About us

Like any good bowl of stew, the best ideas take time to simmer.

Studio Pastelstew is a visual communication studio based out of Goa, India, working across illustration, animation, and visual design. We create thoughtful visual stories that help people engage more deeply with ideas, causes, and each other.

Our work spans mental health, climate justice, sexual and reproductive health, gender, cultural storytelling, and healthcare. Whether we're developing a public health campaign, a fashion project, or an animated video, we bring the same curiosity, care, and craft to every brief.

We believe visual storytelling can can start conversations, spark curiosity, and make people feel something meaningful about the world around them.

Like any good bowl of stew, the best ideas take time to simmer.

We believe visual storytelling can can start conversations, spark curiosity, and make people feel something meaningful about the world around them.

We are especially drawn to projects that sit at the intersection of impact and culture. Some of our most meaningful work has lived in that space, from climate-aware fashion campaigns and mental health comics to brand identities for LGBT+ initiatives. We believe important stories deserve to be engaging, accessible, and beautifully made.

At Studio Pastelstew, we care about make thoughtful visual content that stays with people. We've been at it for five years, and we're just getting started.

Collaboration is at the heart of our practice. The best work rarely happens in isolation. It emerges through dialogue, trust, and a shared commitment to making something meaningful. We work closely with clients, collaborators, and creative communities to shape
ideas together.

We are especially drawn to projects that sit at the intersection of impact and culture. Some of our most meaningful work has lived in that space, from
climate-aware fashion campaigns and mental health comics to brand identities for LGBT+ initiatives. We believe important stories deserve to be engaging, accessible, and beautifully made.

At Studio Pastelstew, we care about make thoughtful visual content that stays with people. We've been at it for five years, and we're just getting started.

Nayantara founded Studio Pastelstew in 2019 after a decade working across some of India's leading design and fashion companies, including Myntra, Global Desi, Quikr, and Therefore Design. She graduated from Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore in 2012.

Since starting the studio, she has led illustration, animation, and brand identity projects for clients including Disney Star, Sangath, YLabs and Dakshin with a particular focus on work that sits at the intersection of visual storytelling and social impact.

Alongside her studio practice, she is an internationally published children's book illustrator, having worked with Karadi Tales, Pickle Yolk Books, Reycraft Books, and organisations including Kalpavriksh.

Her work is colourful, detailed, and full of whimsy. She uses visual storytelling to make complex ideas feel human and approachable. Whether illustrating books, building brands, or creating public health campaigns, she aims to create memorable stories that connect with people.

When she’s not working, she’s teaching Bear new trick, working out, learning new stuff, and being swallowed whole by YouTube and Netflix.

Nayantara Surendranath

Founder & Creative Director