Drawing realistic portraits that stun you - Interview with Shamen Walker

From a distance, these images may look like black and white photographs and only a very close look will reveal that these are not photographs, but portraits neatly sketched using pencil. Using no colors, Shamen Walker’s steady hands are capable of preserving the liveliness of the portrait depicting the facial emotions giving priority to the finest details. Shamen, speaking to The Nation, said that giving priority to minute details, from the freckles to pores in a face, is the success behind her portraits. “Detail, detail and detail,” she said. “I always give the first priority to the smallest details and I believe that is the only way to demonstrate the true emotions with every pencil stroke I make.”

Shamen was born in Bandaragama. Although she was blessed with only her mother’s love, she believes that she was fortunate to be in the company of her maternal grandmother during her childhood. She received her school education from Kottawa Dharmapala Vidyalaya and Panadura St. Anthoney’s Girls’ School. After completing her Advanced Level Examinations she flew to Cyprus to follow a degree in Business Management.

As she recalled, although she had harbored an artistic talent since childhood, she only took a keen interest in developing her talent during her adolescent years. “I remember I have been drawing since I was a small girl, but I did not take it seriously until I was 10, that was when I started to get a lot of compliments from my family and friends for my skills in drawing,” she recalled. She also mentioned that the complements and encouragement she received during this period was a great blessing which motivated her to improve herself. “Of course when you are told that you are good at something, it makes you feel special. So you keep doing it until you excel,” she added.

Shamen believes that the loneliness she experienced during her childhood inspired her to be the best she could. She had developed a habit of sketching and drawing to overcome her loneliness. “As I was growing up, I started to draw to overcome my loneliness. It was helping, therefore it became a hobby,” she said. “I solely engaged in drawing for self-satisfaction,” she added.

She also believes that her grandmother’s influence helped immensely in developing her artistic skills. “I was kind of blessed to be born with each foot in different worlds. My grandmother was really good at crafting and sculpting. She had even won awards for her work. I always believed I was gifted with my grandma's talent,” she paid her gratitude to the skills inculcated in her by her grandmother. “I did Art as a subject for my Ordinary Level Examinations. In 2012, I followed a one year Fine Art course at Vibhavi Academy in Kotte.”

Even though Shamen had identified her talents at an early age, she only became a portrait artist in 2012. Yet, she said that she is keen on experimenting with different styles, wildlife and nature being her favorites. “I have been experimenting with different styles like wildlife and nature ever since. I believe it is a good practice. It can only take an artist so far if they want to establish themselves in a niche,” she said. Shamen said that she feels more confident with her work since she started gaining recognition for her portraits. “I've settled for realism and portraits, and for the first time in my artistic endeavors I’ve gained some recognition. As the saying goes, ‘A Jack-of-all-trades is a master of none’,” she iterated.

Shamen said that it takes around three to four days to complete a portrait. “Time spent on completing a drawing depends on the size and the complexity of the drawing,” she stressed. “It usually takes me about 30 minutes to draw a sketch, and if it is a realistic portrait, it can even lead to three or four days,” she said. The most important part of a realistic drawing is the reference photo. The artist needs clear large photos so that fine details can be easily seen and then drawn. Then graphite pencils and smudging tools will be used to recreate the photo on chosen paper.

Shamen has an eagle’s eye to capture human emotion. She believes that it is her practice which is making her drawings livelier. “Apart from the academic guidance I've received, I think my eyes always tend to catch the depth of things. So I tend to draw everything I see, I believe practice makes everything perfect,” she opined.

A portrait she drew of a celebrity brought luck to her career as a portrait artist. Established through Facebook, she started receiving admiration for her work from a surprising number of people that she started her own business of graphite portraits. “My first celebrity portrait was of Samanali Fonseka. She was surprised and praised me for my talent. Then I did Saranga and Umali Disasekara's wedding portrait, Sangakkara and Mahela, Sanath Jayasuriya and Pooja Umashakar,” she spoke about her work. “They all were really shocked when they saw the portraits and greatly admired my work.” Sanath Jayasuriya’s portrait as well as the drawing of the popular picture of Sanga and Mahela during the T-20 Cricket World Cup series can be considered as her best attempts at realistic art.

She pointed out that the market for realistic portraits is elementary which could be developed if it is given serious attention. Therefore, as an amateur in the field she has to face challenges every day. Yet she also said that the number of realistic art enthusiasts cannot be overlooked. “I think the market for realistic portraits is still at a very elementary level in Sri Lanka. Even though, the number of people who understand the true value of a portrait is very limited here, I must say the demand for portraits overseas is very high,” she reiterated.

In general, she said that she could hardly be satisfied with the recognition an artist receives in the county. She also mentioned that the education opportunities for Art students as well as the opportunities an amateur artist receives are not satisfactory. “We only have very few Art Institutes in Sri Lanka. I think there should be more art institutes or schools for art enthusiasts who would love to brush up their inherent talents,” she emphasized. “In my experience, it is very hard to acquire professional art supplies in the local market. I think there should be government funded organizations to encourage young artists to improve their talents. I also think that if parents recognize the artistic talents of their kids, they should encourage them to do what they love to do,” Shamen further said.

In conclusion, Shamen said that she believes that there are no shortcuts for success. Her message for young artists was, “Always believe in yourself and your talent. If you want to excel in something, be honest with yourself and do what you love. Work hard.”