Hannah Lipsey is a contemporary British artist known for creating hyper-realistic coloured pencil drawings that often look like photographs at first glance. She specialises in drawing shiny, reflective objects—think metallic surfaces, glass, and polished materials that seem like you can touch them.
Hannah Lipsey’s art focuses on textures and shine, pushing the limits of hyperrealism to create tactile illusions. Since her return to the art scene a few years ago, she has developed a global collector base with sell-out editions and exhibitions, showcasing her precision and playfulness in each drawing.
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Hannah Lipsey’s Artistic Journey
Hannah Lipsey studied Fine Art at university between 2008 and 2011, where she focused on surreal and abstract urban landscapes in acrylic paint. However, after graduating, she didn’t continue with art and spent several years doing other jobs, showing that creative paths aren’t always straightforward.
She returned to art in 2017, starting with graphite pencil drawings just for fun. One of her first drawings was a portrait of her niece:
“Just for fun I decided to try and draw my niece and it turned out okay!”
She then began creating more drawings for friends and family, building her confidence and skills gradually. She only charged £25 for those drawings – what a bargain!
In 2018, she moved to the United States due to her husband’s job. During her time there, she became more serious about her art, producing more work and starting to share it online. When she returned to the UK in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, she made a major decision—to pursue art full-time instead of going back to her job as a teaching assistant!
Today, she works from home in her own studio space and sells most of her work directly through her social media platforms. Her growth has come from consistency and visibility:
“I’ve done nothing special, just consistently put my work out there… I got lucky and had a few viral reels!”
What is Her Style Like?
Hannah Lipsey’s coloured pencil drawings focus on ordinary objects. They can be described as hyper realistic because the drawings look like 3D objects. She takes everyday items – things you might not normally look twice at – and turns them into highly detailed, visually striking artworks. This challenges the viewer to reconsider how interesting “normal” objects can be when seen closely.
She is also deeply interested in surfaces and textures. Whether it’s smooth metal, reflective glass, or glossy plastic, she uses coloured pencils to recreate surfaces so realistically that they almost feel like you can touch them. This level of detail helps bring her drawings to life.
What is Hannah Lipsey’s Drawing Process for Hyper Realism?
- 📸 Take lots of reference photos
- She photographs her subject (often shiny objects) from different angles and lighting conditions. This helps her choose the most interesting reflections and composition.
- 🔍 Select the best image
- She picks a photo with strong contrast, clear reflections, and interesting detail—especially important for metallic or glossy surfaces.
- ✏️ Light sketch
- She lightly outlines the shapes onto paper, carefully mapping out proportions and key areas like highlights and reflections.
- 🎨 Build up layers slowly
- Using coloured pencils, she applies multiple light layers rather than pressing hard. This allows her to gradually build up colour and create smooth blends.
- 🌗 Develop contrast
- She deepens the darkest areas and preserves the lightest highlights. Strong contrast is what makes the drawing look realistic and three-dimensional.
Look at the rainbow drawing below. Where can you see a light layer of colour being added? What would be the next stage of the drawing?
Top Facts about coloured pencil artist Hannah Lipsey:
- From: Near Liverpool, UK; now based in Hertfordshire
- Degree: BA (Hons) Fine Art (originally painting, not drawing!)
- Self-taught in realism and coloured pencil
- Exhibitions: Affordable Art Fair London & New York, Hyper Realist Exhibition Cambridge
- Medium: Coloured pencil on paper
- Known for: Illusion of shine, reflections, and extreme detail
- She has over 100,000 followers on Instagram
The Joy of Coloured Pencils
Hannah Lipsey’s work shows that traditional materials like coloured pencils can still be incredibly powerful. In a time where digital art is everywhere, her drawings prove that simple tools – used with skill and patience – can create work that feels modern and impressive.
Her process highlights the importance of practice and persistence. Spending time layering and refining each piece demonstrates that high-level realism doesn’t come from talent alone, but from dedication and time.
Lipsey also encourages artists to find inspiration in everyday objects. You don’t need unusual or expensive subject matter—interesting artwork can come from things you see around you every day, if you take the time to really observe them.
There is a genre of art which explores inanimate, stationary subjects, typically natural items like food and flowers or man-made objects like vases and books… Do you know what it is called? Click here to find out.
What skills can you see in Hannah Lipsey’s artworks? Think about the quality of her work and try to list 5 skills you recognise.
Which of the Formal Elements do you think Lipsey likes to explore in her artwork? What are the most prominent Formal Elements you can see in the drawing above, called Metelephant.
How to create artwork like Hannah Lipsey:
Creating work with coloured pencils can be really rewarding – if you use the right colours and good quality pencils! Pencils which blend easily and give rich, intense colours are more expensive, but they will last way longer and give you better results.
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What is your opinion of Hannah Lipsey’s hyperrealist coloured pencil art? Do these drawings inspire you to master the techniques? Let me know in the comments!
Interesting practice, Hannah. I like that you added the hyper realism process too.
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