The Woodland Realm is a mythic illustrated world inspired by British wildlife and the ancient forests between the Wye and Severn rivers. This page reveals the origin of the Realm’s guardians, the elemental threats they face, and the lore behind each creature’s role.

Some ideas refuse to stay quiet. It’s been a while since I created new artwork, but this one kept circling—soft-footed, persistent, impossible to ignore.
A world of myth and legend, nestled in the woodland between rivers—where quiet creatures stand watch over the fading edges of wonder.
While humans bustle through life, these guardians keep the balance. They move through shadow and leaf, ripple and mist, walking paths older than memory.
I dreamed it first in fragments—a fox at twilight, an owl circling above, a badger emerging from the hollow. Then came the river voices—a kingfisher darting like prophecy, a cormorant rising from the depths, a swan gliding like a living sigil.
It felt like folklore, but not one I’d read. More like something passed down in silence, through instinct and bone. The Woodland Realm came from that place. Not a story I wrote, but one I remembered. A quiet kingdom where fur, feather, and scale carry ancient vows.
This series is my way of honouring them—those unseen guardians who walk beside us, even when we’re too busy to notice. You’re invited to walk beside me as they emerge. Each portrait is a step deeper into the myth. Together, we’ll uncover who these guardians are, what they protect, and why they’ve chosen to reveal themselves now.
As the guardians rise, so too do the elemental currents shaping their world:
🌲 The Hollowing in the woodlands
🌿 The Fraying in the hedgerows
🌫️ The Dimming of the Skies
🌊 The Stillness along the river
Each one carries a truth, a tension, a memory. Something has shifted. Something is being remembered.