complete beginner, unless they are willing to glean what they can and then put it away for later. But if you are already a painter it will not only confirm what you have already learnt but also give you a lot of new ideas. Definitely worth buying. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent book *by E***H on 11 January 2026* Excellent book. So much to learn from it. Packed with so much information ## Frequently Bought Together - Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (Volume 2) (James Gurney Art) - Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist (Volume 1) (James Gurney Art) - Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ro/products/48916675-color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter-volume](https://www.desertcart.ro/products/48916675-color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter-volume) --- *Product available on Desertcart Romania* *Store origin: RO* *Last updated: 2026-05-27*