PHOTO vs PAINTING | How They're Different and Why It Matters to Artists

Рет қаралды 157,089

10 ай бұрын

James Gurney paints Trinity Church in Newport, Rhode Island, and considers how the human eye interprets reality differently than the camera. He uses casein paint on panel on a customized pochade easel.
CASEIN AND OTHER MATERIALS
Titanium white: tinyurl.com/4n24p7vb
Cadmium yellow light: tinyurl.com/yc2rax4e
Cadmium orange: tinyurl.com/ys77jj6e
Cadmium red scarlet: tinyurl.com/mr2dw4cz
Rose red: tinyurl.com/mth72639
Ivory black: tinyurl.com/ya4k5b7p
Casein emulsion: bit.ly/3RoP4gz
Casein basic set of 6 colors: bit.ly/3EF4o11
Casein underpainting set of 6: bit.ly/3PDNcQ0
Winsor and Newton gloss varnish: tinyurl.com/2jd4fv8m
Travel brush set: bit.ly/46fkdXY
Water cup: amzn.to/2soTw2L
Plein-air tripod: tinyurl.com/mryzzfx7
VIDEO TUTORIALS:
“Casein Painting in the Wild” (Download on Gumroad): gumroad.com/l/casein
“How to Make a Sketch Easel” gurneyjourney.gumroad.com/l/s...
BOOKS:
COLOR AND LIGHT: jamesgurney.com/products/colo...
IMAGINATIVE REALISM: jamesgurney.com/products/imag...
DINOTOPIA: jamesgurney.com/products/dino...
REALISMO IMAGINATIVO: bit.ly/3ZnkKVW
OTHER OFFICIAL SITES
James Gurney's Gumroad channel: gumroad.com/gurneyjourney
Instagram: / jamesgurneyart
Pinterest: / gurneyjourney
GurneyJourney Blog: gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/
JamesGurney Website: jamesgurney.com/site/shop
Facebook group "Sketch Easel Builders": groups/40300...

Пікірлер: 226

@schpooopy 10 ай бұрын

"The painting will seem complete not because you included a lot of photographic detail but because you allowed the viewer to be involved with the process of evoking the scene." I'll try to keep this in mind always. Thank you for showing us your beautiful work and your sharing your infinite wisdom!

@granmabern5283 10 ай бұрын

Thankyou for quoting this. It reminds me of the philosophy behind Haïku 😊

@nyreeandstephenbevan5120 10 ай бұрын

All the people you see and color, all the sounds and memories, the vibrance and life, the history, all of it is so easy to miss if you just snap a quick photo. But if you're there for 1-3 hours there is so much more. My son laughs at me because I will paint the same places and portraits multiple times as I learn more about them. Sometimes I have to use photo references-- but oh how much more I learn while there or talking to the subject as I paint their portrait.

@liamivarsson 10 ай бұрын

As a photographer I totally agree and aee your point. But then again, working around a scene and discovering the light, angles, colors etc. can take as long as the photographer would like. This is something that I have to think about sometimes though, as it is like you said; easy to miss if you snap a quick photo

@R_H21 10 ай бұрын

Thx James! Lots of good info. Also, while watching I was wondering if you'll have another duo painting video with Mrs. Gurney. I saw her but she wasn't painting.

@Blick_Art 10 ай бұрын

We recommend that everyone watch this video a couple of times- it's very information-dense, and this might be some of the most important advice you can get as a painter! A painting does record information, but more than that, it records the artist's interpretation of that information. What comes out on canvas, though it may have less raw information than a photograph, can somehow communicate more about the true appearance of what was seen!

@IlyaYakubovich 10 ай бұрын

Watching this as a photographer is very informative and useful. It should be noted that a lot of what you're describing as properties unique to painting are actually applicable to photography. When shooting RAW with a modern camera, there is quite a lot of shadow detail that the camera captures but is not visible in the JPG it spits out. When editing the photo in software like lightroom, a photographer can brighten those shadows to get an effect very similar to the painting. Overblown highlights are more difficult to recover, which is why with modern cameras it's better to slightly underexpose to stay on the safe side. In terms of color, a subtle Split Toning can make your shadows and highlights more colorful like in the painting. For detail, I sometimes like to create a version of the photograph that puts more emphasis on details (more local contrast, structure, clarity, sharpness) and mask it so that it peeks through only in the areas that I want emphasize. In this case, it would be the tree, lamps, architectural details at the top of the church. Check out the photography of Oreste Mercado and Francesco Aglieri Rinella for examples of this approach.

@JamesGurney 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for these interesting and practical insights about how to achieve this with a camera.

@Chill1332 10 ай бұрын

Beautiful painting. I love how vibrant the colors are. It amazes me how much detail APPEARS to be in you paintings compared with how much detail is actually there. You are so good at suggesting complicated things. And I like that you added the couple walking there on the path. I always like watching you paint. And HEY I see friends behind you! 😊

@starberriez9218 10 ай бұрын

Agreed! His work is always amazing, and it was so nice to see the friends too!

@northernembersoutdoors1045 10 ай бұрын

Great, a 14 minute long vid. I watch your videos over and over to try learn, you make it look easy but as I have learned its very hard. My introduction to gouache was this channel and I love it. One of the greatest contemporary artists for me, thank you

@amiemarieart 10 ай бұрын

He really does make it look easy!

@virginiatimmons4927 10 ай бұрын

Wishing you health and happy painting ❤ thank you so much for all your teaching - your books and videos really pushed my art to grow, I’m so thankful to have an “Art Dad” like you.

@amyadams2253 10 ай бұрын

This was a great reminder that working from life provides different information than working from a photograph. I primarily work from photographs(and imagination) to create more complicate drawings and paintings, but working from life provides a completely different quality! I'll have to keep this in mind for studies

@DannySabraArt 10 ай бұрын

This is one of my favorite videos of yours. I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of photography and plein air painting as references for studio work and you helped me understand much better how each has a strength and limitation. Also it’s kizmet because I’ve been noticing how my skies are often too dark tonally! I’m going to try it today and really make it bright! Lovely painting and video. Thank you!

@josephinastover5785 10 ай бұрын

Fantastic video; so many helpful tips! It was great seeing your set up as well. I am inspired to try casein now! Thank you!

@JamesGurney 10 ай бұрын

Wow, I'm grateful for your support, and I'll invest it in future content.

@TracieWho 10 ай бұрын

Thank you! I find your painting so much more beautiful than the photograph.

@hayleymolesworth4010 10 ай бұрын

Hi James 👋 great to see you and your work. I want to wish you health, well-being, love and light into your life. You bring so much of yourself and your expertise to all us artists around the world, and I want to thank you so, so much. You are very special to us all ❤

@seanodaniels397 10 ай бұрын

My father taught me this when I was kid. Changed the way I looked at things for the rest of my life.

@davidhurwitz4130 10 ай бұрын

I've got a love/hate relationship with using photos for painting references so seeing this video made things a bit clearer for me. I think the purest form of painting is when you're standing in front of your subject, interpreting the scene through your own eyes, not second hand through the cameras lens. If however you choose to use photos, it's good to know the traits of each so you can make good decisions. Love watching these videos!

@FreedomOfSport 10 ай бұрын

I just adjust the RAW photos to what I remember it looked like when I was there. So my photo's pretty much look like the real life thing.

@colleenmcchesney1482 10 ай бұрын

Your explanation of the difference between the painting & photo makes it easier for me to simplify my future reference photos for my future paintings. This is definitely a gorgeous painting. I also love that new setup for the easel on the tripod. Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I really appreciate it & am learning so much from your perspective & work. 🥰

@blackjohnny0 10 ай бұрын

Painting has much more atmosphere. :)

@chrisgriffith1573 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for showing your easel setup, pretty cool outfit!

@redhula9815 10 ай бұрын

So easygoing, real and engaging. Great intro, and the painting itself is wonderful. Right down to the glorious random interruptions that make plein air such an event. I felt like I was there with you. Thank you!

@JamesGurney 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed it!

@conscience-commenter 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for showing how the artist's minds eye puts perspective and paint to canvas and creates beauty .

@thuggy1 10 ай бұрын

When in go out painting i always take a photo before and afterwards. If you compare the painting and the photos you might think it is a completely different scenery. Through painting i realkt learn to see the world..what a joy!

@alexrechkin7 10 ай бұрын

Fantasy and sci-fi painting are even better because you're painting something fantastical that don't exist and show your imagination. Please, James Gurney, make something imaginative, you're so good at that.

@anshuman_kashyap 10 ай бұрын

Out of all the things I saw today, watching this made me the most happiest! Thanks James!

@goawaygosh 10 ай бұрын

James Gurney is just absolutely amazing. I love listening to him speak and getting to hear all of the knowledge and insight he shares.

@welingkartr416 10 ай бұрын

Thank you. I have always wanted to watch painters at work and understand what goes on in their mind as they paint. Your video does all that and provides us so much more when you paint that beautiful painting. Thanks again for being that guide.

@safegourd 10 ай бұрын

Such a beautiful painting!! You are a lifesaver for beginner plein air painters like myself. Thank you for describing your set up and process!

@deborahgoodwin3426 10 ай бұрын

Absolutely gorgeous visual interpretation alongside the photo. Isn't it wonderful that we are able to use such glorious colorful pigments on simple surfaces to then allow the viewer to interact with and evoke their own beautiful interpretation. Magic, pure magic of color and light!! ❤️🙏👩‍🦳🖌️

@Amanda.Jayne. 10 ай бұрын

I appreciate all of the time you’ve put into your videos, you’re a wonderful teacher and a great inspiration! 😊

@kimallen8521 10 ай бұрын

Absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for explaining the difference between a photo and what the eye sees, I always prefer to paint en plein air purely because you see so much more than the camera.

@jekalambert9412 10 ай бұрын

I love watching you paint because you are so masterful at suggesting what you see and making it look completely real.

@LightBoxExpo 10 ай бұрын

Such a wonderful explanation of your thought process, materials and procedure. Thank you

@playalot86 9 ай бұрын

You know what else is magical? ... ... James Gurney, hahaha, but seriously, I always remember what you said in Color And Light. "Viewers will understand the subject matter, but feel the color and light." MY MAN, put those words on my tombstone...

@pian-0g445 9 ай бұрын

This is a nice gentle reminder from you that painting and photography aren’t better than one another, but are simply just 2 different mediums. But what’s nice though is that they still share some skills. Such as composition. Many differences, but still some similarities.

@benhillman8384 10 ай бұрын

A true North star as ever. Lovely video.

@Shuvah2Him 10 ай бұрын

James!!! First you show me a new easel ... then you expect me to pay attention to the painting????? hahahaha. had to go back and rewatch to get it all :)

@Ledareen 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your vision and minds! Your art and kindness is a big inspiration!

@aesea57804 10 ай бұрын

Lovely painting demo using casein. The last 1-2 minutes addresses what the title said was the whole topic. I really hoped he would talk more about it.

@fakerrain 10 ай бұрын

Always a joy to watch a video from you. Thanks again for all the info you provide.

@jamesmcinnis208 10 ай бұрын

Trinity Church did a paint analysis years ago and found that it was originally a vanilla ice-cream color, and so they reproduced that color (to the best of their ability) when choosing the "white" for the building. Sitting at the top of a small hill, it looks magnificent against the blue sky. The ivory color doesn't glare in full sun the way pure white would.

@annihull6373 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I appreciate your art and I appreciate your thoughts about art. Thank you for feeding my brain cells and artist heart today. Blessings

@shefru60 10 ай бұрын

I am in awe. You are a masterful artist and instructor.

@nharvey0076 10 ай бұрын

Wishing you the best of health James. I’ve loved watching your videos for years. I particularly like how you create tools to help you execute your craft. Really shows how you think through all the details. Hope you’re doing well and would love to continue learning from you for a long time. 🙏🏾

@lisajensen1843 10 ай бұрын

Another great video. Even when I can only paint from a photo I make the darks lighter and with more color. I sent some paintings in for critique once and the instructor asked for a photo to be sent along with each painting. He found fault with how much lighter some of my paintings were compared to the photo. I had taken the photo so I knew it wasn’t true to the scene. I had kept the values accurate overall. From then on I don’t send comparison photos.. it’s not about the photo. You are so good at teaching and relating information. Love the easel 👩‍🎨

@christianek_h 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for another great video James! Always inspiring to see you at work!

@xthefriendsx 10 ай бұрын

It seems so easy when we see you painting. You have a great talent sir and I love the way you try to explain it to us. Thank you !

@chiu-on-this 10 ай бұрын

Gorgeous as always

@lecolintube 10 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for all you share, I love hearing your perspective, thoughts and of course your mastery and depth of knowledge on everything from painting light, understanding mediums, art history and theory all the way to making and setting up your easels. So very appreciated. …the way you explained and set the easel up got me thinking, there’s a wonderful story in here too. Thank you again

@trisht5064 10 ай бұрын

very great information lesson showing side by side really hits home the difference !! thank you

@Mauro_Veliz 10 ай бұрын

Amazing video, as usual. Love the creativity you add to everything you do! Thank you!

@TaniaRouserArt 10 ай бұрын

James, you’re what makes it magical! Thank you for sharing your talent and expertise ❤

@lamialenoire 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video Mr. G, hope you're doing well!

@gejalakshmiDraws 10 ай бұрын

I love all your videos. I was able to understand and improve a lot just by watching you paint. Thank you so much for making these wonderful videos.

@amiemarieart 10 ай бұрын

Another brilliant video James, absolutely love this piece ❤

@KathyLeeParker 10 ай бұрын

I truly wish I was in Newport to see you paint, as I live locally. It would have been a real treat. A wonderful video, as always. Saving this one to watch again.

@Saucissex2 10 ай бұрын

Fantastic video as usual. This is a goldmine of information from a very wise man. I will try and implement this when I try to paint landscapes and struggle to make them look too detailed or realistic! Thank you very much.

@julienielsen3746 10 ай бұрын

My brother's friend who is a photographer looked down on realistic paintings, saying you might as well take a photograph. He himself he said did only abstract paintings. I never got to see any of his work. My brother said he later went blind. Sad. I myself love realistic paintings. Your's are wonderful. I like the people added to a painting. It really adds life to it.

@granmabern5283 10 ай бұрын

Some photographers are true artists, though. They put a lot of thought, equipment and technique into their photos...😊

@julienielsen3746 10 ай бұрын

@@granmabern5283 I'm not saying that there aren't photographers who are true artists. Just made me mad that he looked down on realistic paintings. Jealous maybe. Maybe he wasn't good at doing realistic paintings and instead did abstract paintings. He said it as he was looking at a painting I did of my brother's Springer Spaniel. My brother now takes some beautiful photos of his Borzoi's ( Russian Wolfhounds). Using good equipment. Nice action shots.

@canobenitez 10 ай бұрын

as a painter, I have mixed feelings towards photo realistic paintings ( which I guess you are referring to). I don't think spending thousands of hours on a thing (painting, chair, etc) makes it more valuable per se. Being active doesn't mean being productive. I consider realistic paintings works made by Velasquez, Caravaggio and so forth ( which arguably are the pinnacle of painting, but that's my opinion). I suggest you to use 2 definitions like I just did.

@julienielsen3746 10 ай бұрын

@@canobenitez No, not photo realistic. I don't care too much for those myself. I like paintings that are realistic but, you can tell they are a painting. Right now I've been watch videos of Chuck Black doing wildlife paintings. Realistic but, he does wonderful animals in landscapes. I also like James Gurney's videos on painting. Tim Horn does some good paintings. My favorite artist is John Singer Sargent. I like his brushwork. I work in acrylics myself.

@Lauragld 10 ай бұрын

Thanks so much James for such a beautiful demonstration. Love seeing that you can use casein as a wash over or under other colors without any reactivation. Getting very curious to try it. Beautiful painting...beautiful light....thank you James :)

@lesliev7874 10 ай бұрын

Lovely painting. Thank you for the lesson on a camera lens versus the human eye.

@KathleenRenninger 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for using your considerable teaching talents to benefit us. Lovely rendition. Great point about how the viewer's brain will fill-in the details. As someone who gets hung up on trying to capture "every brick", this will be helpful for me to remember.

@alienjjj 10 ай бұрын

amazing content as always, one of my very fav channels!

@victor1804 10 ай бұрын

Amazing as always!! Thanks for all your work!

@faithisrising 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your techniques and insights! Beautiful painting!

@paulaelliott47 10 ай бұрын

Superb! Can't get any better, the art, the instruction, the sensitivity.

@milkknrice 6 ай бұрын

I cant express how happy I am watching your videos! Thank you for sharing your art! :)

@carolynfuller6237 10 ай бұрын

Very informative and insightful. Most people don't realize how much less the camera sees than the human eye and how much more one can capture in a painting.

@MrHangman56 9 ай бұрын

That painting is amazing, and i love how simple the detail is but looks so good

@loiseilers5058 10 ай бұрын

You are an amazing artist! I love your work and learn so much from your videos.

@emilienmoussie809 10 ай бұрын

Thanks you so much for sharing your immense knowledge. Greetings from France ! Your explanations were very clear and it helps understand why my paintings are always very different from what I thought when comparing with photos of a scene.

@margaretcroft 10 ай бұрын

Definitely magical - thanks for sharing this good information and beauty with us all!

@zuelfish1459 10 ай бұрын

Lovely work, I always thoroughly enjoy watching your videos, as an art teacher myself I love to pick up greater insights, Thankyou for sharing yet again

@ethan-loves 10 ай бұрын

thank you for teaching us, James!

@maxdyllonrodrigues 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for your content Mr. Gurney, I love your art!

@michaeljohnangel6359 10 ай бұрын

Great work as always, maestro!! Bravo James!

@artscience9981 10 ай бұрын

Truly great explanation of the strengths of photography and painting from life. Very helpful. The genius of James’ approach is that he is often working backwards or upside down from the way most people approach a painting issue. Me: Paint a whole tree with light green first, then try to add the darks. James: Paint all the darks first (which is usually the majority of the tree), then glaze the light greens on the tops and edges of the dark shapes. so much better!

@BogOfEternalStench 10 ай бұрын

Great video🙏 Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and process, it’s invaluable to artists in learning

@PeopleMakePictures 10 ай бұрын

I think the difference is the camera takes the whole scene as an average contrast and colour balance. Where as the human eye focuses on spot point areas and sees each area for what it is. Thereby getting a better colour/contrast balance across each area of the scene it sees. The human eye never takes an average. Only the focal point it sees. So is able to see "better".

@eliseintheattic9697 10 ай бұрын

Well crap. Now I'm mad. I never even knew a tripod easel was a thing, and I let a very well-built tripod that belonged to my Dad be sold at an estate auction just a few months ago. 😡 Love the painting by the way. You did a beautiful job of capturing the light and color.

@gardengirl6636 10 ай бұрын

Beautiful work! Thank you 🎨

@cockatielnation5425 10 ай бұрын

Excellent video! Thanks for the info and the inspiration.

@quicktastic 10 ай бұрын

Interesting and beautiful as always. Thank you.

@yusufal-kafir1539 10 ай бұрын

That painting was one delicious tertiary colour after another. Congratulations on being on the cusp of *a half of a miillion* subscribers! ...

@catherinecervas3726 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for this topic James. Lovely painting. Kind regards

@triq0 10 ай бұрын

you sound a little tired in this one mr james, hope you’re doing ok the video was really insightful btw

@rudemooddudehamburg 10 ай бұрын

realized that too

@el-artista-marginado 10 ай бұрын

i love how humble you seem ...a virtual hug from seville my friend

@iramardesouza4663 10 ай бұрын

Adoro seu trabalho!!!

@samnaps1 10 ай бұрын

You should do a series painting with cheaper watercolors, to see how your methods change with different materials.

@studiosandi 10 ай бұрын

You are wonderful❤ thank you for sharing. What a beautiful painting.

@yonchydesign 10 ай бұрын

Дуже гарно! Дякую!

@marywebb1138 10 ай бұрын

Thank you. This was very enjoyable and informative 😊

@peterfiser 10 ай бұрын

Fantastic, thank you James.

@GrandmaMuggy 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for another great video. So informative! I learn so much. Thanks for sharing your talent and knowledge.

@dawn4681 10 ай бұрын

Excellent❤ thank you Mr. Gurney

@amats3 10 ай бұрын

Excellent as usual! I hope you are well. Equally amazing is how you pull it off with all of the distractions happening around you 😂. It will be some time before I master that.

@garydrawsandpaints7745 10 ай бұрын

Great video at this moment James. I’m finishing up some painting from our art trip to Morocco. Using photos for reference and I am always worried about the reliance on the photo overwhelming the plein air first pass! Say hello to Jeanette!

@chompers11 10 ай бұрын

You really nailed that intro, got me super interested

@pashaveres4629 10 ай бұрын

Love the work and really appreciate the lesson in how we see, how to make decisions. Painting overwhelms me because there's way too much information and no way to sort it out.

@samlarsen2430 9 ай бұрын

I’ve been looking for exactly this, including the shirt you have on

@wordreet 10 ай бұрын

What a great little painting! You've just made me realise that I never did what I wanted to do. I enjoyed art classes more than anything else at school. But I considered I had no skills and just did it for fun. I still have no idea as to whether I was good or not as the bullies said it was for wimps. I like photography and have fun with that once in a while. Maybe when I retire . . .