Christine's Test Stuff Sketchbook

[Christine Garner]

Hi guys, I decided to start a sketchbook here.
I'm trying to figure out better ways of working and developing my style. I'm trying to loosen up my digital style in particular, and get it closer to what is going on in my physical sketchbooks because the high detail render style I do is very tie consuming and not so much fun all the time.

here's some recent scrappy tests of a lighter watercolour and pastel style in Corel Painter:
I was listening to Celtic music doing this one and trying out my watercolour brushes more.

Thinking of mushrooms

These are some tests I did this morning in Photoshop. I just did a quick sketch with a brush that Artist Loish made (its a great brush) and painted colours underneath the pen layer. I was trying out working with clipping masks in this one. I want to do more line work stuff and try and get some black and white work done as well.

[Christine Garner]

Here are some fairly recent pages from my sketchbooks. Need to do more animal studies and shape exercises.

[Larissa Brown Marantz]

These look really nice. I'm in the same boat as you ---- trying to get my finished art to be a little more loose and less time-consuming. I like what you've done with all three color images. You'll just have to figure out which of those types of painting fits you best or just continue experimenting.

Your animal drawings are good - you're on the right track with the shape designs. Keep going!

[Christine Garner]

@Larissa-Brown-Marantz Thanks Larissa. Its difficult to decide what direction to go in sometimes, but I think I'm getting closer.

[Christine Garner]

Here are some collected sketches from a project I'm working on (out of about 10 others I've got lined up...) about Shropshire river folklore. I did lots of research and brainstorming for this project last year, and its one I dropped and am coming back to again with a bit more clarity on the direction of it.
I'm making studies for this right now as well (fish, sea life and people, costume etc...) which I hope I will be able to show soon depending on how fast that stage goes.

I did a quick medium / style test in Clip Paint Studio as well, I think I will be using digital for this just because it is more convenient for me due to working in a box room.

[evilrobot]

Really dig those pencil sketches. Nice work. I don't know about going digital, that pencil work is so beautiful. Maybe do some more digital tests and try to get closer to your pencil look.

[Christine Garner]

@evilrobot Good idea, thanks for your feedback I will have a go. I find the digital good for colour tests but I admit I have been in conflict with it because I love the pencil look myself. This is going to be hard...

Just on a sidenote, what do you think of these goldfish I did? they are really popular on my Behance page, but I went for a more digital painterly style with them. this is closer to the sort of final digital look I would have been going with...

[smceccarelli]

@Christine-Garner These are an awesome piece of design. No wonder they are popular! You should consider doing art prints and merchandising with this piece. Have you checked out Society6?
I have never tried it myself, but this is the kind of work that I imagine could be very successful there.

[Christine Garner]

@smceccarelli I did put them on society 6 a few weeks ago, people like them, but I'm planning on making more designs based on nature for there. I love making patterns.
@evilrobot I did a test study tonight using Corel Painter to see if I could get a pencil look- not sure why I haven't tried this before! Lots of fun... I'll have to do lots more studies and get a hang of it though. I'm going to try my brushes in Krita and Photoshop as well and see what I can come up with. Night night

[Christine Garner]

This test is in Photoshop (CS3). I think the textures I can get are pretty good in Photoshop, I might combine Painter and Photoshop with this project though because I found Painter more natural.

This is a test I did today in Krita. Bit more of a struggle to get the look I wanted, however it has some useful tools I might combine as well.

[evilrobot]

@Christine-Garner Those fish are really nice. I think there is just something really unique about those pencil sketches I love the limited desaturated colors and the hatching. The texture on the newer stuff is looking better. Have you taken a look at Will Terry's class on digital cross hatching on SVS? It might help to get your natural look into your digital art.

[Christine Garner]

@evilrobot thanks:-) I haven't watched that class yet (the pencils one?) but I will.

[Christine Garner]

I watched the Pencils in Photoshop class on SVS Learn and I just wanted to say I learned a lot from it. I have made some new brushes and textures and I'm going to use them for my studies.

[Christine Garner]

Went back to traditional for a while. I draw every day in my sketchbook because I love it. Here are some recent sketches. I also used an online life drawing resource on youtube: Onairvideo. I won't link to it just in case because there is some nudity, but anatomy and figure drawing is pretty important. I've been analysing the form of things more and using reference, but trying to also invent / edit things from it and not be a slave to it, its a fun exercise. I use weird colours because I never used to have a full set of colour pencils until a few years ago, so force of habit, but its not my primary concern in these studies anyway.