My Portfolio

Digital
Drawings
Short Stories

Characters

Sylvia Stepp / May 29, 2026

Shrine High School Art – 2023

Lynx Character Thumbnails

Sylvia Stepp / May 29, 2026

I wanted to imagine a superhero who reflected who I was at that moment in my life. For many people, imagination becomes a kind of refuge, and I was interested in showing how art can hold that power—to reshape, to protect, and to transform.

Shrine High School Art – 2023

Maturity

Sylvia Stepp / May 29, 2026

I was interested in the tension between the so‑called “mature” child and the child‑like adult. The idea of an adult‑acting child was inherently contradictory; adolescence made any performance of maturity just that—a performance. Because of this, many of these children eventually grew into adults who still carried a kind of arrested innocence, chasing an imagined version of childhood they longed for but never truly experienced.

Shrine High School Art – 2023

Hand & Heart - 2024 Scholastic Silver Key Winner

Sylvia Stepp / May 28, 2026

This work was selected for a 2024 Scholastic Silver Key for the Southeast Michigan & Thumb Region. Botanical and color symbolism were central influences for me, especially in this piece. I wanted the deep, muted red of the heart to stand in contrast with the greens and greys of the background. Together, they reflect the inner conflict of someone learning to trust—offering their “heart” while still wrestling with the vulnerability that comes with it.

Shrine High School Art – 2023

Llama - 2024 Scholastic Gold Key Winner

Sylvia Stepp / May 28, 2026

Llama is one of the first characters I created for my O.C. universe. This piece allowed me to explore more unique color usage. This work was selected for a 2024 Scholastic Gold Key for the Southeast Michigan & Thumb Region.

Shrine High School Art – 2023

Auric

Sylvia Stepp / May 28, 2026

This is the first meeting between two of the main characters in my O.C. universe. Rather than taking it literally and drawing the actual scene where they meet, I wanted to convey the emotion behind the meeting.

Shrine High School Art – 2023

Still Life

Sylvia Stepp / May 28, 2026

Interlochen Center for the Arts Advanced Drawing Summer Program- 2023

Circus Performer

May 27, 2026

My art was selected for the cover of the CCS Pre-College Zine

Pre-College Summer Experience - College for Creative Studies - 2022

Self Portrait

Sylvia Stepp / May 27, 2026

Pre-College Summer Experience - College for Creative Studies - 2022

Fear in my Head

Sylvia Stepp / May 27, 2026

Pre-College Summer Experience - College for Creative Studies - 2022

Cans & Brushes - Pencil Still Life

Sylvia Stepp / May 27, 2026

Pre-College Summer Experience - College for Creative Studies - 2022

Spell of the South: Chapter One

Sylvia Stepp / April 24, 2026

December 22, 1913

Dear Auntie Eula, Uncle Benny, and Cousin Joy,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and safety, as I have sent this letter on the day of your departure in hopes it might meet you as you arrive.

Miss Annie May at school is helping me write this, she seems quite pleased that I’ve taken an interest in my studies. She’s a tall lady, stern, but smart. Momma says I should be grateful for her, seeing as it’s hard to find a teacher as good as her outside the city, but she really just seems like a know it all. The other students at school say she’s “thin and tall as a willow” and I guess I’d agree. She towers over nearly all the other teachers at school. What’s school like for you, Joy? I’m sure you’re fitting right in,  you were always so popular here. 

What’s life like up north? I’ve never even been out to the city, but I’d imagine it’s huge. Since you guys’ve left, Papa’s been on about me “pulling my weight” or whatever that means. But sure enough, ever since, I’ve been doing grocery runs and chores around the house. Just last week he sent me down to Uncle Smokey’s place to pick him up some cigarettes—he owns the corner store down the street. He’s kinda funny looking, what with his big ole shoes, ratty black and grey beard, and the big blue circle around his left eye. But he’s sweet, and every time I run an errand for Papa he throws in a lemon drop just for me.

Now, Uncle Smokey says that in the North there are whole towns of colored folk, just living it up. You know, like Tulsa

INTERESTED IN COLLABORATING?

Contact Sylvia