ABOUT ME

Simone Zoccante - Illust Naturalistico - Opere (Media)

My name is Simone Zoccante, and I am an Italian natural history illustrator, information designer, and paleoartist. I specialize in the natural sciences, including biology, zoology, paleontology, geology, and anatomy.

I create illustrations for books and magazines, serve as a scientific illustrator for academic papers, and design wildlife and nature themed products. I also collaborate with associations and museums on exhibitions and infographics, and I teach classes and workshops on natural history and wildlife.

I have been recognized in several international wildlife art and paleoart competitions, including the Italian Paleoart Prize, which I won in 2024, and the John Lanzendorf–National Geographic Paleoart Prize in 2025 (winner in the 2-D Art category).

I believe illustration in the fields of nature and natural history is a key tool for communication and can have a meaningful cultural impact, especially in the current historical moment, in which the gap between human society and the natural world is increasingly evident. Fostering naturalistic knowledge will play an essential role in shaping the future.

While my work is vertically specialized, I am not limited to a single field. Even projects with more commercial objectives can benefit from the expertise of a specialist in naturalistic illustration and design.

My commission schedule is highly limited, so I encourage interested clients to get in touch early to discuss potential projects. I am passionate about taking on new challenges and applying my expertise to innovative nature-themed projects.

One crucial aspect of my work is that my creative process is 100% human-made at every stage (research, design, production) and does not involve any generative AI tools.

I also collaborate with Diorama Nature, a web project on natural history, as a writer and host for videos and podcasts.

NATURAL HISTORY EXHIBITIONS

EXHIBITION HISTORY

WARRIOR PLANTS | Upcoming, Italy
AMPHIBIA | November 2025 / March 2026, Italy
CETACEANS OF THE ADRIATIC SEA | October 2025, Italy
AMPHIBIA | November 2023 / May 2024, Italy
DENTRO E FUORI DALL’ACQUA – WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION | May 2023 / June 2023, Italy
ICE AGE EXHIBITION – DINOPARKE LOURINHA | March 2023 / Ongoing, Portugal
MONTEVARCHI ITALIAN PALEOART PRIZE | October 2022, Italy
LOURINHÃ PALEOART CONTEST 2022 – X EDITION | August 2022, Portugal
CONCURSO ILLUSTRASCIENCIA 2022 – IX EDITION | April 2022 / October 2022, Spain
CASTILLA Y LEON PALEOART PRIZE – XIII EDITION | January 2022 / April 2022, Spain
MICROCEANO – AREA MARINA PROTETTA MIRAMARE | June 2021, Italy
PALEOART EXHIBITION – ITALIAN PALEONTOLOGY SOCIETY (SPI) | June 2021, Italy

AWARDS

AWARDS HISTORY

JOHN LANZENDORF-NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PALEOART PRIZE 2-D ART 2025 | Winner | November 2025, United Kingdom
MONTEVARCHI ITALIAN PALEOART PRIZE | 1° PRIZE | October 2024, Italy
MONTEVARCHI ITALIAN PALEOART PRIZE | AWARDED WITH HONORABLE MENTION | October 2022, Italy
LOURINHÃ PALEOART CONTEST 2022 – X EDITION | AWARDED WITH HONORABLE MENTION | August 2022, Portugal
CONCURSO ILLUSTRASCIENCIA 2022 – IX EDITION | SELECTED | April 2022 / October 2022, Spain
CASTILLA Y LEON PALEOART PRIZE – XIII EDITION | SELECTED | January 2022 / April 2022, Spain
MICROCEANO – AREA MARINA PROTETTA MIRAMARE | SELECTED | June 2021, Italy
PALEOART EXHIBITION – ITALIAN PALEONTOLOGY SOCIETY (SPI) | SELECTED | June 2021, Italy

ILLUSTRATOR FOR SCIENTIFIC PAPER

Feeding strategies of the Pleistocene insular dwarf elephants Palaeoloxodon falconeri and Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis from Sicily (Italy) | September 2025, Italy – https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.70036

FIELDS OF EXPERTISE

MODERN WILDLIFE: Wild animals and plants. You’re looking for an illustrated wild species for your project? I have what you need! Some areas of application are illustrated books and magazines, wildlife fieldguides, tourist guides and packaging design.

PALEOART: Extinct animals, plants and environments. This field is particularly indicated for museum exhibitions, illustrations for papers and educational books and magazines.

NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS: Landscapes. Interesting for adv (for tourism and local promotion), packaging design (particularly in the food&beverage field) and concept art.

STYLES

INFOGRAPHICS: Visual communication of scientific data. My fields of expertise are Natural science and Natural history.

DIGITAL PAINTING: This style is particularly indicated for visual storytelling of a concept or a brand. Subjects are portrayed in a compelling way, making them memorable in viewer’s mind. It communicates elegance and luxury.

SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATION: Alongside infographics, this style is perfect for knowledge spreading and educational contents. Subjects are thoroughly studied and depicted in a visible and clear way.

VECTOR DESIGN: Fresh and stylish, vector design applies perfectly to illustrations for adv and package design. It communicates dynamism and energy.

DIGITAL ENGRAVING: Often a branch of vector design, digital engraving mixes perfectly a vintage and refined flavour to the dynamism and the freshness of digital illustration. It is particularly apt for package design (especially food&beverage) and any other field that has to communicate history and heritage.

SELECTED CLIENTS

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SELECTED TESTIMONIALS

MARCO COLOMBO

Wildlife Photographer, Author

On point, Available, Friendly
I would absolutely recommend collaborating with Simone because the work was done quickly. All the needs and even the most incredible details were satisfied. The work was already of very high quality to begin with, and Simone was very accommodating to my requests, which made me very happy with the final result.
I recommend working with Simone because he is a perfect illustrator for creating scientific drawings, especially in the field of paleontology and paleoart, as they are definitely one of the best.

LORENZO PETER CASTELLETTO

Wildlife Photographer, Curator

Professional, Collaborative, Fun
I had no doubts about Simone’s work and professionalism.
The management of project timelines was precise and adhered to by Simone.
I highly recommend working with him if you want a high-quality, professional project with great artistic and scientific value.

SIMONE REBUFFI

Science Communicator

Friendly, Punctual, Fruitful
Our collaboration went very well! We comfortably discussed everything, including the price, and I was highly satisfied. I definitely recommend it!
Usually, in this type of working relationship, there’s sometimes a feeling of not being able to communicate effectively or a fear of discussing costs and prices openly… but with Simone, none of these things happened at all.

WILLY GUASTI / ZOOSPARKLE

Science Communicator

Stimulating, Professional, Entertaining
Collaborating with Simone is always a pleasure, given the passion he puts into illustration! I recommend working with him because he takes what he does seriously, and the bibliographic research he does before starting work is truly commendable!