Chris Garretts Sketchbook

[Chris-Garrett]

Hi, I'm Chris.

I just joined today. I'm largely self-taught and draw in whatever spare time I manage to get. There are huge holes in my technique / approach to art. So, hopefully there will be some improvement as I post more stuff here over time!

This being a forum, I'l be posting newer stuff at the end of the thread.

[RaphaelLuebke]

hi chris!
welcome to conceptart.org
cool start for your sketchbook
nothing really to crit, since its 2 goodlooking images, but take care for anatomy, bodyparts like heads and hands allways attract the viewer so you should paint them carefully (the right hand in the last piece for example)

[Chris-Garrett]

Thank you Xbert I'll take another look at that hand now you've mentioned it. I spent so long trying to get his left arm right that I neglected to re-examine the other hand lol. (I'm still not sure I managed it but I couldn't find a really good reference - I ended up extrapolating between two reference pics). Drawing humans is definitely an area I'm trying to improve in - I'm life drawing once a week at the moment. Hands, faces and feet are always difficult for me so I really do appreciate it when flaws are pointed out to me

[SallyJackson]

Love your perspectives, you seem to be very experimental with them. Makes your paintings real unique

[raminafshari]

so creative , specially i like colors .

[Chris-Garrett]

Produced this with some helpful advice from other members in the WIP forum - thank you

[The Whistler]

Wow! Great start!

Love all three of those pictures you posted. I really can't say anything about the colors since you have a great grasp of that (and I'm totally jealous since I absolutely love those robots), but there's something off with the angle of the head on the second one, I can't really put my finger on it. Like the face is missing some parts, maybe the nose should be visible?

Anyways, keep up the good work

Cheers!

[Chris-Garrett]

You are right there is something wrong with his head. And other pose issues. I did use a whole host of references for him, but I suspect that one really good one would have been better Its a picture I would like to repaint when I have developed my skills more

[Ogihara]

really want to see something more loose (spelled?) from you, it's all so finished, some speed paints or real life drawings maybe? Keep it comming though, looking great mate Peace!

[Chris-Garrett]

A pencil study of my hand, and a dipping pen and ink field sketch of Nuns bridges in Thetford.

[JJacks]

You've got some nice compositional skills going for you. I'm really drawn to the first image you posted. Your colors need a little work...perhaps play with muted colors in certain areas a bit more.

[Chris-Garrett]

Thank you JJacks! I really appreciate your comments. I'll try to think more about desaturating parts of the images, to help draw attention to certain areas etc.

Whilst I'm posting stuff, here is a 30 minute portrait of my brother, drawn from life using tablet. Also, two life drawings: One in charcoal, the other pen and ink. They took about 20 minutes I think.

[Hazart]

First two pics knocked me of the chair. Great start! Lets see whats commin up next.

[Chris-Garrett]

Hi,

I did a couple of unplanned speedpaints his week - just starting drawing to see what came out with a few random reference pics from my collection for inspiration. They took about 45 mins each. I then revisited the marshland one a few days later and spent about 30 minutes tweaking some stuff.

[Chris-Garrett]

Some more stuff for my sketchbook:

- A sketch of part of Toft (a village near me)
- My Father in Law (his eyebrows are a bit too strong and wild in this sketch, but I'm still pleased with much of it).
- My first watercolour (I fell back on using ink to outline stuff) of the harbour area on Mersea Island
- And two life drawings I completed this week.

[Chris-Garrett]

A speedsketch I did this evening. I reckon it took about 30 minutes

[Chris-Garrett]

Visited Stamford today, and did this ink drawing of Burghley Hall. Its a bit wonky but I thought I'd post it here anyway. I think it turned out the way it did because I was drawing slightly cramped (in the car). If I were to start over, I'd draw some perspective lines first with pencil and a ruler. And probably rest the notepad on something other than a steering wheel lol.

Still, good practice

[2ma2]

Damn, that line drawing is great! More or less no variation of line width what so ever, and it still reads without any problem. I can't figure out why that is. Like and old school European comic, but you don't even have the colours to fall back on.

[Chris-Garrett]

Thank You 2ma2!

Heres another one I sketched yesterday, in Maldon.

[Chris-Garrett]

Some life drawing I did last night. I was knackered, and ran out of time on most poses (unusual for me). These are all 15 minute poses.

[Chris-Garrett]

Its a bit late, but Merry Christmas!

My wife just gave birth a few weeks back, which is amazing, but that means I'm not getting much drawing time at the moment. Hopefully I'll be a bit more active in a few months.

In the meantime, this was drawn whilst jogging the new sprog on my knee tonight trying to get her to sleep... Critique appreciated as always!

[Chris-Garrett]

45 minute still life of a plastic frog bath-toy. I mainly used a hard round brush.

[Chris-Garrett]

Quick environment painting. Crits appreciated, especially re. bits that could be more realistic / solid / real.

[Chris-Garrett]

A probe on an alien planet discovers something strange going on ...

[BlackDelphin]

I like your pencil work a lot, there is much information in it. The amount of details is really nice!
With your figure study, it might help constructing more. See how vilppu, bridgman, loomis and other masters do it, and see what works for you.

Regarding your #23 post, I think it lacks composition. When i fist saw it, i was not sure at that to look at first.
And it has somewhat of a mood, colours as well, although it could use some more variation.
Hope to see that one updated.

[Kambei Shimada]

you got skillz. Good sketchbook.

The castle piece is very nice.

[Pete Hidalgo]

Hey Chris, Very good start to your book. I am totally a fan of that Squid ans robot paint at the very beginning. The robot one reminds me of that animated move "The Iron Giant". Always loved that movie so I am fond of that paint.

Keep them coming man.

[Chris-Garrett]

20 minute study of a photo by faestock: http://faestock.deviantart.com/galle...set=0#/d1xzw0e

[Chris-Garrett]

Had 45 minutes to play with today and tried using a more textured brush than usual on this one.

Intruder:

[Chris-Garrett]

Some sort of helicopter thing with feet...