Meet the Yorkshire artist painting striking images of Leeds despite being colour-blind

Zac Rossiter began painting when he was a child, earning the nickname “little artist” from his primary school teacher.Now a successful artist who paints striking illustrations of places in Leeds and beyond, his vibrant artwork is full of colour.

But it was only thanks to his school teachers that he veered away from painting solely in black-and-white as Zac has deuteranomaly, a type of colour-blindness which leads to the colour green appearing more red.

Zac says: “I was insecure about it. And then I made some coloured pieces and my teachers were like, ‘oh, you have a really interesting approach to this’. One of my teachers said it should become my unique selling point. I've not created anything black and white since.”

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Zac also has a tendency to confuse green with brown or other less vibrant colours. He says: “I think I make it up by painting quite intensely and vibrantly, to sort of counteract it.”

Zac Rossiter is a freelance illustrator who enjoys painting buildings, coffee shops and parks in Leeds and beyond.Zac Rossiter is a freelance illustrator who enjoys painting buildings, coffee shops and parks in Leeds and beyond.
Zac Rossiter is a freelance illustrator who enjoys painting buildings, coffee shops and parks in Leeds and beyond.

Zac’s interest in art has likely been influenced by the creative minds in his family – including his mum, who was a graphic designer, and his sister, who also studied art. “I think it’s accessible and useful, and everyone likes it,” says Zac. “And it’s also what I would consider my only tangible skill.”

After leaving school, he studied art at university. Shortly after his graduation in 2020, he picked up his paintbrushes during the Covid-19 lockdowns to illustrate vibrant places in Leeds. His first illustration was of Hyde Park Picture House, and the success of the piece took Zac by surprise.

He says: “I was really determined that I was going to start making and selling artwork and I was stuck to a mile radius of Headingley, so it kind of happened naturally. I had to paint the things on my doorstep because they were the only places I had access to.”

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Zac’s aim was to paint locations in real-time, but it wasn’t as feasible as he had imagined. “I tried that. It’s really cold to do that in winter and I couldn’t do it,” he explains. “I kept going to paint in parks and once a lady asked me if I was okay because I was obviously shivering.”

The artist’s process now includes taking lots of photographs of his location. He said: “Typically, an illustration will never be based off one photo.”

Zac produces his illustrations in different print sizes, ranging from small postcards to A2 prints. His latest print includes six little paintings of Leeds coffee shops including Laynes Espresso, Mrs Atha’s and Fika North.

Zac says: “I have always been really determined for artworks to be accessible, so I like making prints because I didn’t want [my art] to be high prices or in galleries that were only designed for rich people.

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“I always wanted to make it so students and families could buy it and have a signed copy without it being difficult to obtain, and I think I’ll always try to keep it that way.”

Find out more information about Zac’s prints via his Etsy shop – Zacrosso.