Jess Ridley

Jess began drawing on her parents walls at the age of 2! Since these scribbles, she has now progressed to drawing realistic wildlife pieces as well as pet portraits. Jess has always been an extremely creative individual, pursuing a career in Musical Theatre whilst always maintaining a strong passion for art, but only ever being self taught.

Now her passion lies in educating people about the critical state of endangered animals through her wildlife sketches and hopes in the future to be able to donate and support wildlife protection efforts.


Portfolio:

Wildlife

Here is a collection of 5 pieces that I created within a 2 year gap whilst working onboard cruise ships.
A few years before I had been on safari in Africa and was so overwhelmed by its beauty.

I am concerned about the future of these endangered animals and these pieces are to celebrate them!

Heavy Sleeper “Heavy Sleeper”

A3 in graphite and charcoal of the endangered rhino. Rhinos are poached for their horns which are used in traditional Asian medicines. Horn is made from the same material as human nails and has never been proven to have any medicinal value, however thousands have their horns removed, sometimes leaving the rhino alive with terrible wounds, but usually dying. Methods such as injecting dye, rendering the horn unusable and unsellable, have been used to deter poachers.

Close up “Close up”

This is an A3 piece in charcoal, graphite and pen of the magnificent African Elephant.

Focus “Focus”

This was the first tiger sketch I ever attempted using charcoal and textured paper and it made the world of difference.

I have always loved the beauty and power of the tiger. There are so many features of a tiger that are impressive but in this picture I was captivated by the intense stare behind the eyes.

Intensity “Intensity”

This piece was drawn using graphite and charcoal and was the first time I had ever attempted to draw feathers! Layering these textures was a big learning curve for me and one that tested my patience! I love getting details right, but struggle with the concentration required to achieve this!

This piece was requested by my Nan for her birthday!

King “King”

This piece was created using graphite, charcoal and pen. Drawing the fluffy mane was a learning curve for me and I would love to create more lion pieces in the future.

Whilst exploring South Africa, I was lucky to come across so many animals I didn't expect to see including the solitary leopard. I was told it was almost guaranteed that i'd see lions as they are pretty unfazed by safari trucks...however after 5 days I had to leave the part without seeing one single lion!