Sheona Hamilton-Grant

Short Drawing Tip #2

By sheona Hamilton-Grant on 5/14/2013 5:00:22 AM Comment on this

Warm-up your drawing hand inside and out! Sounds weird? Over the last few years I have started to feel the flexibility leave my nibble fingers. The result of 20 plus years of heavy carrying, pulling, lumbering and shovelling I donated to equine maintenance. Two years ago, I wrote this post Hot mugs and sketched circles in which I explain the benefits of holding a hot mug of water for as long as possible letting the heat penetrate as deeply as possible (outside warm-up) and how I then follow-up by scribbling in quick succession a series of mad circles swooping them in all directions (inside warm-up). Actually, the post gains a wee bit more depth and explains how Renoir battled with arthritis ... ( if you have a minute you really should have a read or re-read: it's still amazes me how he (Renoir) overcomes crippling pain to produce such beauty.) Today, I have added another step to my routine and that is to scrunch (10-20 times) a miniature rugby ball (gets the blood flowing nicely).

Tip #2 Warm up your hand, arm, shoulder, body before starting a drawing session. This really makes getting into a flow and finding a good rhythm that much easier. May sound mad but the result on paper has proved it to be well worth it!

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Short Drawing Tip #1

By Sheona Hamilton-Grant on 4/8/2013 12:40:31 PM Comment on this

The choice of paper is crucial to a successful drawing yet in it's importance (and choice) very overwhelming. All you need to do is start searching the internet to be confronted and snowed under by soooooo much information and choice.

Paper choice is very personal and something that has to be tried out, literally. Pencil (your pencil) has to make contact with the paper. No amount of reading what other artists like and use will guaranty your own success. Trial and error (sadly) are in this case your best friends. As a guide and to help you shed a little light on the question "what paper?" here are a few relevant points to watch out for:

If you want a drawing with strong contrast, lots of spontaneity and are not too bothered about detail and realism then a "toothy" rough paper would suit you well. Strathmore Drawing paper is a nice quality toothy paper as is Fabriano Artistico .

However, if your drawing style is more fine, detailed and sharp then a smooth "toothless" paper is the way to go. Papers such as Strathmore Bristol Vellum , Strathmore 500 series plate finish, Winsor & Newton's extra smooth Bristol Board , Strathmore 140lb cold press series, are recommended by many realist pencil artists. Personally, I use Mellotex which is very smooth, I love it's silky thickness and the way it holds fine lines, responds to layering and feels under my pencil. Note: the terminology plate finish refers to the absence of grain in the paper. Vellum also refers to the finish of the paper andsuggests quality. Vellum paper is very smooth and has very special soft feel.

Always always make sure you choose a good quality art paper. All quality papers are acid free. This ensures your work of art does not turn yellow a few years down the line. I also like my paper to be thick (at least 250g), this way it can withstand much more handling (or in my case manhandling) without creasing or showing too many signs of wear.

Determine which colour you like the best for your work. Each paper will be of a different white. I find that by putting a selection of different papers together you can really get a good idea about the variation in shades of white. As a rule of thumb : realism works well on a crisp white paper whereas a softer more flowing drawing is better suited to a warm-toned paper.

Once you have found your paper, made the paper choice you know fits like a glove, make sure you stock up and have enough to last the waves of inspiration. Nothing is worse than running out of paper when you are under pressure from both your muse and dead-lines.

Make sure you use a piece of paper larger than you need. This will insure extra room for spontaneity, miscalculation and a all over nice drawing experience. (I've had a few drawings falling of the edge the paper and it is the most infuriating thing.)

SDT #1

Take your time in choosing a paper. Make sure you like the feel, the look (ie colour), the quality and the way it responds to your drawing. Most art stores will allow you to sample papers, discover their qualities, before committing to buying. Use this opportunity to make your own personal choice, put a bunch of quality samples together, take them home and get scribbling!

p.s: this is #1 in my series of Short Drawing Tips. Hope you've enjoyed it. Stay tuned for #2....

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"Unique Trust." New drawing

By Sheona Hamilton-Grant on 3/22/2013 10:29:09 AM Comment on this

Unique Trust

Pencil on Paper

57 x 46cm

After spending a little more than six weeks hand in hand with my feelings, memories and pencils, I proudly present "Unique Trust".

In line with my 2013 resolutions, I was determined to jump out of my comfort zone and roam a little in the unknown suburbs of my drawing ability.

A different approach had to be taken.

So I went big much much bigger, stepped away from the classic head pose and began discovering how to convey a very special intimate, precious moment.

"Unique Trust" happened in layers: a layer of technical knowledge topped with a double layer of whipped emotions, sprinkled with a wee bit of pencil magic.

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Ugly ... no such thing!

By Sheona Hamilton-Grant on 1/25/2013 8:55:36 AM Comment on this

Sandor

41 x 29 cm

pencil on paper.

SOLD

"My horse is ugly!"

These words were said to me a few years ago after the subject of a portrait came up and they bothered me ... no end.

There is no such thing as an ugly horse.

Every time my pencils get scribbling they prove it, show the world just how erroneous those words were.

Each stroke merging tones, combining strength, proving in black on white the fallacy of this perception.

A beautiful chiselled equine face has a “wow factor” but take one, like Sandor (pictured above) shaped out of honesty, wisdom and kindness the “wow factor” is just as big and lands just that little deeper.

Underneath the muscle and the power is a mind blowing personality and astuteness that is anything but … ugly!

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The dissimilarities between professional and amateur

By Sheona Hamilton-Grant on 1/9/2013 10:31:27 AM Comment on this

Grandad' Story, Pencil on Paper

A short while ago, I mentioned, in passing, being a professional graphite artist and an amateur photographer.

This led to the question: how do I draw the distinction between being a professional artist and an amateur photographer?

Now this turns out be a question laden with serious food for thought (and a rather long blog post)!

A pro is paid an amateur is not.

Rubbish answer.

After another quick head rummage, it became clear that this question had a mass of tangents to get lost down and that no straight forward answer would be possible.

Let’s go back to the question: how do I draw the distinction between being a professional and an amateur?

Let’s see.

· As a professional artist I draw for money as well as enjoyment. As an amateur photographer for enjoyment alone.

· Success, customer satisfaction and results are how I judge my graphite work whereas when I photograph participating is more important than the actual result.

· I draw full-time, spend long hours in the studio; as an amateur photographer I shoot in my spare time.

· I have to draw when commissioned but choose to shoot when I feel like it.

· Drawing is my work, photography my hobby.

Where then does the line dividing being a professional and being an amateur lie?

Being a professional graphite artist has meant I have become more pragmatic, learned to better my perspective, use a more systematic approach.

As an amateur photographer I still get easily lost in being over perfectionistic; sometimes overworking to the point where these improvements would not be worth the time and effort in the professional world.

As a pro I have also learned to make deadlines a priority. For many amateurs submitting work on time is far less important than perfectionism.

Being professional has also taught me how to accept criticism and how crucial this criticism actually is for my artistic growth.

(I know amateurs pretty hostile to it.)

As a professional a certain skill level is expected, not true for the amateur: there are no expectations.

Once you start accepting money to draw you have to maintain high standards.

You have to stay in the game.

This means keeping up to scratch, constantly improving and honing on skills be it by following workshops, self-teaching, reading, experimenting or interaction with other professionals. Never resting on your laurels.

Turning professional is one side of the coin, remaining professional the other.

You have to grow up, surpass mediocrity and stay focused.

You have to mature in both your work and as a person, deal with the lows just the same as with the highs, do the boring jobs as well as the fun ones.

Producing work with a “wow” factor is important, a passion that goes well beyond reason fundamental, but having the maturity to keep aiming for that end goal is crucial.

The line between being professional and amateur is complex, not as clear cut as I initially thought.

It's a line that underlines a whole series of points aside from skill level (maturity, pragmatism, focus, resolve, integrity …)

In my case, I have drawn this division between my drawings and photographs simply because I am not ready to inflict the cold side of business, the performance pressure, the workload stress, encountered in my artistic career, onto my photography.

I don’t yet feel strong enough and consistent enough in my photography work to bring it into the professional world.

Sheltering, it behind the “amateur” shield gives me freedom and nonchalance never affordable as a professional.

While choosing to keep my photography on an amateur stand overindulging in the hunt for that perfect shot; it has to be underlined that I adore being a professional graphite artist.

For over 15 years, my scribble friends and I have worked hard, grown strong, learned to take the pressure and thrive under scrutiny.

We are still chomping at the bit and ready to carry on up the sinuous twists and turns that make up the realities of our professional world.

p.s: for all of you now wondering what my photos look like here's a link that may help :D

http://sheona.pixyblog.com/page/Thumbnails

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Hello 2013!

By Sheona Hamilton-Grant on 1/7/2013 4:41:19 AM 2 Comments

" Touched " pencil on paper. 57x44 cm. On hold.

Yeah! 2013 is here! 2012 was a year in which I believe I stood too still. Enjoying my comfort zone a tad too much... artistically not taking risks, trying too please, my curiosity asleep. 2012 is being archived just after this post. 2013 is when I step FORWARD pick up my pencils out of our snug comfort zone and into a colder unknown & un-tackled world that we have ignored for too long To prove my point, here's "Touched" my brand new drawing. An amass of verticals and horizontals, stark and dramatic yet soft and tender. A mix of contrast, texture and shapes. A study of both equine and human body language. A little girl lost safely in the world of big gentle equines.

2013 will be my year of marching FORWARD one focused step at a time. ... left, right, left, right, left, right...

p.s: I have been an active blogger and the missing three years of blog posts related to my art world can be found at http://sheonas.blogpost.com

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Where to (easily) find my studio blog Black on Grey on White

By on 1/8/2009 2:31:47 AM 1 Comment

Interested in finding out more about graphite art and my passion for pencils?

My studio blog "Black on Grey on White" is only ONE click away. (pssst: this is where all the insider info, works in progress and other interesting graphite art information is revealed!)

Click HERE and you will be escorted over to "Black on Grey on White"

Look forward to welcoming you there.

Sheona

�

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Christmas Greetings

By on 12/22/2008 2:09:16 PM Comment on this

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"Above the Bit" New soluble graphite drawing.

By on 11/7/2008 12:33:18 PM Comment on this

Here is for your viewing "Above the Bit" my lastest equine study.

"Above the Bit"

23x22 cm. Graphite on paper

300 Euros ( 390$)

�The six mains steps in the creation of this study can be viewed on my studio blog "Black on Grey onWhite"�

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Anton, Rhodesian Ridgeback drawing

By on 10/25/2008 12:35:20 PM 3 Comments

Anton and I spent a week together. The weather was shabby so the studio sessions even more welcome and appealing. �here is the result of spending a week of quality time together.

Anton is a very noble and gentle Rhodesian Ridgeback who absolutely loves to pose and be himself. This portrait will be joining the live Anton under the Christmas tree.

Technical details: Hahnemuehler Paper and 2B & 3 B clutch pencil.

The whole "making of" Anton can be viewed on my studio Blog Black on Grey on White.

Have a great week end.

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