Pencil Wildlife artist Kevin Hayler in the Togian Islands, Suluwesi, in Indonesia

The Wildlife Art of Kevin Hayler

To Cut a Long Story Short about thirty years ago I decided to combine my three passions in life namely, Wildlife, Art, and Travel, and try to make a living.

The plan was simple enough, I’d leave the fridge factory, learn to paint, and travel the world. So what if I was untrained, broke, and colorblind?

What could possibly go wrong?

I bumbled along for a few years, in a ‘hand to mouth’ kind of way, but it became apparent that if I was to ever make a reasonable living, I had to up my game.

I decided to use the remaining money from a small inheritance to print some of my pencil wildlife art and this time it had to work.

I set up a display in a weekend craft market and..

KABOOM!

I earned more money on that first Saturday than I’d ever earned in a week – I’d found my niche.

I’ve been trading ever since. In the summer I draw and sell my prints in the UK and in the winter I fly off in search of sunshine and wildlife.

It all sounds bloody good when you edit out the boring bits!

Brighton Market stall in Brighton on a busy summers day

What I do, as a Pencil Wildlife Artist

For the last 20+ years, I’ve been making my living by selling my wildlife art prints and using the money to travel the world and look for wildlife.

And no, that’s not spiced up to make my life sound cool, that’s what I do. I travel abroad for 4 months every year and sell my wildlife prints to tourists for 6 months. And, touch wood, I always end the tax year with a profit!

Am I wealthy? Hell no, but I do pretty well for the short time I’m prepared to trade.

Could I do better? Yup, but I choose not to. I don’t want to do commissions anymore, and I’m not hanging around for the Christmas madness either. I want to get away all winter. There’s more to life than just making money, my primary aim is to find happiness, not riches.

I live a simple life.

male orangutan drawing by wildlife artist Kevin Hayler

What Makes my Pencil Wildlife Art Different?

Am I an expert in everything I do? Of course not, I know a fair bit because I’ve been drawing and selling art for a very long time.

What I am, is the real deal. I make the most of what talent I have and I live the lifestyle I talk about. What you see is what you get. I’m passionate about the natural world and conservation. I’m addicted to travel, it’s my drug of choice, and enough people like my work to keep me going.

People, from all over the world, collect my wildlife art, not just because they like my work, but because they like the story that goes along with it.

That’s a real success, in my book.

What is my Art Site all About?

There are 4 sides to my site at present:

How to sell wildlife art, as I do,
How to draw wildlife, as I do,
How to travel to see wildlife, as I do,
And a gallery for my wildlife art

If any of these topics interest you, you will gain something from this site:

If you want to sell your art, my advice is from first-hand lived experience.
If you want to see the natural world, I’ve traveled everywhere independently. I can show you how to do it and where to go.
If you want to draw and need some real tips, and not the guff you mostly read on the internet, I will tell you exactly how I draw.
And lastly, if you want some affordable art for your home, or as a gift, I have plenty to show you, and the price won’t be a barrier.

If you want to get a head start and copy what I do, you should check out my guide. It tells you EVERYTHING!