Kristina Gehrmann
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kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Kristina Gehrmann
@kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
15K followers 1.1K following 1.3K 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
This has to be combined with understanding of the form principle (image taken from The Shading Course with Dorian Iten on Proko).
The typical ball has both form shadow and a highlight, so it lies somewhere in the middle of the specularity spectrum and is meant to represent an average material:
A white ball lit from one side, described with different types of light and shadow terms that give it a realistic appearance and sense of form.
October 31, 2025 at 1:52 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
The key to realistically paint materials is to understand the "Specularity Spectrum" (term made up by me).

Once you understand how reflective or not something is, you can roughly deduce how much you need to emphasize form shadows vs reflections (highlights), or whether to combine both.
Info graphic explaining the specularity spectrum (a term I made up), comparing how reflective or dull some materials are compared to others. On the one extreme end there's a mirror (maximum reflectivity); on the other end a dull material like Vantablack or rough wood (least reflectivity).
October 31, 2025 at 1:45 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
More lovely kitty portraits! 😍💙 Many thanks to the wonderful artists who drew these.

Left: vgen.co/janontoast
Top right: vgen.co/Hafu
Bottom right: vgen.co/onehourlate
Cute tabby cat standing on her hind legs, surrounded by a green ornamental frame with daisies. A sitting tabby cat in a dynamic stylized art style with snappy shapes and electric-color rainbow-brushstrokes in the background. Cute tabby cat lying on a heart-shaped red pillow on a green flower meadow, showing her fluffy fur belly.
October 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Interior art (overlays) for Kiera Azar's "Thorn Season", commissioned by LitJoyCrate!

These were great fun and I hope to do more romantasy illustration like this.
#art
Alissa and Kiel, dressed extravagantly for the Budding Ball. They are hidden between swaths of silk curtains, standing almost near enough to kiss. It’s a stolen moment, and he's just helped her untangle a chandelier earring from her hair. Zoomed in shot of King Erik, forcibly 'helping' Alissa wield her bow, while directing it at one of the nearby girls. They are nearly cheek to cheek, his hands gripping Alissa's on the bow so she is unable to struggle free. He looks forward with wicked glee, and she struggles to hide her alarm. Garret and Alissa in carriage, just after first ball. Alissa (wearing a pink dress with big skirt and puffy sleeves) is agitated, and she is using her powers to twirl a coin in the air. Garret is stone-faced, hands balled into fists, frustrated that she is practicing outlawed magic.
October 15, 2025 at 11:49 AM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
And the initial sketch.
A much rougher, less detailed version of the illustration in the original post.
October 3, 2025 at 2:01 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
A warrior ceremony in ancient Crete

We know so little about religious rituals in Minoan culture that I can't tell you what is happening here. But we can assume that war also played a role in them. Here my task was to imagine what it could've looked like if you were there.

Client: Board & Dice
Ancient Minoan warrior kneeling in front of a woman whose face we don't see. He's bowing his head and ceremoniously handing her a gilded battle axe. She is dressed like royalty and wears jewelry, he's decked out in his battle armor. In the background, soldiers with leather shields and spears stand in a row.
October 3, 2025 at 1:50 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
3. If you're in Europe but outside EU, customs and/or import VAT may apply even to a gift; these are your own responsibility.
4. This raffle runs until Tuesday Oct 14, 8pm CEST.
5. Then 3 winners of those who reskeeted/shared the initial post will be choosen at random and tagged here.

Good luck 💜
Photo of a copy of "Bloody Mary: A Graphic Biography of Mary Tudor", held against a rose bush with pink roses.
September 28, 2025 at 2:56 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
"BLOODY MARY" BOOK RAFFLE! (Europe)

I'm giving away 3 signed copies of my graphic novel "Bloody Mary: A Graphic Biography of Mary Tudor" (US edition in English) among all those who share this post! 😊

RULES:
1) You must be 18+ and in Europe to participate.
2) No purchase necessary to enter.
Photo of 3 copies of "Bloody Mary: A Graphic Biography of Mary Tudor" arranged nicely with a rose. A cutout of Holbein's Henry VIII doing thumbs-up is photoshopped in the corner.
September 28, 2025 at 2:56 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
I have found my happy place and it's commissioning pet portraits on Vgen ✨😍

(not actually my own cat, she belongs to a family member and it's gonna be a gift 💚)

More to come later!

Left: vgen.co/gezhila
Top right: vgen.co/ShoArtOnline
Bottom right: vgen.co/Totori
Portrait of a sitting tabby cat in a very beautiful sketchy style with ornaments, flowers and sparkles in the background. She has striking green eyes which is echoed by some of the color in the background. Portrait of a sitting tabby cat, very cute and simple chibi-cartoony style. Portrait of a sitting tabby cat in a lovely, loose realistic-painterly rendered style, on a white background. She has noticeable green eyes and pink ears.
September 24, 2025 at 2:45 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Heck yeah congratulations Jameela! 💚✨🎉 I really like the way you use color and texture in your work!

These are my favorite recent illustrations.
www.kristinagehrmann.com
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. 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. A religious ceremony in ancient Minoan culture: a young female priest, dressed in white, under an olive tree. In the background, two more women doing some kind of dance and strewing red petals on the ground. The scene is full of dappled sunlight.
September 23, 2025 at 5:25 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Yay! Congrats, Aimee! :D

This is my most ominous illustration, I think?
If you look closely... 👀
The Hunter(s) and the Prey: A scary fantasy illustration: A man in a small boat, weapons behind him, apparently trying to lure some water nymphs with jewelry - but there's a corpse in the water too, so maybe the nymphs are actually the ones luring him?
September 18, 2025 at 2:17 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Post a mage! ✨
A young woman in hijab sitting on a tree branch. She is holding a wand, conjuring up glowy, magic forms of moon phases. Behind her is the sky with a large, full moon. Next to her a cat is sitting and also attempting to do magic.
September 16, 2025 at 10:25 AM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
For a boardgame by Board&Dice I was asked to imagine religious ceremonies in ancient Minoan culture. Ritual leaping over bulls is a common motif there.

And yes, this was exactly as challenging to draw as it looks!
I looked at SO many pictures of gymnasts to figure out the jumper's pose. 😅
Illustration showing a ritual leaping over bulls in ancient Minoan culture. 3 young men are demonstrating the stunt: one of them is shown mid-leap while 2 others watch and cheer him on. In the background an audience is watching.
September 10, 2025 at 11:31 AM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Congratulations, what a milestone ✨
Hi, I'm Kristina, a freelance illustrator with a focus on fantasy, history & narrative illustration.
Full length portrait of Arwen from "Lord of the Rings", wearing a long flowy dress and cloak. She's walking on a curved pier towards an Elvish ship with a swan head, that another cloaked figure in the distance already is boarding, presumably to travel to Valinor. Arwen appears to be looking back at us, as if reconsidering the journey. The whole color palette is muted, giving a melancholy atmosphere. An interpretation of the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu, sitting and playing an ancient lute. She has long bright yellow hair that radiates out from her like sun rays. An amulet or mirror around her neck radiates even more rays. 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.
September 9, 2025 at 2:17 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
I wish you the same level of energy and motivation as my pizza dough has.
Photo taken in the kitchen: a mixing bowl sits on the countertop, holding a yeast dough that has risen up all the way to the edge and looks very bubbly.
August 29, 2025 at 3:06 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
What lurks in the shadows?

A Dungeons and Dragons inspired adventure scene for my portfolio. #dnd #art
A group of 3 adventurers plus dog have entered a dungeon. There on a pedestal is a beholder who has completely turned into emerald; and one of the group (a tiefling) attempts to cut off one of the emerald eyestalks. But what they don't see yet is another very much alive beholder lurking in the shadows with a glint in its eye...
August 29, 2025 at 12:45 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
The Hallowed Grove

For the boardgame expansion pack "Minos: Dawn of Faith" I was asked to imagine what religious ceremonies in ancient Minoan culture could have looked like. This is one of 4 illustrations I made for them on this topic, a kind of harvest ritual.
Client: Board&Dice

#art
A religious ceremony in ancient Minoan culture: a young female priest, dressed in white, under an olive tree. In the background, two more women doing some kind of dance and strewing red petals on the ground. The scene is full of dappled sunlight.
August 21, 2025 at 12:40 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
"Black and Gold"

This illustration will be available as a print through @novamali.bsky.social 's silent auction benefiting Gaza Soup Kitchen! 💜

Along with many other cool items here: www.32auctions.com/Novaandmali2...
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.
August 15, 2025 at 7:05 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Happy #kidlitartpostcard day!

This is the cover illustration of a picture book about the space race and Deaf history that will be coming out in 2026 👀
Illustration of 3 young white men in orange suits and helmets, floating in a simulated no-gravity space like astronauts, and looking happy.
August 7, 2025 at 11:30 AM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Don't worry, it's just strawberry sauce.
A copy of the graphic novel "Bloody Mary" on the lap of a reader. They're also holding a cup of ice cream - vanilla ice cream with a red strawberry sauce.
August 7, 2025 at 8:32 AM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
"The book portrays Mary as smart and determined, with an incredibly strong (if sometimes misguided) moral compass—but also an intense and warring survival instinct..."
liralen-liest.blogspot.com/2025/07/revi...

Thank you for your review of my graphic novel, liralen! 😊
A copy of my graphic novel "Bloody Mary" being held in front of a rose bush.
July 30, 2025 at 11:39 AM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
It was only ~6 months ago that I learned my graphic novel "Bloody Mary" would get an US release in English.

Now it's officially published at @andrewsmcmeel.bsky.social ! 🎉 👀
A copy of the graphic novel "Bloody Mary" being held in front of a rose bush. Me, sitting outside and holding a copy of my graphic novel "Bloody Mary: A Graphic Biography of Mary Tudor".
July 22, 2025 at 3:34 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Tip: Google Slides is a super practical, free way to create portfolios, right in your browser! And you can instantly export them as a PDF.
Screenshot of the Google Slides interface with an example portfolio. It looks a bit like creating a presentation in PowerPoint.
July 18, 2025 at 12:27 PM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Forest Patrol, or: Frogbert's first hunting expedition. 😆

(Personal work)
The setting is a misty forest with birch trees. We see a female rider on a red horse, in a Mongolian steppe inspired outfit, holding her gloved hand out for a falcon-like bird to settle on. Next to her is a little frog character riding a chicken, who's similarly having a sparrow fly to him. In the distance, another rider with a hunting falcon.
July 15, 2025 at 8:21 AM
kristinagehrmann.bsky.social
Doing Drawabox for a whole month to better understand form. Doing composition studies of great artists' works (like below) for another month to get better at designing with shapes, values etc.
July 11, 2025 at 11:56 AM