Buckled by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

A wee work in progress that lead to my new drawing "Buckled".

"Buckled"

Pencil on Paper

35x26 cm

Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Pencils: 2b, 2h and a 6b Paper: Mellotex Size: 37 x 26 cm (pretty much lifesize)

Discover more of my work online at SheonahamiltonGrant.com
or follow me on Facebook http://facebook.com/SheonaHamiltonGrantArtist

Cornered - New drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

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.

Find more of my work at SheonaHamiltonGant.com

follow me on FACEBOOK  https://www.facebook.com/SheonaHamiltonGrantArtist

"Weymouth" new drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

Last week I was sure it had seen the last pencil stroke, this week I  stand by my initial decision and have signed my latest drawing "Weymouth".

Going in close.
Staying personal.
Cropping, mercilessly.

Really liking the result.

"Weymouth"

Pencil on Paper.

17x30 cm

Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Discover more of my work online  at www.SheonaHamiltonGrant.com 

Follow me on Facebook  Sheonahamiltongrantartist

Henry New commissioned drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

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.

View more of my work at www.SheonaHamiltonGrant.com

Check out my blog Black on Grey on White sheonas.blogspot.com

or simply find my on Facebook sheonahamiltongrantartist.com

Ugly .... no such thing

Sandor

41 x 29 cm

pencil on paper.

SOLD

Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

"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!

Find more pencil work by Sheona at SheonaHamiltonGrant.com

"Dicke Tour" drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

Dicke Tour

Pencil on Paper, 50x46 cm

Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.
Limited Edition Prints available. (Run of 99)

Find out more on how Dicke Tour was drawn by checking out  my blog Sheonas.blogpsot.com

Shooting Star by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

"Shooting Star"

Pencil on Paper

44x29 cm

Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved

As soon as I saw the reference sent by wonderful photographer and fellow artist Juliet Harrison, all I wanted to do was get tucked into portraying this exquisite running machine.

Focus had to be given to the graceful lines, athletic long neck, beautifully defined shoulders and the ever alert inquisitive eye. 

In order to pep-up and add a wee twist to the final composition, interesting elements, such as his elegant pride, apparent coolness in the spotlight, controlled presence when in the thick of things, were had to feature.

I adored drawing this athlete, all the memories of my days "in the business" came flooding back.  They had a strong magnetic pull on my pencils.   The hours spent on the drawing board one big long refreshing walk down memory lane.

The icing on the cake: both Shooting Star and Up & Running are on their way to Australia as I type. 

Both are finalists in this years Inglis Equine Art Prize and their presence now required on the Australian Equine Art circuit! 

So very very chuffed. 

Actually chuffed to very little pieces!

p.s: Massive thank-yous' once again to Juliet Harrison for generously allowing me to use her material and vision. p.p.s: Juliet's work, her interpretation of the equine form is so beautiful. Her use of light masterful. If you are unfamiliar with her work, you simply must discover her amazing art world at http://julietrharrisonphotography.com/

Coralina graphite equine portrait by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

Coralina
Pencil on Paper
Sold
Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Coralina, this big brown mare is known for her speed, her braveness, her very good carriage skills.

Now Coralina is also known for her indoor presence.
Her portrait was drawn in time for the festive season and, I am told, has taken pride of place in her owners dining room. A great big thank-you to my new collector.

You can see more of my drawings at www.SheonaHamiltonGrant.com or enjoy a more behind the scenes view on my blog "Black on Grey on White"

Frederic T New graphite drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

To be honest, I never realised you could drown in pencil shavings and graphite...

You can.

It's happening at this very moment, here in the studio.

Christmas commissions have been "on the go" for the last 6 weeks (most excellent news) and Christmas is roughly another 6 weeks away (not such excellent news).

Every minute now crucial to getting the next commissions finished on time.

The result: days in my black and white world are madly fun: studio's buzzing, the artist scribbling, music pumping, Wilbur and Bernadette rocking, coffee brewing, cats if not playing paperweights very busy being feline.

Sadly, due to the world of secrecy surrounding all the commissions coming on and off the drawing board, none can be shown.

However, I do have one that I "prepared" last month.

Meet Frederic T a gorgeous handsome (now retired)) German Warmblood dressage horse.

Frederic is horse with oodles of talent who has given his rider and owner many a happy moment.

Frederic T

Pencil on Paper

Sold

Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved

My mission: to immortalise all that he brought and shared with his rider.

Mission accomplished: his portrait has now taken pride of place in their home.

On the drawing board at the moment another stunning equine who's having her life size portrait done. Off to render the detail in her eyes....

Florestan I by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

Mention Florestan and you automatically mention: success, beauty, quality and ... history.

Florestan I is a German Warmblood (Rheinland) breading stallion with amazing statistics.

Since 1989, this Fidelio-Rheingold son has sired over 5000 mares (yep three 0's after the 5) which has resulted in the following historical statistics. (Actually, I have it from good authority that he is so successful that it is near impossible to count all of his offspring...)

55 registered sons in the Stallion registry

200 State premium mares in Germany alone.

Approximately 2000 show horses registered at the German National Equestrian Federation.

1.2 Million Euros life time earnings.

A bronze statue of Florestan I can also be found in Wickrath Germanyhttp://www.pferdezucht-rheinland.de/index2.htm

Knowing all this, you can now all fully understand the honour and the excitement I experienced last spring when I was given, not only a private photo-shoot with the star but also the request to draw a portrait of him. (A great big thank you to Andrea Stricker, his groom and rider, for her time.)

I went for something different.

I wanted to steer away from the classic head-shot.

I was looking to portray the cheeky, clever, smart and inventive horse that he his.

His professionalism was amazing.

Like a model, he enjoyed every moment spent in front of the camera and gave me pose after pose, spoiling me with workable material.

However, it wasn't until I caught him off guard that I knew I had my moment, my portrait.

A glimpse of the normal, ever inventive, young at heart champion sire.

This pose captures everything: his beauty, presence , charisma and character.

At 24 he's far from feeling or looking his age and has definitely mastered the art of holding on...

"Holding On"

Pencil on Paper. 29x40 cm

Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

More of my work can be viewed at www.sheonahamiltongrant.com

Powered Together new drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant.

Deadline reached and my new commission is now ready to be shipped.
Powered Together was commissioned by the NRW Landgestuet for their annual stallion show (Warendorfer Hengstparade) in September.

I'm really chuffed with the way this drawing has come out.

"Powered Together"
Pencil on Paper. 39x30cm
Reserved
Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved 2010

Power, strength, speed, beauty, skill, trust and harmony are present in overdose.
Elements that my pencils adore rendering.
Meeting with my clients in a couple of days. Looking forward to hearing their thoughts.

(pssst: more of my work can be viewed at www.sheonahamiltongrant.com

Laureus signed, new equine drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

"Laureus"
Pencil on Paper, 27x36 cm
Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved

Reserved

What great company he was, alert, attentive, kind and oh so handsome.
Here's the finished result of another good week's work.
I wanted a three D effect.
In order to achieve this I pushed the contrast in the neck and accentuated the detail on the nose . I also used a large format so when the portrait is seen "live", Laureus really comes into the room.

There will be a little canine study next. Running off up to the studio to finish him.
Have a great Monday.

Hurricane. New graphite drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

"Hurricane"
Graphite on Paper. 36x56 cm.
Sheona Hamilton-Grant

Finished.
Hurricane is my first drawing this big.
The result was well worth the extra hours.
In this post I thought it would be nice to share the set of instructions used for preparing and producing this specific drawing.
(p.s:The ingredients used can be found worldwide, the way in which they are combined comes from trial and error.)

INGREDIENTS

1 sheet of Mellotex paper, whole

3 clutch pencils, filled (6B, 2B &2H)

1/2 piece of Blu-Tack

1 gorgeous subject (1.1 tones/2425 lb)

12 finely detailed digital photographs

XL Foam board

Artist Tape

1 “White Lies” cd

2 Marillion cds

Collectors Edition Pink Floyd

11/2l of drinking water (daily)

2 nespresso coffees (daily)

Preheated studio to 19 ºC = 66.2 ºF.

65 hours of drawing time.

Freshly ground passion.

DIRECTIONS

In a warm studio, over angled drawing board, outline subject and study eyes, movement and light. Add a pinch of passion and bring inner vision to a simmer.

Place paper on foam board. Tape corners with artist tape. Secure and set aside.

Turn on music.

Review sketch and bring to parchment. Begin eyes to get a perfect expression.

On a clear drawing board, under good light, add more work to overall subject. Pin down the darks and gradually stir in the lighter values. Allow the lighter grays melt into the drawing, and then add detail to the mix. Work gently for approximately 65 hours until the values are completely coated with details.

Finish with a pinch of zeal and a crack of freshly ground passion.

Serve immediately.

(p.s: More of my work can be found at www.sheonahamiltongrant.com )

New pencil drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

"Marble Arch"
Pencil on Paper, 20x30 cm
Copyright:Sheona Hamilton-Grant
Sold

This is Marble Arch by Corland out of Clover Hill an Irish Mare.
The process and various steps in the creation of this portrait can be viewed in my studio blog Black on Grey on White.
View more of my work on website Sheona Hamilton-Grant.
Thank you for looking.

Black stallion pencil portrait by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

"Charisma"
Graphite on Paper, 18x23 cm
Copyright Sheona Hamilton-Grant
SOLD

Approved, sprayed and signed!
This is Charisma, a stunning German Warmblood.
He was a gorgeous subject to draw: athletic, fit, alert, dark and handsome...
A work in progress of my trials and tribulations in the making of this piece has been posted in my blog Black on Grey on White.
If you would like more information on this piece or my work, please do not hesitate to contact me or have a wee look at my website www.sheonahamiltongrant.com

Drawing a Blank, graphite study by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

"Drawing a Blank"

Mixed media (graphite-charcoal)35x27 cm

295 Euros ($365)

Sheona Hamilton-Grant. 2009.Copyright

Here is how a young equine playfully reacts to the boredom of winter.

Here is how a graphite artist reacted to the feelings and memories this simple gesture awoke.
Here is "Drawing a Blank".

Warm Christmas Greetings

"Above the Bit", graphite drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

Here is "Above the Bit.", my latest soluble graphite study.

A study of the drama that goes on before the fence

The title is somewhat obvious forming a nice contrast, I feel, with the crop I chose to illustrate.

"Above the Bit"

23x22 cm. Graphite on paper

300 Euros ( 390$)

If you are interested and would like to see how this drawing came to life, you are very welcome to pop over my studio blog Black on Grey on White where the six main steps are illustrated and explained.

"Welcome Impact" new drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

Here is the finished version of my highland show pony.

A great drawing to produce...I loved using the soluble graphite: never thought I would be able to produce work with a paint brush...!

The trick to this technique seems to be nothing more than layering. Dry "normal" graphite was used as a base layer, I then added a layer of the soluble graphite which I  worked with a "barely" wet brush. This layering was repeated until the finished effect achieved.

Pencil used: Prismacolor water soluble graphite (dark) on Strathmore 400 series Bristol Board Vellum 2-ply.

"Welcome Impact"

Graphite on paper, 21x27 cm

P.S: Hope you like the title. Symbolises both how I feel about discovering this medium and hopefully how the viewer will react when seeing this lovely pony showing off...!

Curious to see how this drawing was created? The "making of" can be seen over on my studio blog Black on Grey on White.

Thank you for watching.

Sheona

Study in graphite of a horses' leg.

Here's "Elbow Room".

The wee story behind this drawing is the direct result of Albert Camus' fantastic quote "freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better".

SO, I decided to take a (well needed) break from commission and exhibition work, let go of the various pressures and see what my mind would give me.

I became deaf to "what might be nice to draw" and set myself instead a biggish technical challenge.

How do you or rather how would I give a vertical line energy?

"Elbow Room" is taken from reference photos I have had (stashed away in both my mind and studio) for over 7 years. This is the foreleg of a Rh.D. Kaltblutt stallion stationed at the Warendorf National Stud (Landgestuet Warendorf) .

I used pencil (2B & 6B) for the entire drawing. The shadow on the left leg is "glazed" over with loose charcoal (6B).

You can see more of my work at www.sheonahamiltongrant.com or  behind the scenes information at my blog "Black on Grey on White"