Heather Lewis - the magic of black and white

Above: Heather Lewis

Above: Dog portrait

The extensive use of colour has in some ways focused our interest increasingly towards artistic creations in traditional black and white. Overstated colour can detract from the character of the subject, or even the grandeur of a landscape; a snow scene in black and white can be more dramatic than one flourishing with colour. Pencil portraiture presents the subject in what would appear to be the simplest method of recording a person’s features and inner character. But hidden beneath this simplicity lies an intricate skill of precision, touch and technique.                                                                                                            

Heather Lewis has many years experience as a professional portrait artist receiving commissions from as far afield as France, Italy, Canada and Australia. She speaks passionately about her profession and much enjoys passing on her knowledge and experience of portrait drawing, making it accessible and achievable to others. Who better to ask to satisfy my curiosity!                                                                                                            

As a child, Heather clearly remembers the encouragement from her mother and father into the fascinating world of art. Her father, a precision-tool designer, is from whom she inherited her attention to detail, and from her mother she learned to appreciate perception and observation of subjects as she watched her numerous talents in oils and watercolours.

Heather’s philosophy is that drawing is a skill, not necessarily a talent; it is a skill which is nurtured and developed through the constant use of shading, hatching and other techniques. Each person develops their own style using different pencils for varying applications. With great enthusiasm and verve, Heather supported her theory by illustrating the success of her students, many of whom had never drawn before, but have attained a level of proficiency whereby 40 pieces of their work are being exhibited at the Peacock Art Gallery within Upton House in Poole. 

To provide for her independence, Heather trained as a secretary-come-administrator, but it wasn’t long before the itch to draw returned. She started evening art classes where she was soon asked by fellow students if she would draw portraits of their pets, and her self-taught skills developed into a professional career. As well as her commissions, Heather runs five classes a week plus day workshops at the Kinson Community Centre. Most of her commissions come through word-of-mouth recommendation, but she quickly adds that her work has to sell itself.

Producing her kit of tools, Heather explained to me each of the materials and various techniques she uses. Firstly, a lead pencil. This is a combination of graphite and clay; a higher content of clay produces a harder finish, less clay and more graphite results in a softer tone; these varying tones produce depth to the portrait.

But, she tells me, using the same pencil throughout would result in a lifeless portrait lacking depth of the character, while using a variety of hard and soft pencils brings different qualities to a drawing. Hard pencils are normally used for detail, while soft pencils achieve good textural quality and shading.

When Heather uses a combination of these different grades an almost 3D appearance is produced, and by varying the pressure on the pencil a darker or lighter tone is achieved. To soften harsh lines she uses tortillons and stumps – tortillons are spiral-wound cones of paper, pointed at one end, and stumps are made of light cardboard and usually pointed at both ends; both have their individual qualities.

Hatching is a pencil technique used to build up tone, but a finger can also be used to add an interesting texture to a drawing. There is, says Heather, no substitute for knowledge about the pencils you use and adopting a good basic pencil technique, adding that Leonardo Da Vinci used a shading technique he named sfumato whereby the edges of areas of shadow were blurred giving them a smoky quality; he used this technique to give the appearance of form.

Next, we discussed paper, and it’s a smooth heavyweight cartridge paper of 220sm that’s essential to withstand repeated blending of the various tones and techniques used to produce a lifelike portrait which reflects the subject’s true character. Heather suggests that a 1938 quote from Maurice Grosser in The Painter’s Eye is a valuable observation to any budding artist: ‘The painter draws with his eyes, not with his hands. Whatever he sees, if he sees it clear, he can put down. The putting of it down requires, perhaps, much care and labor, but no more muscular agility than it takes for him to write his name. Seeing clear is the important thing.’                                                                   

Heather normally works from a good photograph of her subject, her preference being for a free hand where she takes the original photograph. During a study of a young girl, Heather took 200 images before she captured the expression and pose she wanted. The eyes, she says, have to work in proportion with everything else and mirror the sole of the person.

The majority of Heather’s students are in their 50s, those people who now have the time to draw, and who have always wanted to do so. Her courses provide a great deal of personal satisfaction and add another string to students’ bows, and thus, broadening their lifestyles.

If you now have the time and that itch to draw, why not enter the magical world of black and white? Give it a try!

Heather Lewis, pencil portraitist Tel: 01202 874478 or email heatherl.portraiture@virgin.net