Hey guys! I wanted to show a few of the drawings I have been doing in the special edition sketchbooks. There are just a few left, and they can be purchased in our shop.
Daughters of Oceanus Sketchbook
My new 2014 sketchbooks on is now available in the Gallery Gerard shop!
Here is a sneak peek of some of the pages:
The first 300 books will be signed and numbered. We will also be offering a limited edition package that comes with an original drawing in the front, as well as a limited edition mini print.
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 Nymph
12x16
oil on board
May 2014
Pencil sketch on Canson paper
Thumbnail images
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 Traveler
18x24
Oil on Belgian Linen
April 2014
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 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.
Back from FaerieCon West
They used my 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 beautiful sunset view from our room!
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.
Annie Stegg and Charles Vess
There were some great images taken from the opening of this show via Tara Larsen Chang.
New working Thumbelina piece
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)
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.
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!
Calida and the Diamond
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.
11x14 oil on Belgian Linen
January 2014
I begin 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.
Gallery Gerard
I have exciting news to share! My husband and I have joined artistic forces and created a new website which will showcase both of our works. We plan on having live and online demos, holding contests to win original artwork, and will be launching a new online store in February which will showcase original drawings and sketches.
You can check it out here:
And, don't worry! I will still be updating this site and blog as well. ^_^
Also, I wanted to post a quick update of a new oil painting I am working on for the Faerie II show at Krab Jab Studios.
And now.... bedtime. Goodnight! <3
Happy holidays and a work in progress
The studio is in a little bit of a disaster right now. Now that I am sharing a space with my talented husband, Justin, what once was a perfect working situation for one seems cramped now! To start the new year off right, we have been renovating and organizing the whole thing. While I am excited to have a better working space, the whole room has been unusable for the past month. Thankfully, a space was cleared the other day and I have had a little time to work on my Mudpuppy painting.
I hope you guys have a wonderful and safe holiday, and I will see you in 2014! <3
Sketches and paintings
Whew! Convention season is finally over, and I have some time to sort through some of the pictures I have been meaning to post. For IlluXCon this year, I painted some of the drawings found in my Thumbelina Sketchbook (I will have more to post about that wonderful show later this week). Here are some of the ones I have completed so far:
"Ms. Field Mouse"
5x7
acrylic on paper
September 2013
"Dragonfly"
5x7
acrylic on paper
Sptember 2013
"Margie"
SOLD
5x7
acrylic on paper
September 2013
A wonderful photo of my mini IlluXCon paintings courtesy of Jeannie Wilshire.
I also shipped out Thumbelina sketchbook orders last week. Here is a preview of the sketches I have been drawing in the limited edition books so far. Each book get its very own original character, and they have been a ton of fun to work on!
Sketch in book 4/50
Sketch in book 8/50
Sketch in book 17/50
Sketch in book 6/50
If you would like your own sketch, I still have some limited edition books available on my etsy
<3
~Annie
Sketchbook Release Today at 11am EST!
Thumbelina and the Four Seasons Sketchbook will be available for purchase TODAY at 11am EST on my etsy. I will have 2 versions available.
Limited Edition Bundle
Standard Edition: One book, signed for $20
Limited Edition Bundle: One book, signed and numbered (1-50) , a tasseled bee charm bookmark, and a hand drawn image on the title page for $40. There will only be 50 of these books available, and it will be first come first serve basis.
Title page sketch
Bookmark front and back
Thumbelina Sketchbook Release
Thumbelina and the Four Seasons Sketchbook will be available for purchase on Tuesday, September 10th, at 11am EST on my etsy. I will have 2 versions available.
Available Tuesday, September 10th at 11am EST here
Standard Edition: One book, signed for $20
Limited Edition Bundle: One book, signed and numbered (1-50) , a tasseled bee charm bookmark, and a hand drawn image on the title page for $40. There will only be 50 of these books available, and it will be first come first serve basis.
I will be posting more images on my etsy shop when it is available.
Be sure to also check out Justin Gerard's etsy. He will be releasing his beautiful sketchbook the same day/time!
Dragon*Con 2013
I will be in the DragonCon 2013 art show this Friday, August 30th. Here is a map to my booth, in the Grand Hall West of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel.
"Artemis"
30x44
oil on wood panel
August 2013
I will also be participating in 2 panels at the show:
Traditional Painting Techniques, with Justin Gerard and Annie SteggAnnie and Justin demonstrate how to create an illustrated scene from initial thumbnail to final brushstrokes.
"Featherblossom"
9x12
oil on board
August 2013
Mon 10:00 am; Hanover G [H]
Narrative in Picture-Making, with Todd LockwoodA round-table art discussion with fantasy artists.
Sat 7:00 pm; Hanover AB [H]
I will be bringing lots of new art, so be sure to stop by my booth, the printshop, or my table! I will have sketchbooks, bookmarks, prints, originals, and limited edition giclees.
Sketchbook preview
Guess what came in! The proof of my sketchbook has arrived, and the final copy was sent to the printers yesterday. I will have purchasing details just as soon as the books are shipped to me.
I'm so excited!
A secret project and new paintings
I am excited to announce a project that I have been working on over the last year. Later this month I will be releasing a collection of preliminary work from my Thumbelina series, inspired by the writings of Hans Christian Andersen. The images will include sketches and underpaintings from the first part of the series, and will be bound into a softcover book.The book will be 38 pages, and include over 50 working images that have been my initial steps in creating the collection of existing paintings, as well as future images.
Here are a few sneak peeks of some new paintings from the series!
Imagine FX workshop
I am happy to announce that the latest special edition Imagine FX is on sale now! In this issue I demonstrate how I created The Faerie Queen, step by step using both photos and video footage.
"The Faerie Queen"
11x14
oil on panel
April 2013
ImagineFX Presents Fantasy Illustrator is a collection of traditional art tutorials from some of the leading fantasy artists around the world. Learn to paint in oils, acrylics and watercolour. Use Copic markers and sculpt in Super Sculpey.
Tutorials include Cynthia Sheppard loosely painting a character from Game of Thrones, Kev Crossley paints a textured zombie unicorn, Annie Stegg dips into her Rococo influences to paint a faerie while Wayne Haag reveals how he controls light in his sci-fi seen.
In total, there are 14 new tutorials from artists as varied as Terryl Whitlatch and Anthony Palumbo, who paints our issue's cover.
For beginners, there's Terese Nielsen's core skills masterclass where she reveals quick tips on everything from mounting paper for painting to making lines in ink and pencil, as well as blending in pastels and taking your first steps in watercolours.
Finally, the issue comes with a free disc of tutorial content that includes the final art plus video of Anthony Palumbo, Annie Stegg, Erik Jones, Aaron Miller and Cynthia Sheppard hard at work!
Find more details here
Order a copy from
See sample pages on Google+
Fantasy Illustrator is also available on the Apple Newsstand (inside the ImagineFX app). Coming soon to Zinio.
The Duke of Oak Nut
Some more Thumbelina sketches....
"The Duke of Oak Nut" sketch
Only a little bit of pencil left!
The Duchess of Oak Nut sneak peek
Here is a sneak peek of another piece for the Thumbelina collection: The Duchess of Oak Nut. I will be illustrating the Duke next.
"The Duchess of Oak Nut" Sneak Peek
5"x7"
oil on board
"The Duchess of Oak Nut" underpainting
Thumbelina first looks and Muddy Colors Interview
I will be at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 later this week, and will be debuting the first paintings in my Thumbelina series. Here is a map to my booth, #913
"The Faerie Queen"
11x14
oil on board
sketches for "The Toad"
JG: So speaking of your work, you are currently working on a series of paintings based on Hans Christian Anderson's Thumbelina fairy tale. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
AS: I have wanted to do a series on this fairy tale for a while now. The reason I like Thumbelina has largely to do with the magic and mystery of childhood.
When we are young, the world is so big and magical and I think you lose some of that when you grow up. I like to imagine a place where everything is still a little unknown, and there is so much left to discover. Stories like Thumbelina help you to see your own commonplace world with fresh eyes and you can begin to appreciate just how amazing the world really is again. It's like being a child again in many ways, and capturing that sense of wonder about the world around us.
I am very excited to be debuting the first paintings I have started for this series at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 later this week. It's been fun planning out the pieces that will appear in this collection, and I ....... click to read the full interview and see the completed images in the Thumbelina series
"Thumbelina in the Marsh"
18x24
oil on panel
"The Swallow"
8x10
oil on board