This charcoal portrait captures a quiet moment with a Cheetah — the world’s fastest land animal and one whose presence on the African plains is becoming increasingly fragile. Once roaming widely across vast landscapes, cheetah populations now face mounting pressures from habitat loss, human–wildlife conflict, declining prey, and the growing fragmentation of the wild spaces they depend on.

Drawn in charcoal on stretched canvas, this piece focuses on the calm, watchful expression of the cheetah — a reminder that these remarkable animals are more than symbols of speed; they are part of the living heartbeat of the African wilderness.

Echoes of the Plains reflects both the beauty and vulnerability of a species whose presence still whispers across the grasslands.

May these echoes never fall silent.

Medium: Charcoal on stretched canvas

Size: A2

Time taken: 14 hours

Photo inspiration: Mario Paul, Wild Photo Africa