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Your edges, and the way they lead the viewer's eye around the composition, are just perfectly stated.

Excellent! It has just enough of that "otherworldly" look we expect from dinosaurs, yet it looks believably like a baby pterosaur. Also, you do photographic effects so well. I still pull out the World Beneath and stare at that snout-shot of Stinktooth and his bad breath.

Top-notch! :D
- mp

Wonderful painting,
I feel as if I can hear the Pteranodon hatchling crying for food.

You've got to show us how you achieve those soft focus effects on paintings like this!

I really enjoyed hearing about the process you went through to create a scientifically accurate image!

LOL. And what did they do with the chopsticks?

Wish I can attend a master class one day and learn from the best artists. =)

How does somebody make a Sculpey sculpture that big without breaking the bank? At my local art store, 1 pound of Super Sculpey is $21 Canadian, and 8 pounds is $133. Is this just a necessary expense, or what?

Amy, with a sculpey project that big, he's probably filling out the interior with aluminum foil to save on clay. You can fill it out quite a bit and do a thin base sculpt over that. A quick bake will harden it all up and keep it from feeling mushy as you start to really sculpt.

Depending on the art store, they could be trying to give you the runaround. I know the Michael's Arts and Craft near me is poor when it comes to their pricing - waaay more expensive than it needs to be. See if there's a decent online source that you can get some clay from, it might be cheaper, even with shipping. An average price for a pound of super sculpey should be ~$15 USD.

If you're just using it for reference and have no intention of keeping the sculpture, you could also an oil-based clay - you can't cure it, but you'll be able to reuse it quite a few times. I've liked using Chavant NSP in the past.

I'm sure you know about this - but I thought it was interesting.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jack_horner_building_a_dinosaur_from_a_chicken.html

Thanks Drew. Actually, mushy Sculpey is another problem I've been having. When I work on it, it will warm up and soften. It's a nightmare to work with it like that. But won't baking it make it unworkable, (except to add new bits to)?

It looks like the IMC is truly a blast.

I am hoping that I will eventually be able to afford attending, because it looks far too good to miss out on.

Amy and Drew--thanks for that price break idea.

Mark H. told me that he builds an armature in copper wire, bulked out with tin foil and then wrapped with masking tape. He then added maybe a half inch layer of Super Sculpey, and said the oven heat isn't enough to burn the tape.

I do a similar process, using aluminum armature wire and bulking out with tin foil.

Another student who is actually a professional modeler says he uses Castiline sculpting wax, made by Chavant. Does anyone else recommend that stuff for maquettes? I haven't tried it yet.

I would say "piccoli ritratti" or "ritratti piccolini" (which is a slightly "caressing" version of the first), in italian the adjective doesn't always precede the noun, it depends on "taste" and habit. Apart from that, I hope you are enjoying your stay in Italy, the whole area around Lucca is really wonderful.
Unfortunately I could not be there, the exibition and the "Lucca demo" must have been unforgettable. Anyway the Dinotopia seed has been planted, I hope it will spring.

Molto bello!
The brown pencil color sugested
giovani padres/young monks from a monastery?...
I enjoy your blog every day!

Massimiliano Frezzato! You lucky dog!

Great sketches!

ah man these are so nice looking!
just a few questions that have been on my mind for days heh;
how do you go about painting with watercolor pencils? i cant seem to get the hang of it, do you make a sketch with them first and then just put water all over it all?
it'd be real helpful to see a step by step kind of thing for a portrait some time please
thanks !

Marvelous variety of faces and fleeting expressions captured with spontaneity and a light touch. Bravo!

I bet the food was good too!

Thanks, Mario, I made the change, and was corrected by my companions at pranzo, too.

Oliver, I have become a great fan of M.F., too.

Ryanoir, Good question. I usually do the sketch in two stages. What I hit with water is a light, overall scumble over the whole face--no definition of features. When that's dry I draw the eyes, nose, etc, then make a few last touches with the brush to soften edges. I'll try to do a demo sometime, maybe on video.

Thanks, Walter! Coming from such a fine photographer as you, that's a kind compliment.

I think that these are great sketches. Are they about 4 inches tall or so?

I would be very interested as well in a demo video of how you do something like this with watercolor pencils without making a big smear of it.

Thanks for the post.

people don't mind that you're drawing them? that's cool :)

great sketches!!!!!!!

Fantastic job!
Reminds me of those court drawers. I've seen some excellent work from them.
You sure would qualify for this niche market.
As no photographs are allowed there - it's up to them drawers.

how did you find time to eat :) maybe this is a new diet I will try, I sketch while everyone's eating :)

Seriously these are great... do you find you remember moments better when you sketch vs. photo or not do anything?

great portraits!

I really like the colored pencil sketch!

Can you go into more detail or provide a link about rubbing out of black oil paint? I'm intrigued by the idea as I found scratchboard/scratchplate to be one of the more interesting media I've dabbled in. Is that the idea, fill with dark and then remove lighter values?

Gurney + Hale = killer combo ! I wish I was around to see it.

If you don't know Hale's work, you could be excused for chuckling a bit at the photograph of him standing next to Mr. Gurney doing what at this stage looks a lot less representational than the dinosaur piece. But, I know that his painting probably ended up being something amazing.

Yes, Phil covered the whole surface in black, then pressed a cloth into the surface to lift out lighter tones, then refined the shapes into faces and figures.

i bet that pencil sketch is in Prague?

Phil Hale's art is so dynamic! His work personifies movement!

Mark--No, actually it was right in Lucca. I was told that the arch allowed cloistered nuns to travel unseen into the upper galleries of the adjoining church.

Very cool. I like the Brachiosaur in modern Italy.

When I lived in Burbank I would walk there. Best on a Friday night when all the auto enthusiasts fill the parking lot with their rare and classic cars.

Oh man, this post takes me down Memory Lane. I used to live in Hollywood and we would hold art jams there all the time. We'd eat our burgers then pull out sketchbooks and draw for the next two hours. We tipped well and drew napkin art for the waiters/waitresses, so they tolerated us. Good times :)

Sent an email and asked to reserve!

Awesome James! I can't believe you're gonna be there! I look forward to meeting you.

Come to Seattle!

Please, come to Toronto. Please?

Jim,

My wife and I were hoping to see your April presentation in Columbus. Seems like the date was once given as the 9th but is now the 6th. Do you have details on that appearance? Thanks.

Cool! I'll be at the Rockville lecture. Cant' wait:)

Natalie, I hope to have something to announce about Toronto soon. I've never been and am dying to visit!

Rayford, look forward to meeting you.

Steve, sorry, my mistake on the CCAD date. It has always been April 6th, but I just got confused when I posted the date previously. I'll be the guest of the great illustrator Chris Payne and the art students at the Columbus College of Art and Design. I'll try to find out whether or not it's open to the public.

I sooo hope you make it to Toronto!

You've never been to Toronto?

You should definitely schedule something there for us Canadians. Well, those of us that live in Southern Ontario.

So... No plans on coming to Sweden on Finland in the near future? ;)

David, if you can find a museum (natural history, children's, small art museum) that might like to host the Return to Dinotopia art exhibition, which is now touring Europe, a visit could pretty likely be arranged. Isn't there a wonderful natural history museum in Gothenburg?

The exhibit will next be in Newcastle England, where I'll be visiting this summer. For more information about the European exhibit, here's the website:
http://ailleurs.ch/

Man...I would love to travel the world someday and just sketch, sketch, sketch.

Take care, sir!

That sounds like a wonderful project! Can't wait to see the results.

And yes, please, Jeanette, show us some of your sketches! I really enjoyed seeing some here a while ago!

Have a wonderful trip!

Have a nice journey Mr. Gurney.
Do inform us which colonies you have established.

Have a safe trip.

Oooh! That sounds fun. Have a safe and wonderful trip!

wishing you a very happy (and productive) trip,

Wow, that´s great! One day I´ll do that too! But for now, I am "spiritually" with you on your journey. 8)

I wish you a lot of fun, splendid weather to enjoy, nice meetings to behold, exciting places to visit, tons of new sketches to draw...and I recommend to have a lot of coca cola (or something equivalent) with you, just in case. ;)

Cheers

Álandiras

Jeannette Bonjour
Ferez-vous des croquis de chevaux
s'il vous plait
merci

Wow, that is *so* cool! I hope you have a great time.

Beth

Good Luck on your journey.

I'm curious as to how you fund your various excursions. Are you getting paid for your Africa trip or are all expenses coming out of your own pocket?

Either way, have a great time!

Safe journey and good atmosphere. We look forward to the results!

Now that will be an adventure. I'll be watching to see what delights come out of your trip. Stay safe.

Have a safe and inspiring trip!
And I second everyone else who posted they would love to see more of Jeanette's work. ^_^

What? I feel like you just stepped into one of your books. Can't wait to see the artistic results of this.

That's wonderful! I recently returned from east africa and filled several sketches. I'm green with envy- Have a great time. If you get a chance tell me what you think of my African Diaries as I am a big fan of your work.
http://www.dgderrick.com/journal

Oh wonderful - I hope you have a safe and exciting trip! Take care and hello to Jeanette, please do fill in on the Gurney journey, since you're one too. :D

Rock on dude, we'll be looking forward to some great African sketches.

Ha, ha, ha! That's hilarious! I'm jealous I've never seen a grandchat, and I go to Geneva at least once a year!

Jim,
this is the most fun i have had on your blog in some time! i would love to see more, and maybe even a book in this direction!

There's a place I want to visit. It's somewhere in eastern Europe, right? A place of murky borders, twisted leafless forests, and a lack of daily newspapers?

Yup, that's pretty much Switzerland as I remember it. Haven't been there since last summer, but I bet it hasn't changed much since then.

Jim, these are beautiful!

Very smart people have calculated how much time we loose in a lifetime on waiting for a bus, a train, plane,...

I think artists have a different view on that.

good to see you back buddy!

looks like a little "where the wild things are" influence there, haha.

great stuff, ever thought of writing a kids book...haha...

ok that question was a joke, but maybe a book with more "loose" drawings, "simpiler" would be very cool...just a quick silly book for young kids, that would be freaking awsome!

That's awesome!

I've often pictured what my fellow commuters might look like as aliens.

Just perfect...I love the journey into imagination...you bring it to life so well.

wow, great stuff! I havent seen a leprechaun use public transit in ages!

Cool drawings! I always thought it would be cool if people in different countries had to live with their respective folklore creatures. Imagine visiting Greece or the British Isles!

I'm curious as to what inspired these sketches. Like was there really some one on the plane who made you think of a leprechaun? Was your guide particularly short?

This post was worth the wait.I knew there was secret world behind Swiss air! If someone had told me earlier I may have gotten over my fear of flying.

Heh! I love these, you should do more!

I've had a smile on my face all morning after looking at these. I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for grandchats. I'm sure they're everywhere and I just haven't seen them.

Thanks Jim!

Cadet--What inspired the sketches? Boredom. Erik was right: most of them were done in waiting lobbies or on trains. I found a glue stick in my sketching bag and stuck whatever was in my pocket on the page to get the sketch rolling.

The little man with the top hat was based on a real guy sitting across from me (he was actually very normal looking). The setting of the grandchat picture was sketched from a real street in Geneva. My imagination is rather weak--I need to have something to look at to get it started.

Thanks for your encouragement, everyone. Maybe I'll look for more unusual creatures around here. And I loved following all your links and seeing your blogs and websites.

I second (third?) the opinion that a book in this direction would be highly enjoyable! The goat man really got me.

Interesting backround info on those portraits! I've been to Biltmore a few times and never paid much attention to them. Will you be stopping anywhere in NC for book signing?

Meredith: I signed last night at Malaprops Books in Asheville, NC--sorry to miss you.

Oh well...I'm about 7 hours away in eastern NC anyway! Hope you enjoyed the mountains. Did you get to do any Plein Air landscapes?

great post!

sargent is one of myfavorite painters. not only for his incomparable skill but also because of stories like these. he overcame obstacle after obstacle and often suffered the whims and requests of subjects who tried his patience and often were looking to be represented as something other than what they really were. many of his portraits have an almost sarcastic feel to them because of it.

“A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth.”

or, "“Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend.”"

hehe

Amazing insights into these works. I'll never look at them the same. Wonderful quotes Scott!

Interesting how Olmsted being a landscape architect is surrounded by concrete and no greenscaping.

I remember reading about Frederick Law Olmsted in the book by Erik Larson, Devil in the White City. The man was famous for his NYC work and was hired for the Chicago Worlds Fair around the turn of the 20th century. The stress of that experience aged quite a bit and purportedly added to his declining health as well.

Nice breakdown of that Sargent piece though.

=s=

Those paintings are one of the reasons I've always loved the Biltmore - it's cool you're in NC! Gonna stop by Charlotte by any chance for a signing?

I've always really enjoyed Sargent's portraits. Thanks for these tidbits--I don't know either of these portraits well.

Very interesting, thanks!

this was great.. I learned so much Thank you.

Thanks for this James, your work is great and it's a real pleasure to be able to receive such a wealth of information, in such a positive manner!

Sounds exciting, Bryn. I'm sure these new adventures will bring inspiration for some great blog posts! Can't wait! Best wishes!

You're sure to hear all about it. Probably twice! Thanks.