Editing Dinotopia (section)

==Background==
Gurney's assignments for ''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]'' required him to work with archaeologists to envision and paint ancient cities that no one alive today has ever seen. This inspired him to imagine his own, so he painted "Waterfall City"<ref>[http://www.dinotopia.com/art_waterfall_city.html Waterfall City] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325193513/http://www.dinotopia.com/art_waterfall_city.html |date=25 March 2010 }}, dinotopia.com. Retrieved August 2011</ref> and "Dinosaur parade".<ref>[http://www.dinotopia.com/art_dinosaur_parade.html Dinosaur Parade] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325193504/http://www.dinotopia.com/art_dinosaur_parade.html |date=25 March 2010 }}, dinotopia.com. Retrieved August 2011</ref> These were originally done as art prints for collectors.<ref name=TimeforKids/> He later decided to create an imaginary island based on these paintings.<ref name=TimeforKids>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1675219,00.html |title=A Talk with James Gurney |access-date=14 October 2008 |last=Maltby |first=Anna |date=24 October 2007 |work=Time for Kids |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208150140/http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1675219,00.html |archive-date=8 December 2008  }}</ref>

Gurney used "[[plein-air]] studies, thumbnail sketches, models photographed in costume and original cardboard or clay [[maquette]]s"<ref name=Murray/> to create 150 oil paintings for his 2007 Dinotopia book.<ref name=Murray>{{cite web |url=http://www.azcentral.com/ent/pop/articles/1129dinotopia1129.html?&wired |title=Incredible journey: New book goes back to 'Dinotopia' |access-date=14 October 2008 |last=Murray |first=Kathleen Wereszynski |date=29 November 2007 |work=The Arizona Republic }}</ref> He called the series "Dinotopia": a [[portmanteau]] of "dinosaur" and "utopia".<ref name=TimeforKids/>