Art historian Stephen Scheding graduated in Arts from the University of New South Wales, majoring in English and Psychology. For three years he taught English and history at Richmond High School, Victoria. He became a freelance cartoonist in 1969, providing illustrations for a number of books on children's behaviour, as well as working as a cartoonist for a range of publications, including the Nation Review and the National Times. He also wrote The Good Behaviour Book for Schools (1990).
Scheding has also been an art consultant, establishing Scheding Berry Fine Art, art dealers specialising in buying and selling museum quality works by lesser-known Australian artists. This company curated numerous exhibitions by Australian artists. His other roles have included District Guidance Officer, supervising an inner-city counselling team, working with both disturbed and highly gifted schoolchildren, and resident counsellor at Sydney's Fort Street High School.