How to Paint Dappled Light

James Gurney shares insights about how to paint dappled light as he demonstrates a gouache sketch of the Jean Hasbrouck House in New Paltz, plus observations, diagrams, and examples from dappled light from art history.
VIDEO TUTORIALS:
"GRADIENTS: Color, Form, Illusion." jamesgurney.com/products/grad...
“How to Make a Sketch Easel” (DVD and download options): jamesgurney.com/products/how-...
"Gouache in the Wild" : jamesgurney.com/products/goua...
GOUACHE and WATERCOLOR
Titanium white (gouache): amzn.to/2XSOld4
Azo yellow (gouache): amzn.to/3AomPDn
Terra rosa (watercolor): amzn.to/2qRjCNN
Cerulean blue deep (watercolor): amzn.to/2IBRtAc
OTHER MATERIALS
Pentalic watercolor sketchbook: amzn.to/2L989y2
Water cup: amzn.to/2soTw2L
Homemade sketch easel: gurneyjourney.gumroad.com/l/s...
Rigger brush (synthetic #3) amzn.to/3AJoW4i
Richeson travel brush set: amzn.to/2xwq1Rr
Richeson “Grey Matters” brush set: amzn.to/2YeNO0P
Water cup: amzn.to/2soTw2L
CAMERAS and AUDIO
Pocket camera (Canon SX620): amzn.to/3lIbtVW
Mirrorless camera (Canon M6): amzn.to/3BJIjeU
Stereo mics/recorders (Rode Wireless Go II): amzn.to/3mVsMSP
Stereo recorder (Zoom H2n): amzn.to/3aFjCUP
Tripod: amzn.to/2xrRaFc
BOOKS BY JAMES GURNEY:
Color and Light: A Guide for Realist Painters: jamesgurney.com/products/colo...
Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn’t Exist: jamesgurney.com/products/imag...
Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time: jamesgurney.com/products/dino...
OTHER OFFICIAL SITES
Instagram: / jamesgurneyart
Pinterest: / gurneyjourney
GurneyJourney Blog: gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/
JamesGurney Website: jamesgurney.com/
Facebook group "Sketch Easel Builders": / 403006076777641
Facebook group "Color in Practice": / 160510955315435
Some of the links above are affiliate links, for which I make a small commission at no cost to you.

[@stephanie.kilgast]

I did not expect the giant pencil, caught me off guard XD Just wanted to say you're amazing and thank you for everything :)

[@susanjerrell9220]

Stephanie, I think I would not have understood nearly as well without the giant pencil. Whew! Thank goodness James has one!!

[@Deankut]

Bigger is always better! 🤣

[@zora4187]

Can someone tell me what sketchbook he uses

[@Deankut]

@@zora4187 Pentalic. All his supplies with links to purchase are in the description section.

[@RossOzarka]

he even edited in a fake error on the first few frames of the video to really sell the trick

[@joeloverti672]

When you're painting there are times where it looks like it's going to be a total mess. It's amazing how you keep going and eventually turn an ugly mess into a work of art. I find that sheer brilliance!

[@JamesGurney]

More like an emergency averted.

[@wyatthumphreys4046]

You outdid yourself with that little cube push trick!!!

[@funwithFred]

Oooooh, thanks for this tutorial, James. My memories of the road to my grandmother's farm, a canopy of trees above, and that dappled sunlight coming through. I'm from Bucks Cty Pa so many stone houses in my home town.

[@ZoungyArt]

Berks here!

[@appalachiabrauchfrau]

watching from Bucks as well, I know the struggle of painting the almost cobblestone-like house faces.

[@triciak1402]

I’m from Berks county. I live in Philadelphia now

[@almost_harmless]

Your book "Color and Light" is part of my studies and I bought your "Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist" years ago. Fair to say that when I saw this, I subscribed at once.

[@isaiahdaniels5643]

Insanely high quality video

[@arachnidsLor]

when i was a kid i loved dinotopia, as a teen /young adult i studied your art books, now im watching your videos here, its really nice. thank you for all the knowledge and wonderful art.

[@nikolinagrekov7073]

The giant pencil caught me off guard 😂 love the tutorial as always, you inspired me to start painting with watercolour and gouache

[@Tser]

I got to see the "bitten" dappled light during the total solar eclipse in 2017, in Oregon. That whole experience was so amazing and intense!

[@Tat2TankT]

Amazing as always bro thanks for sharing

[@boredgrass]

The artistry of filming deserves special mentioning! A pleasure to watch! ...Suffer now pencil envy though...

[@mindseye4914]

You are so incredible Mr Gurney. Not just for the painting advice but also for your calming, hypnotic and meditative videos. I feel they greatly reduce my anxiety and for that I am very thankful

[@dan.documents]

i have a very complicated relationship with art, but seeing how effortlessly and beautifully you portray life in every video makes me want to keep going. love your art and videos!

[@redbeard365]

Excellent!

[@Raeburnsart]

Such an excellent teacher. Dappled light is such a beautiful little effect that we live everyday. Making it appear in art seems very intimidating but should really give it a go someday. I'll keep your tips in mind! 😊

[@cutazabutton]

This made so much sense

[@lamialenoire]

You're definitely one of the more fun art teachers with your props and "movie magic"! Makes me giggle like a kid again 😁💖👏

[@Dmans000]

James, you are a true master. Thank you very much for your wisdom and experience, you help aspiring artists like myself to stay inspired and motivated to keep growing. You're one of my top recommendations when explaining my sources of inspiration. Thanks again.

[@sockchen2707]

You are like on of the best teaches I know. Super lovely and funny and interesting.

[@doodleslim1408]

Thank you, James Gurney.

[@gracemurrayart]

Your videos bring me so much joy 🙏

[@rhondaporro877]

I LOVE YOUR PROCESS!! YOU ARE AN EXCELLENT INSTRUCTOR!! THANK YOU!

[@nsb2011]

Thanks for the interesting info on dappled light!

[@jenniefrench1338]

Beautiful James! And it looks like your pencil has some friends too. I love to incorporate wc pencils and a bit of mixed media to transparent wc. It’s just fun. I enjoy your tips and have always had a fondness for colonial architecture. Thank you! This dappled light reminds me of the seven mile trail to a cabin where I used to live and on sunny days it was just a joy going on the road and getting spotted from the light breaking through the massive Nicolet forest. It was majestic breaking open to a beautiful lake glittering with diamonds. Thank you for your great explanations and gift to inspire to paint.

[@LeGrandMort]

Love the playful presentation!

[@isabelaneves7253]

Just did a terrible piece with dappled light. Wish you had posted this yesterday hahahahah😅😅

[@brownie3454]

yea i saw that it was pretty terrible

[@multitaskingmaren]

Yeah, truly unbearable Isabella. You'll recive a harsh formulated letter from the artist's union soon.

[@ZoungyArt]

Just started watching. Already excited from the title, intro, and return of the Gurney Studio beveled logo

[@jacobdavies3796]

This guy is a consummate artist his dedication to the craft of painting and illustration is inspiring. He has a decent books on imaginative realism that I enjoyed working through. It’s one thing to be an artist but another to be able to teach so effectively and impart wisdom for a new generation.

[@ArtelisStudio]

and the best part is, he is mostly self-taught!

[@ruger5764]

Very nice.

[@splintmeow4723]

I never really thought of it as a cross section of a cone. Gosh James, even years after dinatopia, you are still giving me “oh my heck” moments. Well done.

[@masonleblanc6726]

You are the coolest older guy on youtube and have one of the best channels in my opinion.

[@Handotr]

New Paltz! My home town. That was fun to see. Very educational video. Thanks

[@michaeljohnangel6359]

Brilliant, maestro (as always)! Greetings from Italy!!!

[@desmond_ire6852]

Love the new opening, James!

[@jacq1532]

Really enjoyed this James. I need a mini crash course on painting from someone as talented as you

[@knightsintodreams]

I love all your practical effects in your videos. They’re so fun

[@jeffreymacmillan7757]

Thank you James for your brilliant videos!

[@belindahall5220]

Love this video. Dappled light makes an amazing effect!!

[@Lurreable]

I love this channel, it's just magic!

[@jenslingspaint3523]

Another wonderful walk through. I adore the dappled light effect and have always had a hard time replicating it. I'll give these techniques a shot in my next few paintings! Thank you!

[@crisalidathomassie1811]

Wow! What a great video and learning more about dappled light. Thanks so much for a great demonstration. You are the best. Blessings and take care.

[@desleykakoulidisgallaway3382]

You’re brilliant James

[@sharonperry1000]

New discovery. Excellent!

[@alexandergermanis679]

Just came across your channel in my feed and am all the happier for it. When your giant pencils fell to the floor and you didn't even acknowledge it -- that was comic gold. Plus, thanks for the brief tutorial. Any knowledge that can improve my painting is appreciated. Thank you.

[@MackieLars]

james' practical props knowledge and editing is surreal to me. i find myself constantly wondering which stuff is edited in and which are real

[@chukukaogude5894]

I digital paint, I saw this topic before in digital paint, but I love seeing the concept in actual paint as well.

[@amyadams2253]

This was excellent! Regardless of media, landscapes and natural light are intimidating subjects to me. I'm excited to practice these techniques!

[@mbhart]

I’m amazed not only by your artistic skill but that you take time from what you seem to deeply enjoy to share these extremely well crafted lessons with us. You’d be a great PBS show host. Thank you so much.

[@malihaarif4771]

I’m not an artist but all of these videos give me so much joy. You’re amazing, sir!!

[@frannyfranfrancis]

you techniques and theories has improved my modeling and miniature painting skills a hundred fold! keep on teaching!

[@storyboarderau]

Wow, this was amazingly useful - I had no idea the dappled light spots were projections of the sun. This is the kind of information that opens up whole areas of potential improvement. Very generous of you, and I appreciate you so much! Thank you, James!

[@carolmccorry3053]

Always enjoy your content James

[@lovewillwinnn]

Simply brilliant!! 😍💜😍💜

[@rosamente]

Thanks for all your art tips James! This is so valuable for any artist wanting to learn about painting and lighting. It’s such a pleasure to see your skills

[@PAKDETONDO]

Thanks for all your art tips Jamest....Great skills .....👍👍..

[@HalfWarrior]

Thank you James! So awesome!

[@orthovasky]

Thank you James!

[@catherinecervas3726]

Thank you James

[@DesiresAttackVirtues]

Amazing tutorial as always! Thank you James

[@desleykakoulidisgallaway3382]

You’re an excellent teacher

[@desleykakoulidisgallaway3382]

My biggest problem is proportions. I’m not great with perspective so that’s probably significant 😂

[@pestermint]

This was super helpful and informative, thank you :) Love the painting as always, absolutely gorgeous.

[@jerryjacobsunny5574]

As always such a beautiful painting

[@danaobera4207]

Another golden tutorial! Thank you, James! The props and edits are entertaining and original! Love it 👍👏

[@sandragustafsson3125]

It's magical watching you paint. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

[@MrShreyz]

James you’re such an inspiring and knowledgeable teacher

[@huesandtones]

Loved this video, I always learn something from you. Your books Imaginative Realism and Color and Light are some of the best guides I ever encountered in my learning process.

[@mirmi9018]

A wonderful video! And a amazingly creative idea with you rotating the cube!

[@annihull6373]

Thanks for the helpful tips. Blessings.

[@victorioify]

Exactly what I needed!

[@ananananabop]

This looks so fun! Some well done dappled light can really bring a painting to the next level. Thank you for sharing!

[@clared1867]

You are an amazing teacher. Your videos are fascinating. You have such an engaging method of teaching

[@pt9502]

Saw that Air liner drawing he did a while ago and it got me hooked to painting, now I’m fascinated by how creative he gets with his videos.

[@vincejoaquino5058]

Great! Two days ago, I was curious to see how to paint a dappled light effect just a few blocks away where I live. And now, this video popped out in my homepage. Thank you!

[@deborahfinney313]

Thanks Jim this was a great help to me

[@bituin5908]

Thanks for this! I was recently trying to learn dapper light, but I didn’t know the name! I really love dapper light and how it adds to the atmosphere, so thank you so much!

[@goob8945]

Excellent video mr gurney!! Loved the scientific explanation

[@MsPerthgirl1]

Thank you Sir! Your generosity and innovation with sharing your incredible talent, knowledge and experience is amazing - thank you so much!

[@pablocesarrebollo3713]

u are great james! thank for everything!

[@MichaelSavidgeStoryteller]

Fascinating, I've never heard it referred to as "Dappled Light" (it does sound as pretty as it looks!) In video production, you can create something similar known as a cucoloris (or cookie); it's meant to break up your light source into various patterns of shadows (tree branches, window blinds, etc.) Thanks for sharing this with us!!

[@falconfire29]

this is beautiful thank you

[@federicafalzetti3750]

Amazing paintings and explanations, thank you!

[@JamesGurney]

Many thanks!

[@kelesadem]

It was a very informative video, thanks for sharing.

[@gp3798]

When It s sunday , in the Afternoon , we walk in a park , we find ourself in front of a table and the light become the protagonist among the branches of the trees: Max Liebermann and his brushstroke in evoking the dappled light Painting surrounds us as we walk

[@pikabiga]

I check in every now and then to your videos! Thank you for taking the time to make and share them. Also love the giant pencil 😭

[@_valor]

Beautiful painting as always, and the explanation with the cube was really easy to grasp! I really love this channel haha

[@mariannedickson3840]

This is fantastic 👍!

[@TheToastyGhost377]

@6:39 I remember the big eclipse back in 2017 and how crazy it was to see all the spots on the ground as crecents.

[@julienielsen3746]

Like the painting at 4:53 of the people in lawn chairs. Used two color blending on a brush back in the 80s for tole painting/ craft painting on wood pieces.

[@knightsintodreams]

QUESTION: when you’re filling in the bricks on the cobblestone, are you painting true to life, or do you place them according to what feels best? Basically, how anal should I be when I paint heavy detail like bricks?

[@JamesGurney]

I think I understand your question. I'm recreating in my sketchbook the general principles that I observe in the scene. There's rarely a one-to one correspondence from observed reality to representation.

[@knightsintodreams]

@@JamesGurney thank you!

[@turntsnaco824]

@@JamesGurney I think you nailed it when you explained how you were going to paint the mullions in the window. You were never out to paint them light exactly where they are light and dark exactly where they are dark - the point was just to paint them with alternating light and dark spots, perhaps using the lighting of surrounding surfaces as a bit of a guide for a slightly more realistic edge but even if you didn't, our brains would fill in the gaps and it would still come off looking "correct". You could have even drawn a different number of bars, or even made one half missing. Once you understand how light behaves on whatever you are drawing, you are free to pretty much create your own reality. But whether it's the bricks or the dappled lighting, both are chaotic, unpredictable patterns that no one's brain is really going to know any different if you jumble things up. No one looks at a house like that in reality and thinks "oh yeah, those bricks are all exactly where they're supposed to be". If a nearly identical house had been built next to it, but with an unmatching brick arrangement, you wouldn't look at one and think it was any more realistic than the other. As long as you are dealing with random patterns like that, the important thing is just to capture the essence of the pattern rather than replicate it exactly. That being said, every degree you are closer to reality, the more likely you are to get a more photo-realistic result, assuming all of the necessary elements are in place. The fact is, our brains are very clever things which know how reality is supposed to look, and the reason we know we are looking at something like a painting when we look at one, is because our brains know something is off, even if we can't pinpoint what it is. That's what causes The Uncanny Valley effect in computer animation - and it's what can make photorealistic paintings so awe-inspiring to look at, because it represents an understanding of the behavior of light on a variety of surfaces that most people who ever live would never be able to comprehend and also emulate on a canvas.

[@catclark9488]

@@turntsnaco824 Thank you for that very educating and interesting explanation!

[@peterjacksonanton4814]

I'd love if you did more analysis of paintings/art history in video form like you did a bit in this one. Your passion is contagious! I'd definitely pay for something like that

[@travelfarstayclose]

Thanks so much! very informative

[@johncollado1151]

Thanks James

[@paulklem9249]

I love that you're showing this anatomy of light. You remind me of the great teacher s I had at CCA(C). They would do a demonstration and the students would wrestle for it. Nice

[@uneasycylinder]

The giant pencil and stop motion are so charming haha! Thank you for the tutorial I’ll definitely be referencing this in the future :))

[@jcbritobr]

Thats amazing.

[@alinatulliart812]

Amazing editing! So fun to watch =)

[@cheychc]

great video! thanks james!! :D

[@diegoguerrerov.8809]

Thank you so much! Just what I needed

[@danv1061]

I see illustrations similar to in your book. I would recommend people buying it.

[@aliceprofitt8506]

So helpful! Also, I am a descendant of the Hasbroucks. My mother published a book about my ancestry and I was thrilled to see that you were painting the house from her book. I would love to someday visit it in person.Jean Hasbrouck (who built this house) was my 6th great grandfather.

[@JamesGurney]

Thanks for sharing. It's a beautiful house and seems to have so much history.