Black on Grey on White

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!)     

In the end the pressure got me.  Really got to me. I fell off the face of the world and focused on survival. Long story cut short: tough personal goals and challenges reached and mastered successfully. One very direct result is a brand new studio in our brand new house. So with great gusto I have picked up my neglected pencils and put them back where they belong: in the limelight. Here's a wee peek from the drawing board to prove it. Watch this space: I'm back! p.s: Wishing you all a mega ace 2015. Have a goal, focus and go for it! It's truly worth it.

Took an invigorating jump out of the old routine (of Christmas commissions) and into a batch of new discoveries (texture and movement of feathers, self-filming, relaxing in front of camera, getting into the zone when in the spotlight, drawing without spontaneous OTT dance moves…) Pencil in hand, a new challenge of rendering a feathered subject was taken up and deciding to hit two birds with one stone (super bad pun intended!) went ahead and learned how to capture the process on my iPhone. The result (an succession of photographs shot at 3 minute intervals over a five day period) is really fun. Next step: repeat with a new drawing and improve on the whole relaxing and just scribbling thing... "Rooster" Pencil on Paper 24x23 cm Sold Sheona Hamilton-Grant 

Currently on the board: a new drawing. Pencils have been scribbling dreamingly and slowly on this new piece. Leaving marks highlighting tenderness, trust and emotion. Technically I wanted to push myself and work big (57x46 cm). Emotionally it's all about pulling off combining that very special contact between horse and man. So far :  one (half-closed) eye and two ears closer to my goal! (Untitled) Pencil on Paper WIP Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Still a blogger and still drawing! (If anything I've been scribbling my wee friends blunt!) Been an absolute age and so it is with a "shy hi" that I return to my wee blog. Many drawings have been started (and finished) and until THE  Christmas Present act of secrecy is lifted in January 2013 my posts will have to remain well... limited. However, there is one "on the go" and unaffected by any secrecy act . A drawing all about contrasts, lines and trust. A drawing that big & delicate. A drawing built around memories. "Untitled and still in progress" Pencil on Paper to be continued ...

Dicke Tour Pencil on Paper, 50x46 cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved. Limited Edition  Prints available. ( Run of 99) This tutorial is dedicated to all of you who have asked so very nicely and waited so very patiently all these very long months for an answer to the question “how do you do it?” So without further ado and with great rejoicing (include sharp drum roll here*) I present  the various steps that led me to my latest commissioned drawing  “Dicke Tour .“ THE COMMISSION: Produce a drawing for and of the North Rhine Westphalian Stud’s annual stallion show. Third image in a series of five. To be produced as a Limited Edition Print. Run of 99 quality Fine Art Prints. TOOLS CHOSEN: Mellotex paper (large sheet) Staedler pencil 2B & HB Staedler Clutch F & 6B Blue Tack Derwent SuperPoint pencil sharpener SIZE OF IMAGE: Large (for added impact) 50x46 cm THE PROCESS : Stage 1 ...

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.

Many reasons drew me to start this new piece, the "new in-between commission" piece (reference photo courtesy of the talented dog photographer Erin Vey ): magical textures, contrasting shapes, radiating lines, strong composition, new breed territory (never drawn a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) and of course big round irresistible puppy eyes. So far so good, yet have had to put the pencils down for a while as a new commission (sadly non-shareable) is now on the go. Below: steps one and two down the road. Many many more to come. Technical detail: up to this point, all has been rendered using a 2B clutch. p.s: these are the puppy eyes referred to in last week's pos t...never did get to pop the last "Happy Birthday balloon", it blew away from the balcony to a chorus of shrieks and woops of delight !

Bricks and Stones has been pulled out of it's packing box. A sprinkling of work has been added to the baby steps. Working on the contrast between bricks and the Clyde's velvet coat is great. The end result can only be startling. Not a regular occurrence to find a horse standing free in front of a stone wall. The stone wall is starting to take on a life of it's on. The intricacies found in walls are mind boggling and really something to get my eager little scribble friends dug into. There are going to be cracks, patch-ups, distortions, crevices, breaks, unbalanced layouts. Basically an engineers nightmare come true: not one brick will be alike. Each and every one a little bit more broken or distorted than the other. Fun stuff! Next update coming soon ...

Another week has been and gone leaving spinning heads and square circles in its wake. Pencils were, however, exercised and good progress has been made to " Powered Together ". The mid-July deadline is definitely within reach! Here below, proof of the progress.... Powered Together: Step4 Powered Together: Step5 The dark stallion now has a rider, both horses have the correct number of limbs. A few pieces of the puzzle are however still missing. Having a ball drawing this powerful action piece. Loads of fiddly parts that are really helping keeping my mind off the tumult that our "not so long now" move is creating backstage. Thank goodness summer is in full swing and the sun on top form! Wishing you all a wonderful warm summer week-end wherever you are.

The 200 year old house in the south of Belgium is about to be replaced by a 40 year old house in the hills of the former German capital. We are moving our tri-lingual family and lazy cats to a new country, a new life. Move, as you can well imagine, is the "in" word, used in all sorts of manners, tried out with different intonations and set in just as many contexts. As a result, "in" now not only shapes our days, our actions but has also overflowed into my work. Below the third step in a very spectacular "Pas de Deux". .. Powerful poetry in motion. "Powered Together" Work in Progress step 3 Pencil on Paper Completion is scheduled for mid-july, in the heat of pre move fury, in a haze of action and a cloud of tumult .... To be continued ....

Time was shuffled around and re-arranged over the week-end to give my pencils a wee gap to add a few more bricks and muscles. Below the result of a few hours: a Clydesdale with an ever increasing chest and a wall with a new wonky bricks. Next update coming soon....

Due to big urgent commissions needing all my attention, weeks have gone by without Black on Grey on White featuring any WIP. So, it is with great rejoicing jubilation that I post the first steps in my new non-commissioned drawing: Bricks and Stones . The reference comes from my good friend & photographer Juliet Harrison . She spotted this Clydesdale while visiting Scotland last summer and let her camera record a wonderful vision. The piece is big and complex with strong contrasts in both light, shapes and textures, a great subject and an unusual composition. Masses to get my teeth dug into. "Bricks and Stones" Step 1 Tools chosen: Mellotex paper Derwent 2B & HB Staedler Clutch F & 6B The first step shows a few bricks who still need a big chunk of attention. I'm drawing them as they come, having only mapped out horizontal lines to give me guidance. They are still time consuming as I have to figure exactly how best to render them. A first darker layer is made in...

"Moment in Time" 22x31 cm. Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved. Please forgive my silence: cyberwaves (and time) have been out of my reach for the last few days as I spent time in Germany promoting my up and coming "one-man" show in April. Back in a sunny Belgium working in the studio again. Here's the latest piece "Moment in Time". I love the moment, the trusting contact between equine and human. A precious memorable contact. One of my fond memories...