Black on Grey on White

Big, strong, playful and sadly missed! My pencils were given the mission of portraying immortalising Aloïs in action... "deep water stick fetching" Aloïs pencil on paper, 60x44cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant.  All rights reserved. SOLD Drawing this commission was a fantastic experience. I love the forward movement the slight tilt, shift to the left. Both implying life and the past, both so symbolic and fundamental in a tribute portrait. Aloïs is no longer but has left without a doubt the biggest paw print on his family's heart.

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 ;)

and has been an inspiring muse for my latest equine portrait. That's right: no capital city but a beautiful bay mare. Scribbling has begun in earnest again this year and Canberra is the first off the drawing board. Isn't she gorgeous? Up next: also dark and also super cute ;) Canberra pencil on paper 25x15 cm SOLD

To be more precise Rock is a German cold blood or draught horse with amazing eyes and the latest portrait off my board in time for the festive season. Big honest kind eyes, smooth velvety nose, massive round cheeks, wavy blond hair... what's not too love. Drawing this gorgeous equine was a great finish to the year. 2017 has new projects and commissions lined up but none I am sure with this guys  special  zen aura. Rock 26x20 cm pencil on paper SOLD

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 th...

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   :)

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.

Been a good week. Pencils were on form. (Has to be down to the imminent start of spring: it affects us all!) Their form was such that they rustled up this portrait of beautiful Fiona effortlessly, composed, working untiringly with a steady daily tempo. A rarity of late. It felt exceptional. Fiona Pencil on Paper 23 x 27 cm SOLD

Massive mistake! I never introduced you to Cherry. I had the pleasure of spending time with her image in the studio at the end of last year. The wee lass is an amazing 32 years young. An impressive fact that qualifies her as the oldest horse I have had the honour of drawing. This mare's honest, charming and friendly nature were a joy to render. Quite frankly, interpreting and immortalising this gentle soul is what makes my job plain fantastic. Cherry Pencil on Paper Sold

Tender and trusting. I met Ally last year. Outside. free as a bird but never further than a metre away from us (and the camera lens). She was a sensational model, posing beautifully with an air of elegance and wisdom. Displaying an air of such grace and peace that instinctively the only way forward was to reach out and hug her. And hugged she was. "Ally" Pencil on Paper 42x48 cm Sold

Couldn't do it! Five posts without showing a wee bit of pencil work. Undo-able! Here's a mini selection of a couple of my favs. All are special, all mark important turning points, all are small personal victories All proof that pencils rock !!! Quality Time Pencil on Paper 2008 Not for Sale Agape Touch Pencil on Paper 2011 Sold Hurricane Pencil on Paper 2010 Sold Torn Pencil on Paper 2014 1.550 Euros Buckled Pencil on Paper 2014 950$ Available through the Equis Art Gallery 

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.

Over 200 photographs, many blurred due to nosy-foal intervention , led to this final drawing. This moment really did happen . It's not a "photoshop special". The four babies stood together , safe in their own proximity, attention and curiosity divided between a waving branch and a very strange sounding photographer. Drawing this piece has been a bundle of fun , from start to finish.  By the end of the very first line I knew it would all fall into place. Working out of my comfort zone and approaching it with a different goal in mind, the overall effect is looser, not as tight and detailed as I have been drawing. Being a study of a moment , of a scene that was not staged but left to fate, s pontaneity and movement had to take centre stage. Detail really welcome only as a (VIP) backseat passenger. The choice of paper helps tremendously in staying looser. For "Get together", I went with  Hahnemülle Nostalgie  and smooth flowing strokes of 6B, 2B and...

Drawing Henry was easy. A warm friendly aura encircled him, reflected in his eyes, echoed in his sun-bleashed forelock, highlighted by his bold sprinkled blaze, completed by his soft snuggly nose. It was an honour to immortilise this noble soul. It is so easy to see why he is sorely missed. "Henry" pencil on paper SOLD Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.