Exclusive Interview with professional wildlife artist and animal artist, Karen Phillips about her success with Wildlife Art.

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I am frequently asked what it is like to be a professional wildlife artist by people dreaming of giving up their day job and wishing to paint full time. 

I'm afraid that due to the volume of emails from artists, I am no longer able to reply to everyone individually.  

I hope that the information here may answer some of those burning questions.  Good Luck!

I choose to work predominately with graphite pencil because I love the most spectacular results that can be obtained in the absence of colour. 

Graphite pencil allows me to focus on the detail of an animal and demands that I study it closely; the feathers, fur, eyes, skin blemishes or patterns, and highlight the existing beauty in the natural world from a different angle. 

Without the distraction of colour, graphite accentuates the tonal variances, shades and highlights, making wildlife art pieces sharp, striking, dramatic and always eye-catching. I enjoy the challenge of capturing enough detail to draw the viewer in , without being too photo-realistic. 

With my wildlife art, I aim to grab the viewer’s attention, draw them in for a closer look, then keep them there with lots to study wherever they look in the piece.

"Hopefully by the end of the viewing experience, the viewer has shared a level of emotional connection to the animal similar to that which I have experienced during the creative process."

Wherever possible, I prefer to study animals in their natural habitat displaying their normal range of behaviours. Hence it is thrilling to plan for future expeditions to gather more reference material.  Through my wildlife art work I support a variety of charities dedicated to keeping wild animals free and in their natural environment. CLICK HERE ! to read about the charities I support.

I work exclusively from my own preliminary sketches and reference photographs. I use a professional range of harder graphic pencils for a sharper, well-defined and cleaner drawing. I do not use computers at any stage to create or enhance my artwork.

I choose the subjects of my wildlife art pieces from a variety of sources. I often find myself instinctively focusing on an animal that I have not yet drawn very much and would like to try and capture different skin textures, special moments or emotions.  Frequently, the idea for a new piece comes from spending hours observing the animals, seeing them interact with each other and wanting to capture that special moment sensitively.

I want the viewer's eye to be drawn to the stars of the wildlife art piece and how they are behaving within the story being told.  

"I also hope that viewers will smile as they enjoy my wildlife art.  I strive to create uplifting, positive and realistic images for people to enjoy living with in their homes."

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