NEWHALL, Calif. — In the fight to save endangered species, artist Sherif Hakeem uses a couple of tools. There are the charcoal pencils he draws with and some brushes to get soft details. But there’s one tool he relies on the most.
“This right here is the probably one of the most important tools, the proportional divider,” he said, holding up a double pointy-ended device. “That’s what I use to get every proportion on the drawing as precise as possible.”
It’s a technique he first learned in sixth grade and has spent years perfecting to where some people now wonder if his hyper-realistic artwork is hand-drawn or a photograph.
Hakeem didn’t see a lot of wild creatures growing up in Hollywood, but he has always had a passion for animals. The self-taught artist began drawing them to challenge himself, to see how close he could get to the real thing. And when he saw what he could do, he knew he had to keep doing it.
“I think it was part of my calling to put art along with wildlife,” Hakeem explained, “because knowing the plight that they’re in as far as endangered species are concerned, endangered wildlife are concerned, things are really looking not so hot for them. So I figured if I can shed some light through a different avenue, I can maybe save wildlife through fine art.”
The personal trainer, by day, mainly draws at home on the couch on a board propped up on his knees.
No desk.
No easel.
Each piece of art takes him about 100 hours to complete. While he focuses on every minute detail, it’s the eyes he really labors over because they grab the viewer and hold their attention.
“People connect to that,” he said. “People can see that, you know, these are not just animals... They also feel loneliness. They feel sadness.”
His work is currently on display at The Main in old town Newhall.
Katherine Nestved is the arts coordinator for the City of Santa Clarita and said the feedback on Hakeem’s artwork has been amazing.
“You almost feel like you can go up and touch his pieces,” she said, quickly adding, “Don’t do it! But you feel like you can and so people are just really drawn into his work.”
She said the city has a few spaces where they showcase local artwork and are always looking for new talent. What stood out to her about Hakeem was as much his talent as his mission.
“He has a concept that really speaks to us, and we thought it would speak to our community,” she said.
This is Hakeem’s first solo show and with each piece of art sold, he plans to donate a portion of the sale to conservation groups and wildlife sanctuaries. These animals have stories to tell and he hopes people who see them will want to learn and understand more.
“What is it like when I have no place to live? Deforestation. Where do I go?” he explained. “What happens when I’m caged? I try to get people to think to think along those lines.”
The endangered species he draws will live forever on paper, but his ultimate goal is to keep them alive on Earth.
His show, “Saving Endangered Wildlife Through Fine Art,” runs at The Main through Aug. 29.