Wild Portrait Artist: Monique Castellani-Kraan
Hi! I’m Monique, the Wild Portrait Artist! I became enamoured with art when I was 11 and it stuck with me ever since. Throughout school I would constantly get told off for drawing instead of paying attention in class! The natural world is the key driving point in my artwork and my photography. My passion is animal portraiture, with the goal of showing just how vibrant and wonderful wildlife and pets can be.
I also love sharing my knowledge about techniques and materials with other artists. It’s for this reason that I started making art tutorials on Youtube! It is so fulfilling to teach other people and share my experiences while creating artwork. Check out my YouTube channel for art tutorials, art product reviews, tips, discussions and more.
My favourite tools are Faber Castell Polychromos, Caran d’Ache Luminance, Holbein, and Caran D’ache Pablo coloured pencils. For my graphite art I mainly work with Caran d’Ache Grafwood pencils. I use a variety of different papers, but I particularly favour Saunders Waterfood Hot Pressed Watercolour Paper for my pencil works. All the tools I use are archival and lightfast, to ensure my artwork lasts for many decades without fading.
Exhibitions and Publications
May-June 2021 – ‘Kisses in Blue’ awarded the Derwent Prize for Best in Show and the People’s Choice Award in the UK Coloured Pencil Society 18th World of Coloured Pencil Exhibition
September 2020 – ‘Visitor in Green’ selected for the UK Coloured Pencil Society ‘Nature in Art’ annual open exhibition
July – September 2018 – Bee in the City art trail – I designed and painted a bee statue for Bee in the City Manchester. My bee was sponsored by the NHS for Henshaws charity as a sensory bee designed for both non sighted and sighted people to explore and enjoy. It was on display outside North Manchester General Hospital during the trail, and is now viewable at its permanent home inside the main foyer of Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.
May 2018 – ‘Mythical Beast’ selected for the UK Coloured Pencil Society Annual Open Exhibition
April – May 2018 – Solo exhibition at Teggs Nose, Macclesfield
November 2016 – Shortlisted for the Jackson’s Art “Drawn In” competition
November 2016 – Honorable Mention in the Colored Pencil Magazine 2016 Annual Competition
August 2016 – “Is Tracing Cheating?” – Article printed in the August 2016 Issue of Colored Pencil Magazine
May 2016 – printed in the May 2016 Issue of Colored Pencil Magazine Artist Gallery
February 2016 – Artist & Illustrators Artist of the Year Exhibition, London’s Mall Galleries
November 2015 – Colors of Humanity November 2015 show.
November 2015 – Jackson’s Art November Coloured Pencil Competition Shortlist
November 2015 – Featured in the Colored Pencil Magazine 2016 Calendar
November 2015 – Honorable Mention in the Colored Pencil Magazine 2015 Annual Competition