Original Artwork:

Paper: Scott always draws and paints on acid-free paper to guarantee the longevity of the finished artwork (archival standard). In his black and white work, he generally chooses paper with little tooth (only slight surface texture) and a matt finish. This way extremely fine detial can be rendered without being adversely affected by patterns in the paper fibers. Any texture becomes part of the look of the image and would be added to the texture of the paper used in reproductions as well. In his watercolour paintings, Scott likes to use cold press 140lb paper. Because of its weight, small pieces may be done without stretching the paper first.

Graphite / Pencil / Charcoal: Scott enjoys working in these mediums as they allow special attention to the detail of texture without distracting the viewer by the spectacle of colour. The ability of pencil to capture extreme variations in value while rendering a nearly limitless range of texture is almost unique. In fact graphite pencil is one of the most difficult mediums to accurately reproduce since the methods for artificially capturing its range of values are pushed to their limits. This is necessary however since the human eye can capture these subtle differences. One drawback to graphite is the sheen which can reflect from the surface of the graphite layer the artist lays down. This undesireable "shine" is not encountered in offest lithography (offset printing) in the reproduction process, but must first be eliminated when the image of the artpiece is captured - a difficult and sometimes very time-consuming process. Charcoal on the other hand doesn't leave a shine and it's colour is almost always black (as opposed to grey). Because charcoal moves around on the paper in a different fashion than graphite, the two do not blend well. Seperate areas of graphite and charcoal however can enhance depth. Scott uses a fairly wide range of hardnesses in the graphite and charcoals he uses, and makes use of various blending tools like tortillons.
Visit Scott's black & white gallery.

Watercolour: Of all the mediums used to depict subjects in colour ('color' for our American friends), none is more beautiful in Scott's opinion than watercolor painting. The transparent nature of the paint allows light to reflect off the white paper beneath and create delicate and vivid colour. The painting process is entirely different from that of most other paints and makes extensive use of water to apply and mix the paint as well as to give a great number of special effects. A watercolor wash isn't a real paint film such as a layer of oil or gouache and so, is not subject to some of oil paint's defects, like blistering, cracking, or peeling. The myriad of beautiful effects which lend themselves to an atmospheric feeling in watercolour painting can be very difficult to achieve and to control, and Scott feels that his use of watercolour is much nearer the start of the learning process than the end. Nevertheless, he includes some of his work here for your viewing pleasure.
Visit his watercolour gallery.

  Reproductions:

Scott Garriott's artwork has been reproduced over the years, as cards, calendars, and as open and limited edition prints. Offset lithography (technique using a printing press) has always been his method of choice for reproductions because of its consistancy and controllability, and acid-free paper is used for all but cards.

Open Edition: His open edition prints have generally been produced in a smaller format than the original and their reproduction has not been held to any number-limit. They are not signed or numbered.

Limited Edition:The standard to which limited edition prints are held is unique. To have true value, they must be as similar to the original as is possible and they must all be exactly alike. The artist guarantees that the limit set on their production will never be exceeded. This limit is generally set very low to enhance the value of the pieces (largest limited edition has been 250). Scott works hand-in-hand with the printers who reproduce his artwork to guarantee the highest quality and best likeness. When the printing process begins he witnesses the entire run carefully inspecting proofs at regular intervals throughout. These proofs are later saved as "artist proofs" and are numbered seperately as "A.P. 2/9" for example. All excess prints destroyed. He also witnesses the scoring of the plate used to make the run; this ensures that it can never be used to create any further prints. Each print is then numbered and signed and when sold, is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. The certificate gives a biographical brief on the artist and describes the piece. It also includes the print number, the edition size, and generally the number of artist prints and the date of publication.

Cards: Though many card series have been published in the past, Scott has not had any produced recently. Look for them in the future however!