Hi! I’m Abby Pham, a 13-year-old artist who creates hyperrealistic pastel drawings. I love creating wildlife art and portraits inspired by history, literature, and classical art. My goal is to capture the emotion and personality of each subject and bring life to each of my piece!
Based: Melbourne, Australia
@abby.fineart | Youtube | abbyfineart.com
INTERVIEW
How did you find your way into art – was there a specific moment or person that set you on this path?
I have always loved drawing ever since I was little. Whenever I had free time, I would fill pages with doodles and sketches. I created artworks I was proud of, but I wasn’t able to create anything realistic or meaningful that made me feel the way I do about art today.
Everything changed when lockdown hit. I was around eight or nine years old, and one day I was bored at home. As I often did, I picked up my sketchbook to draw something. I went on YouTube and searched for drawing videos. I had never really watched someone create an artwork from start to finish before. Seeing an artist slowly build a drawing, layer by layer, completely changed the way I thought about art. Before that, I would simply draw what I thought I saw. I had never realised how much patience, observation, and trust in the process mattered. I was fascinated that something so realistic could be created one layer at a time. That single video inspired me to keep practising, and I haven’t stopped since. Every artwork has taught me something new, and that curiosity to keep learning is what keeps me going today.
How would you describe your artistic practice to someone encountering your work for the first time?
I am someone who loves creating hyperrealistic wildlife art and classical figurative portraiture. Although realism is an important part of my work, what I enjoy most is capturing the personality and emotion of each subject. I want people to feel as though they’re connecting with the subject, that it’s truly alive. I love studying the tiny details that bring a piece to life, from the texture of fur and feathers to the way light falls across a face. I spend a lot of time observing how light behaves, how colours shift, and what gives each subject its character. My work is inspired by nature, classical art, and storytelling, and I hope that when people see it, they can connect with the subject and feel something beyond the details!
What themes or ideas keep returning to your work, even when you don’t plan for them?
Looking back at my work, I think nature is the theme that keeps returning, even when I don’t plan for it. I am always drawn to wildlife because every animal has its own personality, and I love trying to capture that in my drawings. I also find myself creating more peaceful and quiet moments that make people slow down and really look! Whether I’m drawing an animal or a person, I hope my work help people to appreciate beautiful things that’s already around us. I think that’s probably why so much of my work ends up looking the way it does.
Can you walk us through your process – from the first idea to a finished piece?
Everytime I start a new artwork, it always starts with finding a subject that really resonates with me. Sometimes it’s an animal with an interesting expression, and other times it’s a character or person whose story inspires me. I spend a lot of time gathering reference images and thinking about the composition before I even begin drawing. Once I’m happy with the idea, I sketch the basic outlines, and slowly build up layers of pastel. I usually work from the larger shapes and values first before focusing on the finer details. Throughout the process, I constantly step back to compare my drawing with my references, making small adjustments along the way. My favourite part of the drawing process is when I add the tiny details and finishing touches that bring the subject to life! I know a piece is finished when it not only looks like what I had imagined, but also captures the feeling and personality I wanted to express.
What are you currently working on, and are there any upcoming exhibitions or projects you’d like to share?
Right now I’m working on two 50 × 70 cm pastel paintings. One is a portrait inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo. I finished reading the novel a while ago and was so drawn to the character Mercedes that I decided to create a portrait of her. For this piece, I’m using a green underpainting technique, but using pastels, where green is used as the foundation for the portrait. It helps neutralise the warm flesh tones and creates a luminous, translucent quality to the skin, which is exactly what I want for the Renaissance inspired look I’m aiming for! Alongside that, I’m also working on a drawing of a tiger swimming through water. I’m really excited to work on the reflections, movement, and changing light on the water’s surface especially. Both pieces are pushing me to experiment with new techniques and help me become a better artist everyday.
How has your practice evolved over the years – what has changed, and what has stayed the same?
Although I’ve only been creating art seriously for a few years, I feel like my practice has changed a lot! When I first started, I was mainly focused on making my drawings look as realistic as possible. Although I know my realism isn’t there yet, as I’ve grown, I’ve realised that realism is only one part of creating meaningful art. Now, I think much more about the emotion, personality, and story I want to capture. I’ve also become far more patient. Instead of rushing to finish a piece, I enjoy taking my time, observing carefully, and trusting the process. I used to take only around 5 hours for a drawing, but now my artworks typically take around 20 hours if not more, and for large artworks they would take me at least 2 months to complete. Technically, I’ve become more confident with colour, light, and composition, and I’m always challenging myself with more complex subjects and ideas. What hasn’t changed is my curiosity. I know I have heaps to learn and I love to experiment and push myself with every new artwork, and I hope that never changes!
What advice would you give to emerging artists just starting out, looking back on your own journey?
I’d say to remember why you started. Most of us started drawing because it was fun, not because we wanted to be the best.
I think sometimes you can get caught up comparing yourself to other artists or worrying about making everything perfect, but I think that takes away the joy of creating!
If you enjoy the process, you’ll naturally keep coming back to it, and that’s how you improve even more. I still have so much to learn, but I beleive that staying curious and enjoying every drawing, even the ones that don’t go to plan, is one of the most important things you can do.