Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 3

We are back from Spectrum, and have finally had a chance to go through our photos from the show.  It was an amazing event, and we are so honored to have been able to take part in it for its third year.

This was our first time debuting our full booth setup together. 

On Saturday, Annie was able to participate in a panel about women in fantasy illustration with some pretty fantastic ladies in the industry. 

Photo courtesy of www.spectrumfantasticartlive.com(from left to right) Zoë Robinson, Annie Stegg, Camilla d'Errico, Kristina Carroll, Winona Nelson, and Rebecca Yanovskaya

Photo courtesy of www.spectrumfantasticartlive.com

(from left to right) Zoë Robinson, Annie Stegg, Camilla d'Errico, Kristina Carroll, Winona Nelson, and Rebecca Yanovskaya

Saturday night was the awards ceremony held in the beautiful Midland Theater.  

(from left to right) Amber Chen, Annie Stegg, Ania Mohrbacher, Erin Godbey

(from left to right) Amber Chen, Annie Stegg, Ania Mohrbacher, Erin Godbey

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Justin had a watercolor demo at the Lamp Post Guild booth during the show.

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New video sneak peek, part I

A sneak peek of the newest piece in my "Daughters of Oceanus" series. She will be displayed in the Auguste Clown Gallery show, "Wilderness" 20th June- July 7th.
12x12
oil on board
Music: 
Michal Hambourg
Chopin, Etude in A-flat, Op. 25, no. 1
 

The Smell of Venison

"The Smell of Venison"

18" x 24"

Oil on Gessoed Paper with Digital Modifications

I was inspired to paint this image for two reasons:

First, to celebrate tax season.

And Second to try and and do justice to an image that didn't work out like I had hoped it would the first time around. To compare this one against the old one and see if there is any improvement, check out the original here: http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/2012/08/dragon-watercolor-and-final.html

All in all it was a very fun experience for me and I'm glad I did it.  I feel a lot better about the story and characters in this one.

We'll be selling prints and displaying the original oil this weekend in Kansas City! 

Spells Are Hard

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"Spells Are Hard"

12" x 18"  inches

Watercolor and Digital

A new image I will be selling prints of at Spectrum LIVE this weekend in Kansas City!

I have been doing a lot of oil painting recently and it has inspired me to do a scene celebrating the difficulty of doing anything well.  

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Crocale the Naias Nymph

Hey guys!  I just completed the latest edition to the Daughters of Oceanus series.  She will be on display at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live later this week, along with the pencil studies.

Crocale the Naias Nymph12x16oil on boardMay 2014

Crocale the Naias Nymph

12x16

oil on board

May 2014

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Pencil on toned Canson paper

Pencil on toned Canson paper

Thumbnails

Thumbnails

The Dragon Doc

The Dragon Doc

9 x 12 inches

Watercolor on Hot Press

This little fellow is one of a number of new watercolors I have been working on for Spectrum LIVE this year.  I've been having a lot of fun with them.  I will post a few more of these over the next 2 weeks leading up to the show!  

Tiny Traveler

Spectrum Fantastic Art Live is quickly approaching, and I have been busy preparing new works to display at the event! I finally completed my latest piece in the Thumbelina series, Tiny Traveler. 

Tiny Traveler18x24Oil on Belgian linen

Tiny Traveler

18x24

Oil on Belgian linen

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I will be posting more work in progress shots and sketches of the works I will be bringing to the show over the next two weeks.

The Lady of Lórien

The Lady of Lórien18x24Oil on Belgian Linen

The Lady of Lórien

18x24

Oil on Belgian Linen

Hey guys!  I was recently commissioned to do a portrait of Galadriel for a private collector.  I had a lot of fun with this one, and was really able to loose myself in all of that foliage!  For me, it can be very therapeutic to spend time on the tiny details. 


RE_WORK: Waterfall Dragon

The following painting was such a let down for me that today I am resigning from my career as an illustrator and am taking up agribusiness and I have ordered my first pair of llamas:

(APRIL FOOLS)

Kind of. 

The painting is in fact, a terrible let down. And I may, or may not have illegally acquired a pair of llamas. 

The reason the painting is such a let down for me was not just that it fell short of some internal artistic goal, or that the story I had hoped it would tell didn't communicate well; it was mostly that it failed to truly convey awe-struck I was upon beholding a particular waterfall in Switzerland a few years ago.

I hiked up it for several hours one day.  There was something about the thunderous roar of the water and the way the water coiled down the mountain that made me think of some vast, terrible dragon. It was an awesome force of nature. One wrong step on the slippery, moss-covered rocks and I would be ground up and eaten. 
My little sketches might one day have been found and they would have pieced it all together.  (Sir, we've deciphered it. It was aliens, aliens riding dinosaurs that got him.)

Something about this place put the image of this dragon snaking his way down the mountain into my head. I would later scribble down a tiny thumbnail of this to remember it and since then have made several unsuccessful attempts to paint it. 

This time I have decided to try it from a slightly different angle. 

By flipping it horizontally. NOBODY WILL SEE THIS COMING.  

Actually there is more than that.  My favorite thing in representational art is story, and in particular when a piece of art draws you in and makes you tell the story yourself as you walk around inside of it. 

In the previous attempt my story was rather one dimensional. (Warrior with sword fight big dragon! Painting smash!)   At the time I felt it was interesting but on further consideration I wish that I had thought a little longer about it before painting it. 

In this one I wanted to do something a little more fun and hopefully more interesting. Since it was tax season the following story seemed to dovetail nicely with the original theme.  (The title is the key...  More on that next time..)

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The Plan: Pencil and acrylic on paper, then sealed in matte medium and the color painted in oil. 18 x 24 inches. 

In general I hate to retread old ground and would always prefer to plow on to someplace new, but this time, I am really excited to see where this leads. 
 

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Some New Work

By Justin Gerard

Here is some sketching and a watercolor for some new work that Annie and I are doing for Spectrum LIVE in May.  

We have been working on some new story ideas and have been having a lot of fun with the development recently. 

We will have a few new pieces from the series as well as some surprises for everyone at Spectrum.  

 

My initial plan for the surprise was to ride in on 7 angry bulls, wearing a flaming linen canvas and a crown of paintbrushes. All while many dozens of otters in capes scampered here and there.  

 

That plan fell through.  

 

So it will be slightly less ambitious than all that, but still pretty intense. 

We will be posting more about the development as it happens here at GalleryGerard.com. 

Until then, I give you: Undersea Mayhem! 

The Search for the Pearl

12" x 16"

Watercolor on Bristol

A Show of Hands

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I did a post back in 2011 on different ways that different artists painted eyes. So for today's post I thought I would revisit this theme, only this time, to see how some of my favorite artists paint hands. 

There is so much to learn by seeing how different artists tackle the same subject. Comparisons like this can allow us to see the effect that an approach can have when working on your subject.  Do you want to refine your subject down to something extremely soft? Or would you rather thrash brushwork into the canvas in order to achieve texture and character? How does leaving an outline around your subject change the way it is seen?  Seeing how other artists solved these problems and the effect it can have on their work is always fascinating.  

Can you guess who the artists are here? I will be posting the actual names tomorrow!

 

Link to the Original Post: The Eyes Have It

Back from FaerieCon West

They used Annie's painting "Secluded Blue"  for the program guides and flyer

They used Annie's painting "Secluded Blue"  for the program guides and flyer

We are finally back from FaerieCon West in Seattle, WA.  This weekend was our first time showing as guest artists at this event and our first time showing at a convention as a married couple (woo!). Unlike our regular show modus operandi,  we packed everything for our booth in some checked and carry on bags, and hopped on a plane.  We were both a little nervous about flying with original artwork, so our booth was, unfortunately,  a bit limited.   We only brought prints and books to this show.  

Despite this, we had a blast at the show!  We were able to participate in some fun panels, hang out with friends and family, and eat lots and lots of food.  

The hotel

The hotel

  

The beautiful sunset view from our room!

The beautiful sunset view from our room!

Some cool glass elevators

Some cool glass elevators

Justin with some coffee

Justin with some coffee

Annie and Justin and their booth via Rob and Jean Carlos

Annie and Justin and their booth via Rob and Jean Carlos

Krab Jab Studio had a room at the event to show off the latest pieces from their new exhibition, Faerie II.  You can see all pieces from the show in their studio until February 27th.  

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Annie Stegg and Charles Vess

Annie Stegg and Charles Vess

There were some great images taken from the opening of this show via Tara Larsen Chang.

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New working Thumbelina piece

18x24 oil on belgian linen

18x24 oil on belgian linen

It's been a long time, but I am finally starting to work on new pieces for the Thumbelina collection.  I've been excited to work on this image in particular.  The imagery in Hans Christian Anderson's passage is so beautiful.

The little fishes who swam in the water beneath her had seen the toad and heard what she had said. So up popped their heads to have a look at the little girl. No sooner had they seen her than they felt very sorry that anyone so pretty should have to go down to live with that hideous toad. No, that should never be! They gathered around the green stem which held the leaf where she was, and gnawed it in two with their teeth. Away went the leaf down the stream, and away went Thumbelina, far away where the toad could not catch her.

Thumbelina sailed past many a place, and when the little birds in the bushes saw her they sang, "What a darling little girl." The leaf drifted further and further away with her, and so it was that Thumbelina became a traveler.

A lovely white butterfly kept fluttering around her, and at last alighted on the leaf, because he admired Thumbelina. She was a happy little girl again, now that the toad could not catch her. It was all very lovely as she floated along, and where the sun struck the water it looked like shining gold.

-Hans Christian Andersen (1835)

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I began working on this piece last year, but became discouraged with the size and decided to repaint it a little larger this time around.  Thumbelina would have probably ended up being actual size if I stuck with the original dimensions!

It was a hard decision, because I liked the underpainting I had started for it.  And also because... who wants to completely repaint something over again once you have already started!? I almost abandoned the new piece a dozen different times during the first few days. But in the end, I think I'm happy I decided to start over.

The good news is that because I had a value study to use as reference, I was able to begin painting immediately with color on the new one, which sped things up a lot. I hope to get some of the depth back with glazing once these layers have dried.  And to tone down the green.

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I also happened to stumble upon some great mossy patches in the mountains last weekend and was able to get a few  reference photos. I am really excited to see what I can incorporate into this.  I'll post some more updates soon!

Art for Krab Jab Studio

This coming February we will have some paintings in Seattle's Krab Jab Studio show, Faerie II.

The show will run from February 8th-27th 2014. 

Address:

5628 Airport Way S, Ste 150

Seattle, WA  98108

Phone: 206-715-8593

Email: krabjabstudio@gmail.com

Here is Justin's piece for the show!

A.W.O.L. #6: The Seahorse12x16, oil on paperJanuary 2014

A.W.O.L. #6: The Seahorse

12x16, oil on paper

January 2014

Justin starts with a rough digital comp.  Once the basic idea is decided on, he begins a more defined drawing on toned paper.  

From there, a watercolor underpainting is fleshed out, and then sealed in acrylic.  This prepares the image for the final oil glaze.

And the final framed piece!

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And here is Annie's painting:

Calida and the Diamond11x14 oil on Belgian LinenJan 2014

Calida and the Diamond

11x14 oil on Belgian Linen

Jan 2014

Annie begins with a rough pencil thumbnail to get an idea of what the composition of the piece will be.  A digital color mock is created to determine mood and basic lighting.

A final sketch is created after all preliminary work is completed.

The colors are applied in oils with glazing.  The color is built up over many glazes to create the atmosphere of the piece.

Calida and the Diamond

A short story by Justin Gerard

Once there was a fairy named Calida, who was very beautiful. Calida was a very energetic fairy, who, like most fairies, did not love to work. Instead, she loved to dance, and she loved music, and most of all, she loved her mother. 

 

One day, Calida’s mother gave her a gift. “This is a magnificent jewel my lovely child,” her mother said, “made from a single star, that once fell to earth, and which I caught when I was your age, in a thistle leaf. And now, I give it to you to have as a treasure forever.”

 

It was Calida’s most wonderful and favorite possession. 

 

One night Calida heard a nightbird’s song. “What a beautiful melody!” she said to her friends. 

Then a joy began to overtake her and her little feet began to wiggle. Then her little knees began to wiggle. Then her whole body began to wiggle and she couldn’t help it; she had to dance.  And she and her friends leapt from among the cold clover and danced among the tall flowers. They danced and danced far into the night. 

They did not care that it had grown dark, all they cared about was the music.  It became so dark in fact, that they couldn’t even see.    

 

Then, as the night came to a close, the dancing finally came to an end. The first rays of the morning began to break through the trees.  

Calida exclaimed, “My diamond! It’s gone!” 

And they all saw that it was true! It was no where to be seen.  

Calida wept, knowing it had been lost somewhere amongst the flowers during all the dancing.  And as dawn broke, she went out to search for her lost diamond

 

Calida never found her diamond, made from a star; but she still searches for it each night.  

And if you watch for her, just before sunrise in the forest, you can see her tiny figure, as she goes out and opens each flower in the forest, one at a time, to look for her lost diamond. 

The Gryphon Hunters

Here is the final, high-res scan of The Gryphon Hunters.

That's right, I said scan. We couldn't get the 4 x 6 foot painting photographed at our local studio, so we literally scanned it in, piece by piece, with our Epson flatbed. 30 scans later, I present to you:

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The Gryphon Hunters

2013

Private Commision

4' x 6'

Oil over Acrylic on Canvas 

While the scanning takes a great deal longer, especially at this size, it does at least capture the detail of the brushwork and canvas texture amazingly well.

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Annie and I both have our next large-format oil paintings thumbnailed out and ready to go.  We are just waiting for our shipment of new canvas roll to arrive before starting.  We will be sharing our progress on those soon.  Stay tuned...

To see the work in progress shots of The Gryphon Hunters visit the portfolio page at: www.gallerygerard.com/the-art-of-justin-gerard#/the-gryphon-hunters/

Welcome to Gallery Gerard!

We have a lot of big plans for 2014! We will be attending several conventions, painting a lot of new paintings, selling new prints and sketchbooks this year and working on new illustration series. We also plan on delivering some exciting new demos. In order to help share all these things with everyone we've launched this site!

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What’s happening here now?

A brand new blog!  Which you have already seen.  But on this blog we will be sharing the aforementioned paintings and works-in-progress several times a week, with our “On the Easel” section.  It's a unique insight into what is going on in the studio here. Because hey, we’re giving up on privacy. And also because we like sharing what we’re working on!  

What’s to come?

A brand new store!  We will be launching this in the coming weeks, and we will be offering original artwork, sketchbooks and prints. 

Education!  In the coming months Annie and I will be doing live and online demos. You can see what’s happening and when in the “Events” section. There is even talk of mentorships. Stay tuned.

Contests!  We will be holding drawings for drawings, as well as some other soon-to-be-named mystery give-aways.

How to follow us? 

We have gotten with the times and will be Twittering and Facebooking like real, grown-up professionals. 

Does this make you happy? Angry? Strangely hungry?  Tell us about it in the Contact section!  We want to hear about it!