HannahGraceArtStudio

I grew up in the middle of the desert, living in the house my parents built for us. Back in those times, the neighborhoods were not quite as built-up, and the vast desert came right up to my doorstep. I grew up dodging cactus patches on my bike and exploring washes with my brother Matt. I was always fascinated with the colors I saw in the desert around me: the thousands of shades of brown, the vivid blue sky that changed from season to season, and the sunsets that were like honey and fire. Though I dabbled in painting with oils and acrylics, I really didn’t take an art class until my senior year of high school with Mr. Hamilton.

Mr. Hamilton taught me a great lesson in art- patience. He taught me how to take the time to really plan out what I was seeing in my head so I could transfer it onto paper. I worked on my art all throughout college as a hobby, practicing the techniques I learned in high school. In 2007, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. To this day, I still pass on the art techniques I learned from Mr. Hamilton to my own students.

My interest in Inktense pencils developed during my stint teaching overseas at an American school in Singapore. There, with a little help from my coworkers, I acquired a set of seventy-two pencils. I am fascinated by the medium; the pencils go down on paper just like any color pencil, but add water to the drawing, and it explodes with color! I use these pencils so much that they are my main go-to for any artwork. I love using them for my desert pictures especially because they create vivid color- just like how I see the desert.