Having had an interest in drawing and painting at a young age, Stephanie Raphaela Ho’s first encounter with mural drawing was when she joined Band of Doodlers — an open interest group where muralists and artists gather — with a group of friends.
A Temasek Polytechnic alumnus who specialised in visual communications, Stephanie has worked as an illustrator and graphic designer, so it is no doubt that the visual arts has always been her calling. With these experiences and her active presence on social-media platforms like Facebook and Instagram – under the handle Muffinsaurs, where she regularly showcases her latest works and random doodles — she has garnered a strong following of over 10,000 followers. This has opened more doors for opportunities, including mural drawings for residential projects.
Her debut apartment mural is Meowtain, a cat-inspired piece done in a four-room HDB BTO home in Punggol, which she completed in December 2016.
“The homeowners gave me freedom to create this piece. I started without any sketches — their only request was to have two dogs in the mural as a dedication to a dog they previously owned, as well as the husband’s dog,” she shares. Naturally, she took inspiration from the couple’s love for animals — they have three cats — in her drawing.
An animal lover herself, she enjoys creating adorable and unusual creatures by combining parts of different animals together, like her interpretation of a catfish — a cat with a fish tail.
Many homeowners have also requested Stephanie to dress up the walls of their kids’ room.
One of her most colourful wall murals has animal drawings depicting the homeowners’ Chinese zodiac signs.
In 2014, Stephanie published The Adventures of Fatman and Superchub under Math Paper Press, a comic that focuses on overweight superheroes, where she discusses issues about body image in a light-hearted fashion.
Since then, she has also ventured into merchandising, bringing her works to life in canvas prints, T-shirts, cushions, pins and stickers.
When asked about her vision for her career, she says: “My dream is to paint for the Singapore Zoo!”
VISIT WWW.MUFFINSAURS.COM, AND WWW.FB.COM/MUFFINSAURS.