Attempted Bloggery: Jacques Louis David

Showing posts with label Jacques Louis David. Show all posts

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Jacques Louis David's Copy of Imaginative Realism by James Gurney

Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist is Dinotopia creator James Gurney's 2009 art instruction manual. Gurney teaches how to ground one's fantasy art in seeming reality, something he himself excels at. It is the first of two volumes. Did he have copies of this book with him at Baby Tattooville in 2011? Why, yes, he did, thanks for asking.

Jacques Louis David, it will be remembered from yesterday's post, is the unhyphenated Hollywood bladesmith and not the hyphenated painter friend of Marat, so don't go accusing me of committing any anachronisms. Gurney's dinosaur drawing in David's copy of the book is full of great lettering and imaginative . . . mischief.

This copy of the book was sold last year by Book_Mob on AbeBooks.

James Gurney
AbeBooks listing accessed November 2, 2025

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/SIGNED-Imaginative-Realism-Paint-What-Exist/32333978879/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&ref_=pe_aep_AEP_wants_buyer-wants&cm_ite=viewbook_low

James Gurney
AbeBooks item description

05213

Friday, February 27, 2026

Jacques Louis David's Copy of Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara by James Gurney

Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara (2007) is the fourth book in James Gurney's Dinotopia series. An interesting copy was sold last year by Book_Mob of Santa Clarita.

At the artist gathering Baby Tattooville in 2011, Gurney met Jacques Louis David, not the hyphenated 18th century painter of The Death of Marat but a 21st century bladesmith whom he painted in profile. David posed wearing a pair of steampunk goggles made by his employer, Hollywood armorer Tony Swatton, that Gurney then borrowed for his own profile picture. Thus Gurney's drawing in David's copy of Journey to Chandara includes steampunk-inspired fantastical contraptions in the guise of a "cave exploration suit for a T. rex."