Imagination and observation are trained together, not separately

Gurney describes keeping two separate sketchbooks early in his career, one for observational studies and one for imaginative work, and feeling as though two different artists produced them. His breakthrough came from realizing these skills reinforce each other rather than competing: careful observation of real light, anatomy, and texture gives an artist the vocabulary needed to render something imagined convincingly, while imaginative work sharpens the ability to compose and simplify what's observed. He rejects the idea that fantasy art is a looser discipline that requires less rigor than life drawing; if anything, it demands more control, since there's no external reference to correct mistakes automatically. The practical implication is that artists who want to paint convincing invented subjects should keep training their observational eye continuously, not set it aside once they start imagining. Takeaway: strong imaginative art is built on the same disciplined seeing that strong observational art requires.