How long does it take to do a drawing?
They vary. At the moment I'm working on a coral trout and I expect it to take about 300 hours. The paper is made from cotton, although it looks like paper or a very thick cardboard, and even though you can rub out on it, it changes the surface texture, and I don't like that. Basically if I make a mistake it's in the rubbish bin. That happens a lot. Probably only one out of three pieces that I start will actually make it to the end. I've been within 10 hours of finishing a 200-hour piece and made a stupid mistake, so it went in the bin!

What's involved in drawing process?
I draw freehand and work from left to right. So I completely finish one part before moving to right. In the case of the coral trout I'm just past the spinous dorsal fin, blue spots and everything, so it's nearly half the fish and after that the page is blank. I don't draw an outline first. With wildlife I have to be anatomically and botanically correct, so I look at photos for fine details and ratios. I don't use a ruler though – I do my ratios by eye.

How many pencils do you use?
I own about 2000, but I'll only use between six and 40 on each piece. On the barramundi I used four greys and a little bid of apricot. For the coral trout I'm using about 10. I use the same pencils that I used at school – Faber Castell.

Is the paper special?
It's acid-free so it doesn't go brown like newspaper tends to do.

How did you get started?
I've always loved to draw, even as a child, but it was when I was working and living in camps in far western Queensland that other people began to notice. On the weekend I would sit around doing a bit of sketching while playing cards, and the other guys would say, “What are you doing out here, Chris, you should be down in Sydney making a living out of your drawings”.
But most of the credits belongs to my wife, Wendy. I stayed at home drawing while she went around the publishers, and finally got me published with a company called Art Nouveau. That was in about 1992 and I have been drawing full-time ever since.

How many hours each day do you draw?
Yesterday I drew for about 16 hours, but normally I get in six to eight hours per day. Although I love my work, I like to be there for my boys – Ben, five and Gabriel, three.

How do you see yourself?
I don't look at myself as an artist at all. I think I'm an eccentric person who has decided to draw. But I'm a perfectionist.
My drawings are all about intricate stuff and it's got to be good. The barramundi in ‘Gone Fishing' was accurate from the number of scales and their pattern to the tiny capillaries in the spinous dorsal fin.

What does the future hold?
I'd love to open a gallery and also have a go at illustrating books. And I'd really like to do some science fiction, fantasy work or even abstract, just to have a break from the strict rules of wildlife art.
Kay Coombe.

Interview by Pat Coombe

© 2009 Retcorp. All rights reserved

.