Stephanie Castell, Artist and Artisan!

"My primary focus is on my art sketches such as portraits. However, that is not the only thing. I also create one of a kind hair accessories. I got started in grade 11 when my teacher told me that I had great potential as an artist. After that, I started focusing all my spare time into drawing and it become a great passion. As for the hair accessories, it started when I was creating a cosplay costume, and I could not find the hair piece that I wanted, so I decided I would do it myself, and I had a lot of fun doing it, so I decided to just carrying on doing so."

"The thing I have the most fun creating is some of my all time favorite characters from various TV shows and Movies. I love doing my own rendition of them, and how they appear to me. With my drawings, I really don't follow a theme. Most the time, it is just what I feel like drawing that day or if I am watching a movie, I will pick a significant object or person. With my hair pieces, most of them are based on the sea and sea critters, like mermaids!"

"I have an art room in my house, that is solely dedicated to my work, that my wonderful husband made for me instead of making himself a man cave! It was quite the surprise! Most of the time, I will be watching TV or a movie while working on a piece, However, I like to mix it up from time to time, and listen to some music."

"The most difficult part of the process for me is almost the whole thing. I am such an OCD perfectionist, that if the small detail isn't correct I will sit there for hours fixing it til it is to my liking. ​"

"My favorite drawing that I have done Is one that I call "Until the last petal falls". It is a representation of how my life used to be, and it speaks to me on many levels. 
My favorite hair accessory is a cross between the little mermaid and beauty and the beast, which happen to be my two favorite disney movies."

"When I am not creating.... I am still creating, as I make my own cosplay costumes so I can attend Comic Con and Fan Exxpo each year. I also refuse to wear the same costume two days in a row, so I create a different one for every day!"

Stephanie's work can be bought online at her Etsy shop. Meet her at The ARtisan Fair on May 5th, 10 - 2 at 90 Hunter St East in Peterborough!