Black on Grey on White

Mea aculpa. I've stalled my blog!!!! Foot slipped off the clutch, releasing it too quickly, timing went up the creak and the word flow came to one terrifying standstill, lasting not days, weeks or even months but over a year.... Wondering if the flow will come back or if I will need to bring out the L plates and tread cautiously.  I certainly aim to get back in the game and share happenings, changes, behind the scenes and other pencil art related info. So until then leaving you with a charming little chap and a very new sight to this equine canine dominated blog. Bird on wire, pencil on paper.  Sheona Hamilton-Grant.  2019 All rights reserved

Success. Months of pain have been dealt with! All the demons faced heads on, pencils in hand. Scribbling through physical pain, soothing the emotional turmoil, relayering confidence. A new drawing: Long Rein, the result. Inspiration and a new gritty feeling, the outcome. Will be interesting to see if 2017 will see another new drawing. Watch this space: pencils are sharpened. Long Rein pencil on paper 2017 Sheona Hamilton-Grant all rights reserved.

Seriously all it takes is a casual lean against the wall or being simply displayed with a couple of design books (and a watering can ?), artwork doesn't need to be in colour  hanging on a wall to look good. Who knew? You can set the tone with a few alternative display ideas and voila! ... framed drawings can really kick %*§!!! With a few tricks and magic wand waving, I have been able to prove my wee theory with two of my drawings "Buckled" and "Cornado" . Can you picture them in your home?   "Cornado" for sale  Equis Art Gallery "Buckled" for sale Equis Art Gallery  P.S: Take advantage of the 20% discount (whole of March) on my work represented at the  Equis Art Gallery. 

I was curious (and still am!)  Curious to see how my brain (and pencils) would deal with drawing something so small, so delicate, so elusive. How it would feel to get lost in feathers as opposed to hair. How it would feel to render something you are only able to touch with your eyes and heart. The great news is: these amazing sophisticated little creatures have offered to show me a whole new world... and I have agreed ;) Watch this space! Bird study #1 Pencil on Paper 19x26 cm

Time and inspiration. They've collided and are creating a noise  vision! They are making a mess on paper and it's ending-up looking like ... a horse!? Wee note to all fellow artists,  when they (time and inspiration) come calling at the exact same time. Knock on the creativity door with a synchronised bang! Peek through the same window holding hands. Let them in. Go with it! Rejoyce! They are not playing any kind of joke. There is no blue moon. They are, simply (amazingly), in the same room at the same time. It's an amazing feeling. A feeling of speed and lightheadedness. A feeling of good solid fun. Not finished, but here to prove my thoughts: the first few steps in the still-to-be-titled-big-portrait-of-beautiful-stallion. More to come :D 'cause I believe miracles can last (well long enough to get this drawing signed!)     

It was time to reassess just what (art-wise) I could achieve in one-ish sitting. Seriously, each non commissioned drawing takes me between 80-120 hours (maybe more). Translated: weeks of work. The one question that I have not wanted  been to scared to answer  face but wich I have been asking for a while now, has been tackled and ... answered. Am I able to produce a wee bit quality in one day? Can I "perform" without all the time and detail and work and rework and endless thought? Can I get to the important nitty gritty and feel pleased with the result? Can I quieten the nagging "you -can-you-only-draw-slowly-and un-sponteneously" voice? Yes, yes, yes and YES! Here's the proof: Snaffles. Upping the anti (no comfort zone for me!), I used new paper (Fabriano), a new medium (Nitram Charcoal) and a new time frame (one day i.e: 6 hours drawing time). Drank two coffees, pumped up the volume and got cracking... Super chuffed with the result! Snaffles

A classic head portrait. Sound boring? Yep, but not if you push the contrast, the size and sprinkle it all over with relevant details. This guy is gorgeous and was dressed up to the nines for our photoshoot. You can really tell: he looks a million dollars. "Jack Sparrow" Pencil on Paper 36x40 cm SOLD

of my comfort zone. I went big and warped the rules of composition as much as possible. I craved for a new angle.  An angle that would emphasise all the strength and power of this amazing horse but also an angle that would defy compositional rules and regulations. Pinned to the edge was one of my hardest challenges yet.  The knowledge of my subject (we've met over seven times on the drawing board) and the energy he ignites in me kept me smiling and my pencils fervantly scribbling. The rest was hard, very hard. The proportions were hard, the dynamics were hard,  cracking rules to create drama was hard. Operating for weeks out of a zone of familiarity, uncomfortably hard. Stepping back, pencils paused, and calling it done: hard.  Letting it out of the safety of the studio into the world to face reactions: super hard! One thing though that is in no way hard:  endorsing the claim ...  pencils rock ! Pinned to the Edge Pencil on Paper 46x43cm She

After a very enjoyable encounter and "get to know you" drawing sessions, Wilma is off the drawing board and leaving the studio. Drawing those big honest eyes, getting right into the thick of her facial structures has been an amazing experience. My scribble friends had their work cut out deciphering which way to turn, where to emphasise, what to highlight and what to adjust.  However, I have it on good authority that the challenge was well received by all and they are now lined-up at the board impatiently waiting to get dug into the next one... Wilma graphite on paper 26x23cm p.s: If you would like a more in-depth view into the process, three progress timelapse videos can be viewed on my Youtube channel   :)

After 8 weeks of giving them all the cold shoulder, I warmed up my scribble friends and got tucked into a new compositionally unusual dog portrait. The reason threefold: I hadn't drawn a dog for ages wanted a break from the traditional head portrait Couldn't resist those wee eyes. The result threefold: pencil shavings on the floor once again back in the groove new drawing on the board What's Up 21 x 29 cm Pencil on Paper Available  Up next a horse, a beautiful bay stallion. Back soon ....

Attention to all artists  creatives in possession of a pencil, or marker or pen! Udemy is running a contest. A drawing contest. A contest open to all. You don't have to be proficient in any medium or technique. All you need is imagination. Udemy have based the contest on artist  Javier Pérez    concept of masterfully finding inspiration in ordinary objects (hair clasp, spring, pencil shavings, sponge, padlock...) and giving them a whole new role. Want to have a go? here   is where you can find out all about it. https://www.udemy.com/the-secrets-to-drawing/#drawing-inspiration

Yikes, more than 17 months have passed since I last drew a dog! Reason enough to give this new canine portrait special attention. Meet Paul. Paul is cool. Paul is tall, black, goofy and ... camera shy. Looking away, relaxed, eyes focusing in the distance, anticipating his next move is how I met him, got to know him and had to render him. Paul Pencil on Paper 24 x 28 cm Sold Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved  Step1 Eye drawn, lay of fur and darkest darks established Step2 Further work on eye, lay of fur and outline of mouth Step3 Adding on layers of darks to establish shape of nose and detail in  mouth. Step4 Adding more layers of fur and work on nose, mouth and teeth.

Hot off the board and freshly signed. This is "Racing Ready" a wonderful moment captured by fellow artist and friend  Linda Shantz on one of her very early morning escapades in Keenland a few years ago. She gave me the green light allowing my pencils have a wee bash at rendering this amazing athlete (speaking of the horse of course!) I miss the horses, daily, and wanted to feel one near me. I figured putting down an extra layer of detail and sharpened the pencils that wee bit more might do the trick. "Racing Ready" Pencil on Paper 37x41 cm Reference courtesy of Linda Shantz Available

Done it! Enrolled in Mike Sibley 's advanced drawing online course . I figured that after all these years of self-learning it was time to let someone else deal with my stubborn mind to get to grips with the technical side of drawing that I have quite happily dodged for too long! One week in and there is nothing more invigorating than being put in the spotlight and up against oneself and the clock. I'm a slow worker and there is not time for dillydallying. A lot is packed into each week (I swear I've witnessed a wee bit of smoke coming out of the old grey matter!) plus the summer holidays are just round the corner ;) Speeding up is good. It has me way more focused and not so hooked-up on the trivial (although still miles away from working loose!) The result so far are three OK drawings (One that I put off for 15 years!) The mistakes priceless, welcomed and never to be repeated. Watch this space more to come. The course runs 8 weeks! Exercise in finding th

Going right is what you get when a powerful combination of precision, speed and strength fuse. This stunning equine athlete had to be drawn, highlighted, brought to paper. The harmony between horse, jockey and gravity eternalised. Pencils sculpted and moulded the graphite into shape. An amazing experience! Going Right Pencil on Paper 43x56 cm Reference courtesy of Juliette harrison Available p.s ( a very loud p.s!) Once again a million thank-yous go out to Juliette Harrison for the fabulous reference photograph which is at the source of "Going Right". Make sure to check out her black and white world . It's beautiful!

This "in-between commission" drawing has been fantastic learning curve. Very intense. I pushed myself out of the very comfy zone I always draw in into a new dimension. Gave myself the challenge of portraying a stunning horse in all its beauty and strength through a dramatic cropped composition. All I had to play with loads of textures, light and lines. Very addictive way of working. Can't wait to re-offend! Intensity 34 x 54 cm Pencil on Paper Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Here's the utterly gorgeous Dama. A very fluffy Icelandic Pony. Leading my scribble friends through the intricacies and complexities of her thick mane and coat was a new and very zen adventure. There are portraits, despite their innate complexity and numerous subtleties that just instinctively fall into place. Dama's large portrait was one of them. Dama Pencil on paper 44x37 cm Sold Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

The happy dances have subsided and the mad wide grins relaxed enough to get a few coherent words down. Three of my drawings ( The Hug , Chinese Whispers & Unstuck ) have been juried in to the inaugural PAS international exhibition.  Woot!!!!! PAS 14 is to be held in Quebec Canada for 6 weeks throughout the summer. This is exciting news. Pencil artists are on the rise and thanks to the internet and social media sites starting to get increased attention. Shows of this caliber will show the public the scope and beauty of pencil art .  Show just how phenomenal and exceptional our medium is. The work of 59 talented artists hanging together in one place is bound to be quite inspirational . Must get cracking on designing a crate with extra passenger space. Just like my drawings I've never been to Canada.... The Hug Pencil on Paper 40x53 cm Chinese Whispers Pencil on Paper 30x59 cm Unstuck Pencil on Paper 48 x 42 cm 

Honour and humility come in multiple forms. One of them is being invited to be a part of something new , being invited to be a part something of great quality, being asked to be part of something you know is going to be big ! The   Equis Art Gallery , owned by the very talented Fine Art Photographer and Director of the ex Arte Equinus International equine art competition Juliet Harrison ,  is in the run-up to its GRAND opening on Mai the 24-26 and judging by the wee-behind-the-scene-peeks I've been able to enjoy, I can confirm this gallery is going to be a force to be reckoned with . Focusing on representing equine artists who excel in working in non-traditional  mediums and styles, the Equis  art gallery  offers art collectors a varied selection of equine artwork that  step  well beyond  the realms of the "traditional" into the contemporary and new . Equis Art Gallery 7516 North Broadway Red Hook, New York 12571 845-758-2667 or 845-

This year, the focus is on daring to spice things up, dramatically. "Cornered", in my mind for over 4 years, as seen the light and I love it. My scribble friends have delivered. They have dared to push compositional boundaries, over-use negative space, confront the viewer with a new phenomenon, highlight a slice of the bigger picture. Successfully cornering reality. "Cornered" Pencil on Paper, 17x21 cm 950 Euros Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.