Zoe Fitchet: Sharpened focus

I explore and express my love of the natural world through creating accurate and realistic, highly detailed portraits.

I enjoy learning about each subject before capturing them on watercolor paper or canvas. I work with colored pencils predominantly, as their sharp points and ability to layer allows for intricate detail and texture, with each piece taking hours to gradually build to a realistic finish.

Another one of my preferred mediums is acrylic. Although not as highly regarded as oils, high quality acrylic can be more archival than oil due to their lightfast properties, and as they dry much faster, they allow for precision and detail to develop quickly. I use incredibly small brushes to paint the hairs individually, with each section of hair or fur requiring multiple layers to build a dense and realistic result. Using negative space to create focus on the subject, my wildlife pieces adopt a more contemporary look.