Kristina Gehrmann
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kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Kristina Gehrmann
@kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
15K followers 1.2K following 1.4K posts
Freelance illustrator for books & publishing. Fantasy, romance, history.
Clients include: HarperCollins, Penguin, Hachette, Darrington Press, book boxes etc.

She/her, deaf. #NoAI
www.kristinagehrmann.com
info@kristinagehrmann.com
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kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Kristina Gehrmann @kristinagehrmann.bsky.social · Jul 8
Hi #PortfolioDay! I’m an illustrator with a focus on fantasy, history & narrative illustration.

My dream is to illustrate more book covers with beautiful badass characters, especially women in armor. Please make it happen, universe 🙏

🌎 www.kristinagehrmann.com
📩 info@kristinagehrmann.com
Illustration of a knight or paladin or swordfighter in chainmail and cloak, drawing her sword, stepping over a water surface towards the viewer. Behind her, a flock of swans rises up into the sky. A young woman in 15th century inspired black plate armor, looking wistfully and holding a longsword that has a magical golden light emanating from it. Behind her is a rich colorful tapestry with late Medieval motifs that's interwoven with gold thread. King Arthur sits on the ground next to a mossy rock, proudly thrusting the sword Excalibur up into the air, suggesting that he's just drawn it out from the stone. It has a magical blue glow. In the background, some people cheer his success, while a few others seem miffed about it.
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
nilahmagruder.com
I wish I'd thought sooner to explain to tradpub editors that illustrating a graphic novel is not like writing a prose novel or illustrating a picture book, a 250-page GN is actually like illustrating eight picture books.
January 6, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
kamakru.bsky.social
Ok I'm going to suggest a goal for everyone to try to accomplish right away: back up all of your files on an external hard drive or thumb drive. NOT the cloud! I mean on something you own not connected to the internet that some other company or person has control over.
January 5, 2026 at 10:40 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Cover #art for "Shadows of Sparta" by C.R. Jane.

This one was on SUPER short notice, and I don't think I've ever drawn this many roses before 😆 (There's even more roses on the audiobook cover!) Fortunately it worked out well in that short time.

Client: Podium Entertainment
AD: Dawn Adams
Romantasy book cover illustration: A dark, imposing castle with both Gothic and Ancient Greek elements, seen through a round frame of roses. Pink sand glitters around the roses and falls in the foreground. Among the roses we see a Spartan helmet, a shield, spears, and a small mouse.
December 29, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
evelynepark.bsky.social
Time to behold space horrors! 🖤

Character illustration for METROPOLIS DOWN by @vesperdoom.com
A character illustration with a sci-fi setting. The two main characters are shown together: Eddie, tall with broad shoulders, with brown curly hair and beard, freckles, and green eyes, wearing an officer's uniform, stands (or floats? we're in space) behind Jett. Jett is leaner and wears a partially dissembled combat uniform. He has black hair falling to his ears, a delicate face, and a scar over the left side of his lips. He holds a knife with a stylized streak of blood on it. Both of them are getting grasped at and held by what looks like flayed human hands, and space in the background is distorted by a black void, which consumes both stars and nebulae, but also stylized vertebrae and ribcages.
January 5, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
naladraws.com
PORTFOLIO TIPS FOR ILLUSTRATORS

I am an art director who has probably seen close to 1000 portfolios, many great, but many...not 😔

This is a doc I wrote featuring tips and tricks for how to make a better art portfolio site. Feel free to share with anyone who may find this useful <3 #art
Portfolio Tips for Illustrators by Nala J. Wu
Portfolio tips for Illustrators Written by Nala J. Wu (@naladraws) | they/them As an art director (AD) and longtime professional illustrator— I’ve probably looked at nearly a thousand art portfolios. ...
docs.google.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
discobooks.bsky.social
I’m looking for horror / dystopian / sci-fi book cover artists!

I’m particularly interested in queer, BIPOC, or disabled artists.

Feel free to drop recommendations, links, examples and so on. I’m not actively commissioning right now, just researching for the (hopefully near) future! #writing #art
January 3, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
brandtandstein.com
Good morning, chums! For the first time this year, it’s the weekend and you know what that means!

All weekend my DMs are open to any and all new and aspiring comics creators to give feedback or answer questions about writing, art, or the industry at large! Ask away!
January 3, 2026 at 5:04 AM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
chocolett.bsky.social
I’ll see yall next year ✨
December 30, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
mariemagny.bsky.social
Posting this Lucian as a nice way to close this year! I was very thrilled to be able to paint a dark pirate theme, all these years after my MF illustrations :)

I wish you all the best for 2026 ! ✨
Splash art for LoL depicting Lucian as a pirate in a gothic and dark setting, fighting myst wraiths
December 31, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
samanthamash.bsky.social
As we enter the New Year remember fear of making bad art is holding you back. Fear of people not liking your work is holding you back. Rejection is holding you back

You'll make bad art, you'll have people not like your work, and you'll be rejected. Moving past it is half the job of being a creative
December 28, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
chowleen.bsky.social
A pair of happy hammerhead sharks
(ca. 1735 Edo period Japan)
Paintings of hammerhead sharks depicted in the "Oki National Products Illustration Notes". From Japan, Edo Period, ca 1735
December 28, 2025 at 5:57 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Cover #art for "Shadows of Sparta" by C.R. Jane.

This one was on SUPER short notice, and I don't think I've ever drawn this many roses before 😆 (There's even more roses on the audiobook cover!) Fortunately it worked out well in that short time.

Client: Podium Entertainment
AD: Dawn Adams
Romantasy book cover illustration: A dark, imposing castle with both Gothic and Ancient Greek elements, seen through a round frame of roses. Pink sand glitters around the roses and falls in the foreground. Among the roses we see a Spartan helmet, a shield, spears, and a small mouse.
December 29, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
mmegistus.bsky.social
Winter Morning ☀️

#art #ocsky #OC
An illustration of my original character Aleron, he is standing with one hand behind his back and looking towards the left with a smile on his face. He has fair skin, long elf ears, long blue hair with glowing cyan ends. He is wearing a simple blue hanfu with a fur coat draped around his shoulders. The background is a golden sunset with snow and some green leaves behind him. The sun is shining down on his face.
December 27, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
tokibeast.bsky.social
➕️Writhing➕️

#oc #ocart #darkfantasy #eldritch #elf #inks #illustration
Long-haired elf surrounded by eldritch tentacles and skeletons.
December 28, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
aaronbmiller.com
The coziest time of year... nothing much to do but curl up with a good book in front of the fire.

This was a private commission to create my version of Beauty and the Beast, set in a library. The original painting is oil on panel and measures 24" x 32".
Oil painting in rich browns and umbers. Beauty - a lounging lady in an ivory dress, rests on a couch next to beast - a big beastly dude in a jacket, in a cozy library.
December 27, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
coreybrickley.bsky.social
illustration but I think in creative fields generally a lot of 'success' is just hanging in there as long as you can and it is natural that you'll make friends with people who have similar points of view on the industry and share your same irrational 'not giving up' mental illness
tobiasbuckell.bsky.social Tobias S. Buckell @tobiasbuckell.bsky.social · 11d
Talking to one of these types at a con who asked how I 'got in' with so many 'famous writers' who I'd been talking to and I said "we made friends before anyone knew who we were decades ago by striking up interesting conversations and enjoying each other's company" and he kept re-asking the question.
kateheartfield.com Kate Heartfield @kateheartfield.com · 11d
They have come to the convention hoping to "break in" and then find themselves -- shocker! -- a "nobody in the book world." Yeah no shit! We all are! I have gently told guys like this a million times that it takes most of us *years* of hard work but they do not believe that could be true for them. +
December 27, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
juliedillon.bsky.social
Calling this done because if I don't I'll keep fussing with the details forever and it's driving me crazy. 😅
Titling this one "Languish" 🦁
A possibly ephemeral lion encircles and older man, who bares his throat submissively to the lion. The lion has its teeth in the man's neck and its claws digging into the man's chest and shoulder; the man raises his hand up to caress the lion's mane.
December 13, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
elif7.bsky.social
It's my birthday today! ✨🕯️ I would be very grateful for shares of my art as a little gift while I'm waiting for the cake to be done 🔥🎂
a fantasy illustration of a healer working golden glowing magic on a wounded fighter on a misty battlefield surrounded by fallen warriors. Illustration of an armored priest and a large armored lioness walking down stairs in front of a large cathedral and fantasy city in sunrise with large yellow clouds An illustration of smoke forming a glowing skull emerging from a book in which a hand is writing magical glowing symbols An old little moss covered and wrinkly lady with mushrooms and plants in her hair and a crown looking a little like antlers. Birds are sitting on her head and staff and flying around her, she is surrounded by plants and green.
December 27, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
nimasprout.bsky.social
Thinning out my archives and I have 4 prints remaining from officially licensed Star Wars and Gallery 1988 release from 2015.

12x12 Giclee Signed (AP Print)
$100 + $7 US Shipping
Luke standing on xwing fighter on Dagobah Luke standing on xwing fighter on Dagobah
December 27, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
mykara-art.bsky.social
I feel just a little shameless doing this but I saw other people doing it and I gotta learn to promote myself.

Hi, I'm Mika and it's my birthday today! If I could have one wish it'd be for you to share my art. No pressure though I already had a banger day. Appreciate you all ❤️
A digital drawing done in a painterly style of two characters in a forest. Both appear to be young demons with horns. One is stepping out of the light towards the second one, who is standing in the dark. A digital painting of two characters in front of a fire place. The view is top down and shows some birds looking down on them and sitting next to them eating. One character with dark hair and horns is taking a bowl of soup from another character that has braided red hair and a blue dress. The scene seems rather rustic. A digital painting of a character with feathers attached to their arms to look like bird wings. They're wearing a skintight black body suit with bones attached to them, a bird skull on their head and have a long black braid. The character is standing on a tree branch and reaching up to the sky, nothing but the clouds and ravens around them and the sun right behind their head. A digital painting of the Genshin Impact character Tighnari. He is sitting in a forest against a tree taking notes. The scene shows a lot of the wildlife like a bird, some boar like animals and a cat like animal on top of the leaning trunk of the tree. There are mushrooms growing everywhere.
December 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
artofchira.bsky.social
I get asked a lot how to improve drawing skills and my advice has always been:

- learn 1p, 2p, 3p grids & how to use them. 98% of the time why artists get stuck is bc they're guessing at perspective

- get in the habit of completing full body poses. get used to thinking what the whole body is doing
December 27, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Reposted by Kristina Gehrmann
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
"Happy Place", endpaper illustration I drew for "Sistah Samurai" by @obeytheauthor.bsky.social .

For the special edition published by @thebrokenbinding.bsky.social !😊
Sistah Samurai, the novel's main character, chilling on a meadow under a cherry tree in sunny weather, and looking very happy and content. She wears a light kimono with a flower pattern, and her swords lie next to her. She is listening to music from a teal colored walkman.
December 12, 2025 at 4:47 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
I love green tea and used to chug it all day long, but recently decided to stop drinking it after midday.

Now I fall asleep much more easily at night. ✨👀 I used to think the caffeine did not have an effect on me bc I never got "jitters", but apparently it metabolises just very slowly.
December 17, 2025 at 12:09 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
This is why our art got so much more traffic on the old Deviantart: an inbox just for new art posts from the artists we followed.
I want a dedicated art platform that has this option. Why is there none today!??
December 15, 2025 at 1:26 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
"Happy Place", endpaper illustration I drew for "Sistah Samurai" by @obeytheauthor.bsky.social .

For the special edition published by @thebrokenbinding.bsky.social !😊
Sistah Samurai, the novel's main character, chilling on a meadow under a cherry tree in sunny weather, and looking very happy and content. She wears a light kimono with a flower pattern, and her swords lie next to her. She is listening to music from a teal colored walkman.
December 12, 2025 at 4:47 PM