Lara got in touch after seeing my illustration of Thomas and the Otters and asked if I might create a piece for her daughter Sophia's second birthday. She shared that Sophia is a bright, funny, courageous and caring little girl who loves people, animals and being outside in nature. And she LOVES swimming! What else could she be with but a playful pod of Atlantic spotted dolphin? They're just such beautiful creatures, and with her speckled jumpsuit, Sophia is completely at home with the pod. 

Just for fun, a reimagining of the very first spirit animal piece I did two years ago. Oh, how much better my illustrations have become! 🐾🏔🏕

Sara commissioned this illustration to replace another illustration she commissioned earlier this year. Her mum fell in love with the first piece, so Sara's giving it to her as a Christmas present, and will have this lush, green jungle to hang on her wall.

Josh commissioned this piece for his wife Nicole as a special gift for her very first Mother's Day. This was one of my favourite pieces to illustrate so far (though I do say that about every one!) - little Cora is just the sweetest bear cub, and I love the hopeful feelling the soft dawn light adds to the scene.

Veronica commissioned this illustration as a Christmas present for her husband of their adorable little boy, Kasper. She shared some photos of Kasper and his playful personality. She mentioned he loves her singing, which sparked the image of him lying under trees with birds singing, leading eventually to this happy scene lying giggling with his joyful little fox.

Little Jake’s mum and dad commissioned this illustration as a very special first birthday present. They came to me after seeing the illustrations I'd done for Pippa's two children - Annabelle with her fawn and Thomas and his otters.

Jake's parents asked for a lion with a big mane, as it was the first animal that popped into both their heads when they started thinking about the piece. I loved the idea of this majestic fellow watching over Jake, so I decided to set them high on a rocky outcrop overlooking the plains with big sky, so that the attention was all on Jake and his lion. 

Jacobie, Jake's mum, was so excited with final piece she completely forgot to reply when I shared photos of the finished piece. 

'ahhh Stephanie, I’m so excited it’s perfect. I love it. I’m sorry I was too busy showing everyone and forgot to reply! I am so happy with it'

This illustration started off as the roughest little sketch in my notebook, and has come to life in a delightful way.

This illustration turned out slightly more...atmospheric...than my pieces normally do, but I’m kind of loving it. Sara looks like she’s in that part of the adventure where things are just to about to go down.. what will become of our heroine and her little companion? I want to know what happens next.. 🍄🌲🕸

Do you remember the little girl in the dolphin illustration? Well, her mum so loved that piece so much that she asked for her own one to match it! So this is the result - Lara and her leopard, playing with Sophia out in their backyard. 🐆

As for why a leopard for Lara? She suggested a big cat or a bird, but at least for me a leopard just echoes the most strongly with what she shared about herself - a leopard seemed to combine the two sides of her, the down-to-earth, organic, protective mother and the fierce, independent entrepreneur. Snow leopard was too cold, to independent, I think, and tiger too fierce.. she needed the calm warmth and luxury of a leopard. And I also liked that leopards are one of the only cats that like water and swimming… couldn’t give her a non water animal when Sophia’s were dolphins! 

Pippa wanted to capture this quiet moment she shared with her husband on their wedding day, secreted away in a private, magical garden. It’s such a beautiful moment, and it was such a pleasure to create this as surprise anniversary present for her husband ♥️

For Christmas this year, Emma and Simon commissioned this illustration of their family all together on a camping adventure. With a new campervan and a long summer awaiting, hopefully this coming year will be filled with adventures just like this one!

This illustration was a wedding present for my brother and new sister, and I gave it to them at part two of their wedding back in January. It was such beautiful, joyful celebration, and I hope it’s a lovely little reminder of the day for their new home. Special thanks to @jamesdayweddings for sneaking me a photo from the first day so I could create this for them, you’re a legend (and pretty ace photographer to boot) ❤️

Ruth commissioned this illustration of her daughter, Jennifer, in a scene from a song her dad sings to her. When she shared the lyrics and some photos of Jennifer, the image of the characters in the song dancing under a full moon immediately jumped out. It was such a fun piece to create.

Jennifer slept in her little bed
With dreams of a rabbit in her little head
Jennifer's rabbit, brown and white
Left the house and went to town one night
Along with a turtle and a kangaroo
And seventeen monkeys from the city zoo
They went for a ride on an old street car
They tried to drive it but they didn't get far
They all got tired and decided to go
To see the people in the picture show
Jennifer's rabbit, white and brown
Looked in the windows of the shops downtown
He found a dress for Jennifer to wear
And a pretty blue ribbon for her long blond hair
Then the rabbit and the turtle and the kangaroo
Bowed to each other like polite folks do
They went to a shop where the cookies are free
And they all had cookies and oolong tea
Then, "My!" said the turtle as the clock struck three
"The hour is growing very late for me."
"Not at all," said the rabbit. "If you give me a chance,
I'll lead all the monkeys in a hula dance!"
So they danced all night and the moon danced too
Then the rabbit and the turtle and the kangaroo
Jumped into bed and closed their eyes
And were fast asleep before the sun could rise
And Jennifer slept in her little bed
With dreams of a rabbit in her little head

This piece turned out to need rather an iterative creative process, with three versions completed before I reached a point where I was happy with the illustration as a whole. The central idea was solid right from the start, the iterations were about figuring out a background that was playful while also exploring the range of my new set of watercolour paints. I learnt so much in the creative process, it was really nice to have some freedom to play after having being constrained for a while by needing to deliver illustrations to tight deadlines. In all, I think this one took me about a month to finish, as I took the luxury of time and space to explore different avenues and get it right. 

Pippa commissioned this illustration as a birthday present for her mum. As Pip explained: 

"Mum turned 60 this year and as a gift dad made her a veggie patch in their front garden. They both spend lots of time relaxing out there together. It’s their happy place. Mum has a silver tea pot (will send a pick) she likes to sit with at her table. They have a bird feeder which attracts lorikeets and rosellas. If it’s possible I’d love a pic of Mum with Annabelle on her hip walking through the garden and Thomas chilling in the nearby tree, looking lovingly at them. The tree in their garden is the first tree he ever climbed in."

Upon seeing the final piece, Pip was delighted. "Oh my!!!! Steph this is just perfect! My mum is going to love this so much. It is beautiful. The detail you have gone to is gorgeous. I can say with confidence that this is going to be the best present my Mum has ever received in her life at the age of 61, how precious. It has everything she loves in here - her precious grandchildren, apron representing her love of cooking, her tea pot and her garden." 

It’s been such a fun Christmas season this year, I’ve been so delighted to help so many thoughtful, loving ideas come to life. I think this one has to be one of my favourites, just because it was so nice to be asked to create an Australian scene. It’s a gift for a grandma, who is sitting here reading with her two grandsons. The original photo of them reading together captured such a sweet moment, and it was a pleasure to turn it into a this magical bush scene. 

Lea commissioned this illustration as a special Christmas gift for her boyfriend. She asked for a springtime woodland glade as the setting for this scene, which was to centre around a fox and a brown bear with an array of animals surrounding them. These included a baby fox and a black and white stray cat in the foreground, two deer, and in the branches above there will be two green and yellow budgies and a flock of magpies. She was delighted with the final piece, saying: 

'The painting turned out absolutely beautiful. Stephanie made the image in my mind come to life and it was a true pleasure to develop this idea together with her. I've never worked with anyone as kind and professional as Stephanie. After the postal service had severely damaged the painting, she offered to redo it entirely right away. I am so thankful for this unique piece of art and it will make for a very meaningful christmas present to my better half. I know it will always be special to us.'

A Christmas surprise for a friend's little one whose favourite story is the Gruffalo. 

Samir commissioned this piece as a gift for Lenke, to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. He asked for them to be walking together through the fields above a special village in Romania, with the castle overlooking the town. He was tickled by the fairytale feel created by the addition of the wild spirit animals to the scene, and was happy to let me follow my inspiration for what they looked like.

Lenke was, of course, a big cat, independent, thoughtful, contained, deeply caring, elegant. I had initially thought that she might be a lynx, but the snow leopard just fit so beautifully with her that I was compelled to go with it.

Samir was a little harder - I always had the idea of him with a bear, but was afraid it would overpower the composition of the whole piece and leave it off-kilter. I even put it out for suggestions and was amused at what came back - wombat, golden eagle, a platypus (!), wolf, red panda to name a few.

As I was deciding, Samir posted a photo of his hand next to a bear print in the snow, which had to be a sign that my initial instinct was right. So we have Samir - gregarious, steady, playful, thoughtful, warm, big hearted - finally with the bear, and I think it is right.

The animals are so beautifully balanced, and the final piece looks a little like they are walking off into the final, happy scene of a fairytale. 🐾

This may well be my favourite painting I've ever done! I love the balance, the detail of the characters with the simplicity of the rock face foreground and the almost abstract jungle background. I'm so happy the frustration with how the girl and bear turned out pushed me to try new paper - Arches paper is so beautiful to paint on and it's taken this piece to a whole new level.

Most importantly, I like that I can look at this piece and see true progress, even compared with my last few paintings, and especially when compared with the work I've been doing over the past few years. Growth is such a motivating, addictive force. 😌

Lindsey commissioned this illustration as a surprise birthday present for her husband. It is a set of two spirit animal paintings of her children, Robin and Elliott, which she was simply delighted with: 

The pair of paintings of my children are so personal and special. I simply couldn't be any happier! The photo doesn't do this beautiful painting justice. The detail and colours are just spectacular, and Steph really captured the spirit of my little gal! I highly recommend Steph for commissions like this, she puts in the time and effort to get it just perfect, and keeps you posted with progress throughout the process. I can't wait to get them onto the wall!! Thank you!

- Lindsey

This piece makes me smile every time I look at it. It's just so happy and playful, I think a perfect fit for Thomas. When they first commissioned this piece, his parents sent me a list of his characteristics when they commissioned this piece. His list included - friendly, Loving, Caring, Active, Climber, Clever, Musical (he loves to sing and makes up/changes words to songs), Chatterbox, Excitable, Amazing memory, Sensitive, Observant, Strong willed, determined. Animal - OTTER.

Isn't this a wonderful way to help shape a portrait? I think it's something I'll build into the planning all future commissions because it offered extra layers of connection for me to the subject if haven't been able to meet them in person.

After seeing the final pieces, they asked for one final finishing touch - for these qualities to be inscribed on the back of each painting. I thought this was such a lovely idea!

'Thomas and Annabelle's spirit animal illustrations arrived in the post yesterday!!!! My heart burst with happiness when I opened the package. So, so precious and beautiful 😊 '

-Pippa

Oh, I am so pleased with how this turned out! The pop up style is utterly perfect, I should have known that a flat illustration wouldn't be enough to capture the energy of these two. Now, I just need to find the right frame to finish this piece off, and consider whether I can bear to parted with it 😊

This was a refreshing change, just for fun rather than a direction commission. It was inspired by an awesome photo a friend posted of her daughter leaping through the air. I do appreciate the freedom of just painting simply from inspiration and because an idea won't leave me alone. It balances out the commission work, which I love equally, but for other reasons.

Penny and Victor asked me paint a Spirit Animal portrait as a gift to celebrate little Wilber's first birthday. They call him the monkey lion (born in year of monkey and a leo), so they asked for these two animals to be incorporated into his painting. Apparently, he embodies them all the time with his loud growling and climbing over everything constantly! 🐵🦁

'We love it! Thank you so much! It's such a precious creative expression of our little angel which will be a gift for many years to come xx'

- Penny

Elliott seems right at home amongst these cheeky little polar bear cubs. I love how this set of two illustrations turned out, Robin in the jungle and Elliott in the arctic fit together so delightfully. Lindsey commissioned them as a surprise birthday present for her husband, and was over the moon with the end result. 

The pair of paintings of my children are so personal and special. I simply couldn't be any happier! The photo doesn't do this beautiful painting justice. The detail and colours are just spectacular, and Steph really captured the spirit of my little guy! I highly recommend Steph for commissions like this, she puts in the time and effort to get it just perfect, and keeps you posted with progress throughout the process. I can't wait to get them onto the wall!! Thank you!

- Lindsey

I finally, finally get why people love diving. I've had my open water certification for ages, but it was more because I love being in the water than any burning need to dive. I think it's because I've only ever seen reefs that are incredibly stressed - by tourism, overfishing, pollution, climate change (and Ive dived on the Great Barrier Reef). But yesterday was so magical - so many fish, so many colours, a rich explosion of wild nature that was intoxicating. I had this illustration in my head even as I was diving - and it's something I never would have imagined had it not need for that experience. 🐠🐙🐳

A fun piece in between commissions, inspired by a friend who makes friends with dogs wherever she goes. Every second photo she sends me features a new dog buddy, and it meant I couldn't get the idea of her spirit wolfpack out of my head. 

"Annabelle and the Fawn" is the second of a set of two portraits commissioned by Philipa and Grant. When they these portraits, they shared a list of each of the children's character traits. After seeing the final pieces, they asked for one final finishing touch - for these qualities to be inscribed on the back of each painting. I thought this was such a lovely idea! 

'Thomas and Annabelle's spirit animal illustrations arrived in the post yesterday!!!! My heart burst with happiness when I opened the package. So, so precious and beautiful 😊 '

- Pippa

The spirit animal portrait that started this whole series off! I saw a photo of Sunday strolling down a tropical path, and couldn't get the idea of an powerful, elegant tiger padding alongside her. The perfect match for her indomitable little soul.  

'This is just beyond amazing. I showed it Sunday & she knew it was her & her tiger. Just beautiful 😘 ' 

- Skye

It seemed appropriate to celebrate the first weekend warm enough to have my house completely open with a sketch of my garden, just awakening to spring. I love that my cat friend wandered through halfway through the sketch 😊

Oh spring, my heart sings!

These playful portraits of pet friends are so fun to create and they make the perfect gift!

One of the most transformative practises I've explored over the past 18 months is the keeping of a regular sketchbook. Particularly when I'm travelling, I live the immediacy it forces upon you - a clarity of presence, observation of life in a way that embeds a moment in your brain that simply taking a photograph cannot. 

A selection of my sketchbook pages over the past few years. 

My work has evolved over the past few years, particularly in my exploration of watercolours and more illustrative, story-telling through my work. It's a process I am thankful to have a record of, as it helps me appreciate how far I've come and look forward to that learning and progression continuing. 

It doesn't feel right to simply, easily delete this record. So I want to keep this space as an area for these older pieces, to recognise where I've come from.