Scottish Highlands Custom Illustration -- Robertson's Farm, Inverness

When a parking lot becomes a pasture.

With some custom commissions, the place jumps off the page.

Others take time to understand.

And some have cows.

What all hand-drawn custom illustrations share is a personal connection — a story, a memory, or a moment that gives a place meaning to the person requesting the work. That belief sits at the center of my work: every place has a story, and more often than not, those stories are quiet.

A Request Rooted in Memory

Recently, a customer reached out to commission a drawing as a gift for her mother, meant to commemorate a family trip to Inverness, Scotland. During that trip, her mother fell in love with the Scottish Highlands — and in particular, a family farm that was home to a small herd of Highland cows.

Katie, who commissioned the sketch, was clear in her request. She explained that her mom “fell in love with two cows and befriended the owners — who they still correspond with today.” If possible, she asked, could I “capture the buildings, the farm, and maybe even the cows.”

Let’s pause for a moment and talk about Highland cows.

Famous for their long, shaggy coats, sweeping horns, and unhurried temperament, Highland cows are a Scottish icon. They’re beloved by locals, admired by visitors, and quietly representative of the landscape itself — resilient, enduring, and unmistakably tied to place.

Ok. Back to the story.

About Robertson's Farm in the Scottish Highlands

Robertson's Farm sits just outside Inverness, Scotland, in a region defined by open pastures, modest farm structures, and weather shaped terrain. Family-run farms are more the rule here, not the exception, and like many farms they are built for function and endurance, not display. Robertson's has been family run since 1953 and expanded in the early 2000's to include a farm shop. But the star of the show has always been the Highland Cows.

In talking with Katie, it was clear that this family farm wasn't about drama. It's steady. It's lived in. And it's the grounding that gives this place meaning and the memory for them and their trip to Scotland.

Drawing the Feeling, Not the Frame

What made this commission compelling wasn’t simply the presence of the cows. In fact, it pushed me beyond what I normally draw — place-based architecture and landscapes. It was more about what the cows represented. They weren’t a novelty or a tourist stop. They were part of the story of the place — the quiet, everyday life of the Highlands.

Katie and I talked back and forth about the location. She shared several photos (including the now-

famous cows) and described the farm, the setting, and the emotional connection she felt to it. A pastoral, sprawling landscape, with unassuming structures that blended into the surroundings rather than competing with them.

It became clear early on that this sketch would be less about a specific structure and more about atmosphere. Travel memories are often just that — memories of how a place made you feel — and those memories have a way of pulling you back.

When I began working on the sketch, my focus wasn’t on rendering every detail, but on capturing the overall sense of the space Katie described. The way the land holds itself. The way the farm sits quietly within it. Capturing the scene became less about photographic accuracy and more about translating what the place, the buildings, and even the cows represented together.

Capturing Place Through a Scottish Highlands Custom Illustration

Certain places don’t announce themselves. They reveal themselves slowly. Sketching this scene followed the same rhythm. To capture the essence of the Highlands, certain elements had to be included in a way that reflected their relationship to one another — without allowing any single detail to overwhelm the rest.

Translating place to paper is quiet work. Beginning with a blank piece of paper and a handful of reference photos, the artist has the ability to shape the outcome one line at a time. In this case, buildings needed to move slightly, landscape needed to be interpreted, and a parking lot needed to become a pasture.

And don’t forget about the cows.

The sketch would have been perfectly fine without them. The farm and surrounding buildings clearly invoke a Highland setting. But the cows are the heart of the story — because the memory and meaning of this place isn’t rooted in what was built, but in what — or who — occupies it.

Placing the pasture in front of the buildings created a more aesthetically pleasing composition. More importantly, it created a home for the pair of shaggy, lovable Highland cows — the detail that mattered most.

The Perfect Ending

When I shared a near-finished draft with Katie, her response captured exactly why I’m drawn to place-based work.

“It is perfect — truly. It brings me back to our trip. You captured everything so well. My mom is going to love it!”

The Scottish Highlands custom illustration reinforced something I love about custom work: people aren’t asking for drawings of buildings or landscapes alone. They’re asking for a way to hold onto a place that mattered to them — and the moments tied to it.

It all starts with listening. Listening to what stood out, what lingered, and what made a place meaningful in the first place. Sometimes that’s an iconic structure. Sometimes it’s a quiet street. And sometimes, it’s two shaggy Highland cows standing in a pasture, doing exactly what they’ve always done.

When a sketch can bring someone back — even briefly — to a place they love, the work has done what it was meant to do.

And if there’s a place - a travel memory or maybe even some cows that hold meaning for you, consider a custom commission.

Thanks for reading.

Scott

P.S. You can see this sketch, and others at the Stoney Bend Prints Gallery.