Sketchbook Review: Veneq's epic journey of self discovery

Artist: Veneq
Sketchbook Name: Veneq's epic journey of self discovery
Link: http://cghub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10103&page=5

Artwork

Holy crap. I go searching for sketchbooks to feature and this one comes along. From start to finish this is a fantastic portfolio. There is enough different styles to keep even me entertained. Not only that but each style is expertly and confidently handled. Nearly every piece is rendered to near perfection and the backgrounds to some of the images, just wow.

Growth

Whilst the start of this sketchbook is good, it does feel a bit flat in places. Fortunately this is corrected very quickly. It does seem like Veneq is constantly pushing himself but he has reached a level where there is not much more he can grow. Perhaps experimenting in new styles like cell shaded but that is really nit picking.

Presentation

This is where I struggled to find something. There were that many pieces I could have shown that the only real way to do this sketchbook justice is to recommend you check it out yourself. The concept pieces especially are presented fantastically making full use of the sketchbook layout. That little bit of extra effort has really paid off as it shows off his skill perfectly.

Interaction

As well as being an expert artist Veneq is very polite and will always respond to each post. He comes off as a really nice guy and that is another one of this sketchbooks strengths. I cannot emphasise how much of a difference this makes to me when writing these reviews up. He come across as a man I would love to work with.

Other Points

Nothing more really to point out here. Perhaps just continue as you are as I would love to see more work from you.

Score 10/10

You know what I am feeling in a generous mood and I can only find one fault with this sketchbook, so Veneq, you are getting my first perfect score.

+ Great presentation
+ Some growth from the start
+ fantastic work in general

- I want more

Sketchbook Review: Blindrat (anthro artist)

Sketchbook Name: Daily Scribbles of a Blindrat
Artist: Blindrat
Link: http://cghub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9895

I don't see many sketchbooks that deal with primarily anthropomorphic or anthro art. Even if you remove this novel idea the sketchbook is one of the strongest i have seen both in style and competency.

As well as hosting an array of unique characters there are quite few studies. Blindrat's environment studies  not only look fantastic but also show off his talent with colour. each one captures a mood or feel perfectly. The face studies (shown bellow) show Blindrat's ability to add personality to any character. Each face is unique which is quite a task considering the amount of faces in this one study alone.

One of my favourite features in this sketchbook are the animated WIP (work in progress) images. In these you see some of his creations from just a rough sketch right the way to near finished piece. They not only look great but they give the sketchbook something unique that very few other sketchbooks have. I would love this idea to trend and feature in more sketchbooks.

I struggle to critique this sketchbook. There are sketches, finished pieces, studies and even a 3D model. The only thing I can think of that I would like to see would be some character reference sheets.

This is that part of the sketchbook review where I select my favourite image but I seriously cannot find one. There are so many great pieces and as soon as I settle on a favourite image something else catches my eye. I suppose that is a cop out so after much deliberating I chose the indie project commission. The scene looks great, the lighting is fantastic and the colours really pop out at you. This is a fantastic example of what Blindrat can do. You owe it to yourself to check this sketchbook out