For professional inquiries, please contact me at ottiliascribbles@gmail.com

Whilst I am aiming to be commissioned primarily for illustration, I am also open to inquiries concerning writing in English, or Japanese to English translation.

Illustration
My name is Ottilia Stephens. I am a British illustrator currently based in Yokohama, Japan. I’m passionate about wildlife and the natural world around us. My style is based on analogue methods, but I also make use of Photoshop, Gimp and Procreate.
I am currently studying MA Illustration long distance with Falmouth University, UK. I am writing and illustrating my first children’s book as an onoging personal project, aiming for publication towards the end of 2019.

Although illustration is my main passion, as the  name of this website suggests, I also scribble in various other areas.

Writing
I write for pleasure on topics relating to culture, illustration, nature, art and Japan. You can see my writing in the blog section of my site. In my free time I write about anything I find interesting. I would be happy to write on commission for topics relating to Japan/illustration/the arts, so if you have anything you feel I could help with, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Japanese Language
I have Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level N1 (2014), a BA degree in Japanese from University of Leeds (2014), and four years’ experience working with the Japanese language every day as Coordinator for International Relations on the JET Program in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Tokyo, Japan. I had a Japanese language radio show on the Hagi FM Nanako network for one year while living in Yamaguchi Prefecture (2015 – 16). My day to day work with Japanese involves translation, interpreting and international relations.

I can translate from Japanese to English, and have translated one published book, The World Heritage Sites in Hagi (available from Hagi Museum in Yamaguchi Prefecture). Particular areas of expertise include the Bakumatsu period of Japanese history. I have also translated a doctoral thesis on the production of lacquer in Japan and Europe.

French Language

I speak/read French to a reasonable level thanks to a series of exchanges in Paris for six years as a teenager. Verbal communication in French is not a problem.