Pencils and Pixels Art - About Nicole I. Hamilton, Pencil Portrait Artist & Graphic Designer

About the Artist

Self taught Pencil Artist
College Degrees in both Commercial and Multimedia Graphic Design

The artist's thoughts on . . .

Pencil Drawing | Photo Editing and Graphic Design | Providing Great Customer Service | Future Goals

"I first discovered I could draw when I was about 14. I had always enjoyed art, but I never really thought I had any particular gift for it. I remember sitting in one of my middle school classes, bored silly. We had finished work for the day, and were waiting the extra 10 or 15 minutes for the bell to ring and signal our escape. I remember distinctly looking across the isle and seeing someone's Trapper Keeper laying on the desk next to mine. It had the Tasmanian Devil in 3 different poses dancing across it. I am not sure what prompted me to pick up my pencil, unearth a sheet of paper, and start drawing Taz. However, in that few minutes I discovered a talent I didn't even know I had. I looked at the paper when I was done, amazed to see Taz looking back at me. When I took the paper home to show my mother, she said, "Who drew that?" She was just as surprised as me! For some reason, it just came easily for me to draw what I could see. I really haven't stopped drawing since that day.

I continued to draw, mainly cartoons and Disney characters. I remember taking the Sunday comics and copying Snoopy and Garfield. I drew a few animals, but basically stayed away from people because it was just too daunting. However, I won't forget something that happened that changed my attitude. We were visiting family, and my Mom was telling my older brother how I could draw any picture I could see. He said, "Okay, draw me this", and took out his wallet and handed me his ID. "I can do anything but people," I said. This was a very small conversation, but it changed my thinking. I considered it a challenge now, and set a goal of learning to draw people.

Now, I wanted nothing more than to be able to capture the human face, which is arguably the hardest thing to master. My first attempts were not great, still loking a lot like cartoons. Like a true perfectionist, I kept at it, and gradually I discovered how to really manipulate graphite. I started to master shading, and quit working with just a mechanical pencils, and bought some real graphite pencils of varying hardness. I also learned about proportions and really developed my own unique style. Eventually, I realized I had quite a portfolio of works. So, I decided to create this site, and offer my services to others.

Like most pencil artists, I started drawing pictures of celebrities, and then progressed to portraits of family and friends. I still enjoy working with photos because it captures the essence of a person in a single instant, be it joy, sadness, surprise, or even flirtation. (I also still enjoy drawing my favorite celebrities for fun.)

To me the eyes are one of the most important features of the face. As the old saying goes, "the eyes are the window of the soul", and they alone can speak volumes about the emotion of a subject.

A pencil portrait will have a tremendous impact as a gift. Each pencil portriat is unique. I pay fanatical attention to detail to make your portrait look real, and capture your favorite moment in graphite. As my family and friends will tell you, I am a perfectionist when it comes to my art work!"

"I always had an interest in art and computers, so it was a natural progression to study Graphic Design and be able to use both! After going to college for Graphic Design, I learned many ways to manipulate, enhance, and correct photos. There are so many things you can do on a computer that just can't be done by hand on paper. I offer these services to others, because I know how much use they have been to my family and friends! I especially enjoy repairing and restoring photographs. These are things that cannot be replaced. Please don't think your damaged photos are a lost cause! Even the most severe damage can often be corrected. So whether it's a video to enhance a special event, or just a gift for "the person that has everything", it is amazing what an effect they have!

I always endeavor to make sure every job turns out as perfect as possible, and that my customers are satisfied and happy with the results."

"Customer service is an integral part of any business, and I pride myself on providing unmatched service and making sure each customer is satisfied. I will work with you on your special requests, and do everything to make your order with PencilsandPixelsart.com go smoothly.

I learned about customer service first hand working in retail for over 5 years. Part of that time was spent as a manager, and I dealt with customer problems and concerns on a daily basis. Also, because of the type of business I was in, many customers had specific needs or visions for the service we provided. This involved working one on one with them and maintaining an open line of communication to ascertain and provide everything they needed. I now do this same thing with my customers online. You can contact me easily by phone or e-mail, and I enjoy talking with you and hearing your ideas.

Before launching my own business, I spent some time selling on EBay in order to learn about dealing with customers online. I am happy to say I had many successful transactions, including some pencil portraits, and never received any negative feedback. I learned how important it is to accurately describe items and services and ship it out as fast as possible. I still occasionally sell on EBay, so watch the auctions for my Pencil Portraits at a reduced price!

I hope you will give me the opportunity to serve you. Thank you in advance for your business!"

"In the future I hope to continue improving in my pencil art. I am ready to make the jump to color, and have already began learning about the best ways to use colored pencils, and am developing my own technique. I eventually hope to include oil pastels as well. However, I believe graphite pencil will always be my favorite medium, and I will continue doing graphite portraits. I would also like to expand my artistic talents and continue creating artwork strictly from my own imagination!

In addition, I would like this site to keep growing, and become a resource for pencil artists everywhere by providing information and maybe even a little inspiration.

I hope to continue expanding my knowledge of graphic design as well, and attempt to keep up with the ever changing technology.

In all cases, I don't believe we ever truly stop learning, and there is always room for improvement."

Thanks for your interest and visiting my site!

Nicole I. Hamilton
Artist/Graphic Designer