Stephen Stone – Designer

AVAILABILITY

February 2026

ABOUT

‘‘Hello my name is Stephen (most people call me Steve). I am a full time freelance illustrator offering services for illustrated books.

I was born in the North East of England, where we are affectionately known as Sandancers. I now live and work in Derbyshire with my soulmate Claire.

My creative career began after I’d completed a degree in Fashion Design working as designer for childrenswear and corporatewear companies. After a while I headed in another direction and became a University Lecturer for 12 years, teaching a variety of subjects in fashion design to post and undergraduate students. During this time I completed a Masters in Visual Communication, specialising in Narrative Illustration.

Having worked with some of the worlds leading publishers, I have now branched out into the independent market. This has been an important step to take for the studio’s practice. Seeing it as a progression and a journey into a changing world that sees individuals working more closely together. There is a strong desire to connect on a personal level, to offer and share directly my professional skills in art direction and creation.

APPROACH/TECHNIQUE

Creating memorable character design is at the heart of my work with a particular interest and flair for animals.

I make use of hand drawn line-work in both ink and pencil, along with hand-painted textures and washes that are combined then coloured digitally. Every collaboration is unique and I adapt my skills to suit what's best for the story.

Colour is a passion and my design experience allows me to balance many different palettes in my work.

PROCESS

BOOKS

Books are fully illustrated complete with text and cover design. Clients are presented with a print ready file for upload to a POD or printed to any specifications of a Printer.

For standard 24/32 page picture-books, a PDF pack is sent out, outlining a visual of working processes along with price structures, scheduling and contracts.

ILLUSTRATION

Bespoke quotes are discussed and provided for individual illustrations, posters, covers and character design.

FORMATS PROVIDED:

- PDF Press Ready CMYK

- HR JPEG/ RGB (Suitable for website/marketing and ebook conversion)

Please note: I DO NOT provide EPUB Formats. The files however can be converted by a professional.

Please note: I do not accept requests that have religious or moralistic themes. And I do not entertain any form of AI art this includes any images submitted as inspirations by clients. Any such use will warrant an instant decline of request.