“Reflection,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 400 Bristol, 2022. “This was my birthday present to me. Not the picture; the challenge of drawing the wrinkles in her dress and the wavy reflections on the water. Reflection is a common both on the water reflections and her expression of quiet contemplation.”
“Skull #1,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2019. “I didn’t really understand the shape of a skull and, over the years, my style of drawing a skull has developed farther. Skulls are a basic part of the anatomy of portraiture, and I love to draw them.”
“Eggbert,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Bristol, 2018. “Ed Rogers, my teacher, guided me step by step to this success. It’s far from perfect, but prior to this, I had never tried anything like it before. I put these learning experiences up here to show who I am as an artist where I come from.”
“Geiger Copy,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Pen, ink, and graphite on copy paper, 2016. A friend who was trying to teach me how to draw, but I was not a good student, found this Hor. Geiger image in a magazine. The image was tiny, so we couldn’t see detail. So, this is a bad interpretation of a bad image.”
“My Death Dealer,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite, pen, and ink on cardstock, 2017. “I’m a huge Frazetta Fan, but at this time I still believed that the pen defined the edges and I didn’t understand light direction or anatomy. Still, I think this has great potential.”
“Steampunk Horrid,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2020. “This one is more of a 1st draft that I never want back to. It holds a lot of potential and several good ideas, but the theme is all over the place. I could streamline it into three separate ideas.”
“My Daddy,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2021. “The original photo was so small and so bad, I was actually grateful for all I learned from Grandma Russia.”
“Metallic Skull,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2020. “With the help of artist Dr. Frank Netter, MD, my skills improved, but I also got more creative.”
“Cartoon Collage,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 18″x24″. Pen and ink on Canvas Board. “A friend started this, passed it to me to finish, but not before selling it and adding the client’s kid to the picture. Most of it is really cool, though. Everything I added was a freehand addition. My favorite is Orco.”
“6 Basic Shapes,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 4″x6″. Graphite on copy paper, 2020. “I did this to test myself. I failed on the cylinder and could’ve done better on the wedge, but, as always, I learned.”
“GDMF Peanut,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2020. This is the exercise that taught me to shade. I hated the blenders, I hated the drawing, and I hated Ed! But all of that took down the barriers of ‘I can’t’ in my mind. Thanks, Ed. This is the 5th peanut since the original in 2018.
“Sad Skull,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2020. “Now I’m the teacher and this lesson was about manipulation and creative changes.”
“Just Playing,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2021. “I draw male faces all the time, so I was trying a female face. Again, fail, but interesting fail. I also like the clown/clown-esque faces.”
“Playground Ghost,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Pen and ink on Strathmore 400 Bristol, 2022. “This is also my daughter. She was playing at a local park, and I was learning to use a Nikon D90 DSLR and the newest version of Photoshop. This reminded me of the movie “The Crow”, a favorite of mine, so I kept this edit.”
“The Mad Scientist,” Christopher Thomas Davis.. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 400 Bristol, 2022. “My father was a cadet in the 50’s, a PhD chemist, and a genuinely good person. He taught organic chemistry for more than 3 decades and loved interacting with his students.”
“BNB,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite and watercolor pencil on Strathmore 400 Bristol, 2022. “In memory of someone I loved very much who died way too young. The cracked wall in the background represents the fractured nature of the world without her in it. Tigger is in color because he’s Tigger.”
“1st Birthday,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 400 Bristol, 2022. “I did this for her 20th birthday. This is my daghter doing the thing that all babies do. The 1st birthday cake faceplant.”
“George,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite, pen, and ink on cardstock, 2015. “I saw a friend draw his version of a gargoyle based on the one in D&D 3.5 mm #1, so I drew my own version. This friend tried hard to teach me. If he stumbles on this, Tom, I’m sorry I didn’t listen. Growing up, I had a concrete gargoyle that my mother called George. He’s at her house now in the flower bed.”
“Victims, Aren’t We All?” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2020. The character of Eric from James O’Bar’s”Thw Crow” comic book, later a movie, was the basis for this It falls short of my vision, but I learned. That’s all that really matters.”
“Water Droplet Footprints,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2021. “Lesson on how to draw water. Based on someone else’s drawing of a single footprint.”
“Horned,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2021. “Another lesson in manipulation. This is a basic and simple change, but horns are popular.”
“Forever Young,” Christopher Thomas Davis.. 19″x15″. Graphite on hot press watercolor paper with a black acrylic border, 2022. “My parents were 11 years different in age, but these two pictures freeze them around the same time. My father died 21 years ago (2002). Happy Father’s Day.”
“R.I.P. Society,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite, white charcoal on Strathmore 400 Bristol, 2022. “I wanted to draw Celtic Knot work and this is what emerged from the paper. It’s another failure, but I feel more confident about my next attempt to draw Celtic designs.”
“Cardinal Christmas,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x5.5″. Graphite on cardstock, 2019. “I hate lettering, but I can do it. I’m actually good at it, but I hate doing it. But all part of putting out a quality product. If anyone has tips to make lettering less tedious, please share.”:
“Majesty,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2021. “This is the closest I’ve come to my ideal hyper-realism. The client was grandpa and he was very proud of his new granddaughter. Both name and rose were late additions.”
“Restoration,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Bristol, 2018. “This was part of Ed’s Lessons on light direction and the illusion of 3D in drawings. My vision was an abused and neglected concrete pillar that an artist had drawn the idea of. Also called, “Love, Hate, Pain”, but that was too emo, so I changed the name to focus on the positive.”
“Lady Death,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2021. “I used a girl to copy the post and the shape of the cloak, but then I put that drawing away and began drawing my own interpretation. The goal is to build towards drawing from my imagination. I’m not there yet, but I’m closer with every drawing.”
“Mother and Child,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 6″x9″. Canvas and acrylic, 2019. “I don’t paint often, and this was one of my first attempts. But someday, I hope to reach the level of mastery like Brom.”
“Dynamic,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 400 Bristol, 2022. “My note for this drawing says “Boobs” on the About Line. I guess that’s it.”
“Prom Collage,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 17″x14″, Graphite and colored pencil on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2022. “This is my daughter. I wanted to draw her from Prom. She wanted her boyfriend included. He’s the ex now and didn’t even last to the completion of the portrait. The lizards are two of her pets.”
“Ando,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Bic pen on copy paper, 2019. I refuse to use an eraser for anything except highlights and even then, only if I really have to. Using a pen improves my pencil work by improving my control. Ando as in looks slightly androgynous. it was supposed to be male, but my friends thought the features were too soft.”
“Captain Jack,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on cardstock, 2018. “This was my attempt to draw something that a friend was working on. We drew together all the time. A friendly rivalry, although, he was the better artist.”
“Dolly II,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 400 Bristol, 2023. “II because I was drawing it for myself and someone bought it from me, so I had to do it again for me.”
“Muse,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphic on Strathmore 300, 2021.” I know that technically it’s just a portrait, but she is my muse for pin-ups. I can’t imagine her any other way. This is Kari Sweets.”
“Wings,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2020. “The model is Mila Azul and this photo came from an international Playboy magazine. The wings were a fail in the vein of Thomas Edison’s fail to make a lightbulb. I know now how not to draw wings.”
“Red with the Blues,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Acrylic, pen, charcoal, watercolor paint, and graphite on Strathmore 400 Bristol, 2022. “This is the most commonly recreated picture of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, so I added my take on it.”
“Rhymes with Sass,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2022. “LeAnn Rhimes was wearing a pair of blue jeans in the photo and her far hand was covering her breast, but I liked this.”
“Majesty II,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2021. “Baby Majesty with mom and dad at her 6 month birthday.”
“Triple Vision,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9.5″x13″. Graphite on Fabriano Hot Press Watercolor Paper, 2022. “I wanted to draw the towel. It doesn’t hurt that she’s Playboy model Natasha Vdovenko. But really, this was all about the texture of the towel, which, it turns out, you draw like hair or a beard, so it was easy.
“Practice Painting,” 9″x12″. Acrylic on canvas board, 2022. “I’m not comfortable working with acrylic, so I am trying to work on things I’m already familiar with. I’m not happy with this, but like the wings on the angel, my failure will build my future successes.”
“Bang, Bang,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 16″x20″. Acrylic on canvas, 2022. “This was an abandoned painting without any source material. The orginal artist had only painted the blue shirt and the blue pants with shadows marked. I finished it in a few days.”
“X-23,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2019. “This is a composite of two artists rendering of X-23 with my shading style thrown in. My vision was of the calm, controlled girl with the violent angry aura around her.”
“Winter Bird,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x5.5″. Graphite on cardstock, 2018. “Chickadees are special for my mom and I. That’s why it was the first card I sent home while learning to draw. The original came from the Nature Photographer magazine. Christmas 2018.”
“Tiger, Tiger,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on cardstock, 2019. I hated the paper. Fought it the whole drawing. I ended up giving it away. I don’t know if she still has it or not.”
“Dolphins with Glass,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x5.5″. Pencil on cardstock, 2018. “This is a straight up copy of someone else’s oil painting. I’m including it here because I feel like I did some really good work for only 6 months of training.”
“Harley Quinn with Mallet,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite, pen, and ink on cardstock, 2018. “A few months of lessons made a huge difference, but I still didn’t get it yet. I hadn’t had the moment when it clicks that shadows and highlights define the world of art. A year later, I added color to this list.”
“Old Mill,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Bristol, 2018. “This is the last picture of the mill before it was torn down. My mom remembered it from her childhood, asked me to draw it and barely made it there to get a picture.”
“Orange Flower,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 6″x9″. Water pencil on Bristol, 2021. “Based on a photo from a really nice magazine called Nature Photographer. I worked off and on for a year on this. Without my teacher, Ed Rogers, around to help, if I had a problem, I had to muddle through it on my own.”
“Dear Sister,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300, 2019. “A portrait for a friend. I should’ve pointed her ears and made her an elf. Missed opportunities….”
“Anatomy of the Back,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 5.5″x8.5″. Graphite in sketchbook, 2020. I started sketching, it looked vaguely like a torso. I flipped a drawing book open for reference and this is what I found.”
“Spock-ish,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2019. “I was trying a face and a friend sitting across from me tilted his head, and I thought of Spock from Star Trek. The drawing changed directions and here it is.”
“Joy in White/Joy in Black,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2022. “This drawing of Anya Taylor-Joy can be hung either way. The idea of yin-yang.”
“I AM THE GREATEST,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300, 2021. “Just wanted to draw the iconic photo to see if I could. I gave it away when I finished.”
“Mother’s Day Rose,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 5.5″x4.25″. Watercolor pencil on cardstock, 2021. I did four versions of this card. Sharpie, gel pen, graphite, and watercolor pencil. My favorite was watercolor pencil.”
“Self-Portrait with Mother,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 400 Bristol 2022. “Me hanging out with my mom winter of 2019. This was the last time I saw my mom before COVID; started March of 2020. We still talk all the time, and I’ll see her again very soon.”
“Peter Rabbit,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x5.5″. Acrylic on cardstock, 2019. “My nursery was decorated in Beatrix Potter art work, so I guess I associate it with babies. This was a Mother’s Day Card for my best friend.”
“Bad Moon Art,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on cardstock, 2019. “The actual title is “Don E. Moji, King of the Emoticons,” but that was too long. I started this as a smiley face with a realistic twist. It just got more twisted. I’m thinking about a two-pronged business plan. The fantasy and pin-up prong.”
“Devil Girl goes on Vacation,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Acrylic on canvas board, 2022. “This is completely original. I am thinking about refining Devil Girl and doing a series. Devil girl goes camping, plays army, to space, out west, to the far east, etc”
“Care Bear,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Acrylic on canvas board, 2021. “This was a commission for a child’s birthday. I took a lot of license with the shading.”
“Bright Eyes/Wild Hair,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Card stock, 2018. “This is the sister of a friend. When I saw the photo, I was only a few months in on my drawing classes and had only done two portraits, but I loved this picture. So, I asked to draw it. I gave the original to my friend who sent it to her sister who nearly threw it away because she thought t was a photocopy of a photograph.”
“Michael Shannon,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2018. “This is the 1st portrait I did. It was a class project. The class size was only 2 people, so I got a lot of attention. Thank you, Edward Rogers.”
“Harley Quinn with Bat Symbol,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 17″x14″. Watercolor, colored pencils, and acrylic on Strathmore 200 drawing paper, 2018. “Based on a picture of internet model Kasia. This was a mess of confusion. I had just started taking art lessons from Master Ed Rogers and had yet to find out how little I really know.”
“Champions,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Oil on acrylic on canvas board, 2019. “This is the cover of a Sports Illustrated I saw in the library and wanted to paint my own.”
“Grandma Russia,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2019. “This is one of my favorites and one I hate so, so much. I normally would’ve focused on the woman, but my client wanted a reproduction of his photo. I really tried. 4 times I tried. He loved this one, but I’ve never been happy.”
“Beautiful Silver,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Bristol with acrylic border, 2018. “This was after “that moment”. You can see the first real use of shape, anatomy, highlight, and shadow all in this image.”
“Self-Portrait,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol 2020. This is me with my old drawing board on a cool day sitting in the sun.”
“Go Patriots,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2019. “This father talked to his daughter daily. He only saw her in pictures because he did not want to expose her to, well, this. You have to experience it to understand. Anyway, I put a picture of him together with one of her and changed his clothes. At this time, this was the only photo of them together.”
“1/2 Face,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 200 Drawing Paper, 2019. “I got a drawing pad 2nd hand and the 1st page had a grid drawn on it. I tried to make use of it. Ed, my teacher, turned it into a lesson.”
“Unfinished,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 8.5″x11″. Graphite on copy paper, 2021. “This was the 1st transfer I ever did. The original artist, named Matt Bush, was a comic illustrator and his illustration was light skinned and blond. The eyes were different shapes as well. I wanted a Japanese woman, so I used a picture of a young dancer for reference. She is not a failure, just another opportunity to learn. The hair was beyond my skill level at the time, but its because I tried this one that I can draw what I do now.”
“Booty,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite and acrylic on Strathmore 300 Bristol, 2019. “A composite of two beautiful ladies. The first one let me use her face with some extra piercings she wanted but didn’t have yet. The second is internet tease model Kari Sweets’ body with larger breasts. The girl whose face I used calls it her P90X body. She’s being modest; she’s very beautiful herself.”
“Dragon Princess,” Christopher Thomas Davis. 9″x12″. Graphite on Strathmore 300 Bristol 2020. “This was for my daughter’s 18th birthday. She is a big fan of “How to Train Your Dragon” and I love “Game of Thrones”. Alchemy England makes a photo frame called “The Vault” that I thought fit both themes. I couldn’t buy it for her, so I drew it framing her portrait like a crown.”