Imagine possessing the ability to use basic office supplies, such as card stock and mechanical pencils, to produce freehand images. Imagine that people will swear these images are computer generated.
Now, further imagine possessing the ability to create those images with such skill that you are able to visually edit as you work and that the finished hand drawn image looks better than the photograph you are working from.
This is the level of skill that Oregon artist Iain Stone uses to create his fantastic pencil images. There are no computers used, no tracing or projecting images; just Stone working freehand with his eye and ability to guide him. Stone uses inexpensive materials to create each image for commissions and his personal collection; all of these images are displayed on his website
On his website, Stone offers customers the option of purchasing prints of completed work. They may also choose an original image, which naturally comes with a higher price tag. Stone also accepts commissions, shows his process to viewers (which helps prove that the images are freehand as he claims) and advertises his instrument repair work.
The skill and ability Stone displays through each step and image is so precise and meticulous that one would believe this is something he has deeply focused on his entire life.
“I never took it seriously until I was in high school. I had a REALLY good, motivational teacher in high school. I really wanted to be an art professor and teach art history. I went to a community college in Oregon and took a bunch of art classes,” Stone said. “I wound up getting contacted from a graphic design school in Arizona and they were telling me about this Illustration Program that they had. I signed up over the phone. After a few months at that school, they cancelled the program. I finished up my Associates and moved out of the desert. I never went back to school. Life happened, and I lost interest.”
After college, Stone began to build and repair instruments. “Guitars were a consistent paycheck”, he said. “All I want to do is support my family by doing what I am good at. Art, guitars … and being a smartass.”
He can’t always choose the images for his commission work. However, when creating art for his own enjoyment, Stone selects what he will work on from a stock of images he keeps. His choice is based on whatever appeals to him at the moment.
Although he presently works largely in black and white, Stone does plan to begin incorporating color into his work. “I haven’t yet because I’m not good with color. I’m in my comfort zone with graphite.’ He said, “I slowly get better every time I finish a project. My main goal is to go FASTER and still have good detail. These things take me too long to do, and cause me to have a higher price tag than people want to spend.”
Currently, Stone works from his home creating artwork and repairing instruments. Should you wish to view his portfolio or commission an image, you may do so through his website.
