Artists & Illustrators September 2026 Sample

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Captured in acrylic

Travelling tips Your art on the move

The beauty of nature In wonderful watercolour

PORTRAITS STILL LIFE LANDSCAPES EXHIBITIONS

We present...

This m o n t h ’s spotlight is on a pastel wildlife artist

SOPHIE PARKHILL

This wildlife artist aims to keep her work realistic, while embracing colour and vibrancy, and using her art to support wildlife charities

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The Eye of the Catcher , pastel, 30x30cm

’ve always been creative, and even sold small commissions as a teenager. My journey back into art happened unexpectedly when I was in hospital during pregnancy, suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum. My other half bought me a set of Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel pencils to take my mind off things.

I hadn’t painted or drawn in years, so my first piece was Blue Jay created from a free reference image I found on Pixabay. Once I finished it, I had a huge rush of positivity: I felt relaxed, inspired, excited; everything I used to feel when I was creating art. From then on, I was hooked.

Online galleries were a great first step and helped me to grow my confidence. Without exhibiting in online exhibitions first, and winning some great awards, I don’t think I’d have had the courage to enter physical exhibitions. I started to exhibit my work in small events, then larger group exhibitions like the Association of Animal Artists, followed by my own guest exhibition at the Artworks2 Gallery in Betws-y-Coed. Fast forward several years, I’m now an award-winning artist and donate a portion of the sale of many of my original paintings to wildlife charities.

I use a range of pastels for every single piece, including PanPastels, soft sticks and pastel pencils. I often focus on birds and big cats because I love to paint them, but I choose the work I’m doing based on what I know sells at each particular event or gallery. People may believe this takes the fun out of art, but it’s actually just a reality that cannot be overlooked for anyone wanting to make a career out of it. There can be a balance between painting what inspires you, and painting what is likely to sell.

Structuring my time to keep creating regularly is something I struggle with even today! When running your own business, it can feel easy to have a day off, which quickly turns into a week off.

Trying to do 9-5 hours wasn’t right for me so most of my work is created between 7pm and 2am because those are the hours where I’m most productive and able to fully concentrate. spwildlifeart.com ▫ ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS 17

The Gondolier, acrylic and collage on canvas, 90x75cm

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H O W I W O R K I N T H E S T UDI O

Gethyn Davies This landscape and figurative artist tries to avoid having his work categorised. He tells Meehika Barua about his unique style ▸

The Shared Kiss, mix paint with a glazing medium to finish, 60x60cm

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TH E BIG INTERVIE W

Vanity Fair Angels 3 0 ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS

T H E BI G I N T E R V I E W Kate - Dolce & Gabanna

Jorge Arévalo The internationally renowned illustrator tells Sarah Edghill how he creates his flamboyant and arresting works of art ▸

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Fields of joy

STEP-BY-STEP

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have chosen this composition for my painting because the field is very dear to me.

It’s one I visit throughout the year to witness the seasonal changes in the crop. Living in Northamptonshire, I’m surrounded by a wealth of farming fields which I love to visit and photograph at different times of the year. It’s a great source of inspiration for new paintings and I like to capture the tree in the field.

Despite all the changes within the seasonal light, this tree remains a constant focus. It seems eternal, starting from the changing light and reaching to the shifting sky.

For this story, the field is painted just after the harvest.

Instagram: @zoritzawilliams

ZORITZA WILLIAMS paints this freshly

harvested field with hovering dark clouds on Pastelmat, using the new Blockx pastels and others

ZORITZA’S MATERIALS Surface Clairefontaine Pastelmat: Brown 24x30cm Pastels Blockx pastels: Blue, Yellow, Black, White Unison: Brown Earth 18, Orange 3, Light Grey 15, Light Grey 18, Orange 3, Orange 17, Blue Violet 9 Rembrandt: Cinnabar Green tr626, Bluish Gray tr727, Raw Sienna tr234, Raw Umber tr408 Sennelier: Grey 516, Grey 514

C HOOSING THE RIGHT PAPER Trying out various pastel paper, Clairefontaine Pastelmat was the obvious choice and the only paper I use for my paintings. Its velvety surface flows when applying pastel pigment. I use lots of layers and blending in my work, resulting in a pleasing result on the finished painting. No fixative is needed and there’s hardly any dust. ▸

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