About

About2022-02-23T16:14:49+00:00
Photo of my award for best illustration. It is a pen and ink portrait of Mary Austin in Alta Journal

Steve studied Illustration and Printmaking at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee. He has over 25 years experience as illustrator, caricaturist and portrait artist for various magazines and newspapers in the UK, Hong Kong, Dubai and the United States. He has five drawings of politicians in the permanent collection at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh.

Skilled in the use of traditional materials such as pen & ink, watercolour and scratchboard, Steve also creates artwork digitally using Procreate software.

Currently his illustrations are regularly published by:

The EconomistAlta Journal of California

Other clients include: The Economist Intelligence Unit, The Radio Times, The Readers Digest, The Scotsman, The Independent on Sunday, Kraken Opus, The Lancet, Mojo Magazine and many more.

63rd Annual Southern California Journalism Awards:

End of January 2022, Steve picked up 1st place for the Illustration category, as presented by Los Angeles Press Club. The artwork is a portrait drawing of Mary Hunter Austin. He was commissioned by John Goecke, Art Director of Alta Journal, to capture the mood of Mary and the environment she wrote about. The story is entitled, ‘Searching for Mary Austin’ and is written by Joy Lanzendorfer

Illustration Mediums

Portraits / Caricatures
Editorial / Magazine
Maps / Globes

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between Scraperboard and Scratchboard?2021-03-09T20:25:18+00:00

Essentially, the only difference is the spelling but, the Americans choose to call it Scratchboard. This version is made by Ampersand which has a thicker board on the back and a slightly thinner coat of black ink on the front surface. The Scraperboard version is produced by Essdee in England.

Would you discard your drawing and paint materials for good?2021-03-22T11:09:34+00:00

No, I would keep them for personal projects. You can’t beat the tactile quality you get when drawing or painting onto a texture surface. Also getting your hands dirty ain’t so bad after all.

Does that mean there is no original artwork?2021-03-05T16:01:48+00:00

Well, there is no actual physical picture to hold in you hand. However the artwork drawn on the screen with all its layers and information could be counted as the original. This is because it has the potential to be used again in the future, should an art buyer for example, request a copy.

Why do you use digital software for your illustrations rather than the more traditional methods?2021-03-05T16:01:03+00:00

It is quicker to complete an illustration as everything can be started, finished and sent to the client from the iPad alone. Also, the range of different textures available and working with multiple layers, opens up a new world of possibilities. The studio remains spotlessly clean too 🙂

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