Black on Grey on White

Mention "big black fluffy Newfoundlands" you can be sure you are referring to cuteness overload :D This, a big mixed media (graphite and charcoal) drawing of mother and son Newfoundland pooches, was created in stages.  The most important stage: deciphering shapes through bundles of deep black fur.  Once the noses, ears and eyes were pin pointed and sketched in: the real scribbling began.   The final stage involved a layer of Nitram charcoal to create more oomph and depth. William & Nikita graphite/charcoal on paper 41x50cm SOLD Loved discovering and developing a new approach to my work and the best... the unequaled feeling of success! Next up on the board: equine with a somewhat shorter coat ;)

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 ....

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.

Time to say cheerio for this year.  Pencils are resting after another scribbled packed year. So without any further ado and a massive cheery-hohoho, wishing you all a   merry Christmas and a  fandabidosy New-Year !

Summer's ending, schools have started and the studio is where I am heading with a wee skip in my step. (We've been apart for too many moons!!) Over the last three months, work has had a strange staccato rhythm with interruptions sometimes hitting very loud fortissimos. The emphasis now is on creating a beautiful flowing melody with strong Vivaldi tones and Beethoven hues. "Chinese Whispers" is the result of this interesting mix of working rhythms and scribbling hours. I love this drawing simply because it's all about perspective, emotion and lazy manic summer days. Chinese Whispers - DETAIL Pencil on Paper  30x59 cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved. Chinese Whispers Pencil on Paper  30x59 cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Born into a world that did not want him, this wee chap’s fate changed. He can now be found frolicking around the daily life of his new warm and loving forever home.  His cuteness and adorability reaping smiles, hourly. A joy to be around, a joy to draw. Meet Nemo ... Nemo Pencil on Paper, 32x27 cm Sold Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved

The "Christmas Secrecy Act" is lifted (and has been for the last few weeks...wee bit behind again whoops!) Christmas commissions #1 is the handsome Gizmo. A great big chocolate lab with a lovely nature. A beautiful subject to render, my pencils had no problems getting dug in with gusto and enjoying all the details from his vivid eyes all the way down to the small wave in his coat. "Gizmo" 44x25 cm Pencil on Paper Sold Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved

I've buckled down, sharpened the pencils and focused my attention back on this wee chap s big puppy eyes. Approximately half way through, still a load of tweaking needed to be done on the pups face and body but first I want to get the surrounding elements finished. The radiating lines in the jumper play an important part in the movement of the piece and they have to become more fluid and believable (they are looking so clumsy and clumpy!). Up-date will follow this week, until then here's a view of the current state of affairs! Work in Progress. Pencil on Paper. Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

"Anton" Pencil on Paper Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved A few days ago the latest CAG online show went online. Mug Shots. Dog chops of all shapes and sizes can be seen and voted for. You love art and /or dogs, why don't you grab a cup of coffee and browse the 60 different works of art all on view on the Canine Art Guild website . I did and saw some real gems.

Detail of portrait study Yeah! At last I can show you one of the drawings that kept me scribbling for most of May. Long days and long nights were on the menu as I scrounged hours,minutes and seconds wherever I could find them. Big thank-you to my friend and fellow artist Linda Shantz for her precious musical tips. She introduced me to Biffy Clyro (the best Scottisch band of the moment) & Mumford & Sons . These guys got me through the hours and dead-line stress with a good rythm in my stroke :D The result is "Ida". Ida is just gorgeous: a blue Weimaraner with the most amazing light eyes I have ever seen. The colour and texture of her coat were brilliant to draw, I guess simply because it is so out of the ordinary.(Miles away from curls and long hair ) Smooth shades of grey that transcend into darker values subtly but quite radically. Ida Pencil on Paper. 38x55cm Sheona hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved. Sold Ida's portrait is now hanging in Germany up North w...

Un-obliviously (nice new word don't you think?) I choked my right arm. Let me translate: Blind to the weight and size of my files I fed my computer way too much ...to saturation...to crash down. Result: a disaster and a massive wake up call! All work is now backed-up on DVD's and allowing one of my most important tools to breath again. Big fresh breaths of IT air. In the chaos and "restructuring" I realised I never showed you a portrait of the late "Bracken". Bracken was a rescue and a canine that found a 5 star life with a great couple. After a tough start, he discovered what it is to be the beneficiary of a good life, of a life filled with canine luxuries and surrounded by love. "Bracken" Pencil on Paper 19x21 cm SOLD

Taxi Graphite on Paper. 28x21 cm SOLD Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved. Taxi is little and full of fun and bounce. She settles down once and a while and when she does these are the wee eyes that peek up at you full of innocence and sincerity. This portrait was done in December and a delivered over mince pies and Xmas cheer. Will be taking the next few days off to spend Carnaval with my familly. The idea of being amoungst mad crazy costumes is strangely very alluring. So it's one great big Helau from me (German festive cry at this time of year). Back soon with streamers and confetti in my hair !!!!

"Complicity" Graphite on Paper, 27x38 cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant, 2009 All rights reserved. Finally, hours, days and weeks of drawing have delivered "Complicity". Motherhood took over, the pencils did the scribbling and I was somewhere in the middle breathing. Savouring every moment...:) Sadly, I had to interrupt the WIP because of the size.(Scanning became very tricky and not the safest...) I stuck to my rules of using 2B, F and 4H and kept working from left to right . Leonardo da Vinci (who many of you know helped with the drapery of the fabric ) left the studio last week after completion of the jacket. This meant the Foo Fighters were on the scene again (hi, hi,hi), their rock contrasting wildly with the detailed rendered in the dog's coat. Their musical world spurring me on no end. Before ending this post, I would like to send big handful of thank- yous to all of you for the support and the comments over the last few weeks. (They mean so much), acco...

Pencils scribbling away, Leonardo present and happy having me find inspiration from his 450 year old study; I tried desperately to introduce him to The Foo Fighters ( one of my fave keep-me -focused-on-detail- rock groups). He was not impressed... I guess it was the generation gap. I searched my music library and he agreed to... Morcheeba. The man has good taste. So with Morcheeba subtlely playing in the background and Leonardo's drapery study in the foreground, good progress was made to my intricate piece. Enough to say : " ready for the week-end and an overdose of quality family time ". Back on Monday with more musical and artistic up-dates. Wishing you all a spiffingly excellent week-end.

"Behind Closed Paws" 27x20 cm, Graphite on Paper 380 Euros In all honesty, I had a little help with this drawing... professional help: the concept and initial references are not my own. The photographer behind "Behind Closed Paws" is none other than Erin Vey. ( Here is how it came about.) Erin Vey's photograph of Vinnie not only turned my head and but triggered my imagination. Erin's photography is stunning. If you are not familiar with her work, like dogs, enjoy great photography then there is only one thing for it : you have got to visit her website . "Behind closed Paws" is one of three entries featuring in the sixth CAG online show The Company Dog's Keep . There Vinnie the pup is in brilliant and versatile company and isthoroughly enjoying being cuter than cute.(Maybe he'll get a few of the public's votes) Unfortunately, I can't share much about the creation of this piece: I have no work in progress set up ...real life and...

Finished the wee chap. Spent quite a while trying to get his light coat to scan well...unfortunately I was not terribly successful. The result is nevertheless presentable and it is with great pleasure that I would like to introduce "Puppies & Wellies". "Puppies & Wellies" Graphite on paper, 25x28 cm Copyright Sheona Hamilton-Grant The added beauty of this piece is that it is drawn using Derwent pencils which are ...vegan pencils! Vegan pencils….my amazing discovery last week-end... Thanks to Empty Easels ' post I discovered that Derwent does not use beeswax in any of their products . I quote: Their charcoal pencils are made from pure charcoal, clay and pigment, the wax used in their pencils is from a plant source, and the binding material is from a mineral source. Derwent’s Coloursoft pencils, Graphitint pencils, Aquatone pencils, metallic pencils, graphitone and even Derwent’s Pastel Blocks are free from animal ingredients. (I have contacted Derwent ...

"Anton", Pencil on Paper 21x26 cm. A week with Anton  has come to an end, sadly, he was great company. A handsome fellow. Above is the finished portrait, below the steps I took to get there. Step 5:  Carried on working out the nose and forehead. Will also do more work on detailing the eye. Step 6: I've decided to add a mini twist to the perfect pose. Saliva. I feel this will give the portrait that little extra, an unexpected difference. Close up of the saliva in progress..not full sloppy drool but a decent quantity and annoyingly there. Step 8: Moving on  to the ears, will tweak nose, muzzle and saliva later!   Step 9: More work on ear, darkened all the values, tweaked a little here and there.  Added more depth by working on the mid tones. Added detail with a very sharp 2B. Try as I may, my scanner will just not pick up the very fine detailed pencil work. One thing I did forget to do:time myself...the first question I am usually asked. Not to worry! I'll just have to ...

The rain came and stayed and really dampened any urge I may have had to peek outside. Instead, like a turtle, I have stayed curled up in my studio and spent some quality time with Anton. Here for you viewing are a few more steps into our new relationship. I am using Hahnemuehler Nostalgie paper and my clutch pencil filled with 2B and 3B Staedler. The three steps above show how I am working out the lay of the hair on the side of his nose as well as trying to achieve depth. I have still a detail layer to add to his nose. I will do this after establishing the rest of his face and eye. Cheerio for now, I'm back up to the studio for another session with my new gorgeous friend...

Welcome back to the sequel in the creation of my Greyhound portrait . After a good-night's sleep, I carried on by tackling the connection between girls and dog (see close-up of stage 4). This meant I had to ignore her hand.(- always a good idea to back-off until the frustration dies down). A quick recap on the material used: Mellotex paper Derwent graphite pencil 2B, 3B and 8B Staedler clutch pencil F and 2H Chamois leather Blu-Tack (kneadable eraser) The great thing with this piece is that it seemed to take shape from the very start and flowed easily all the way through. For stage 4 I used my clutch pencil filled with F to render the girls features and skin. Light strokes are then blended with a chamois leather, this is repeated until the right effect is achieved. Her eye was drawn with my 2B Derwent. No blending Close up on stage 4. Here the tongue and the connection between the dog and the girl has to be established.   Her hair was drawn with a 3B. No blending just layering.   S...

I am busy putting pile of summer literature together.  My objective for these holidays is to take some hand-picked "work" books away with me.  To work without working! The drawing board will be staying in my studio but my sketch pad, books and camera will be all be packed with loads of TLC. Another cool new feature I've added to the right hand margin is on my bookshelf .  All the books I have featured on this bookshelf are actually physically present on my real wooden (crowed) bookshelves, some I have read. The ones I haven't are being packed. The other part of my cunning plan is to share them with you over the coming months. Many of you may have remembered I started with Rien Poortvliet back in May. (Great news: The Gnomes is most definately still available despite rumours of the contrary... Tried and tested: I ordered an extra copy just to be on the safe side...and it arrived safely.)   So, when I've finished the first books I will most definately post my revi...