Justin Gerard is an illustrator based in Greenville, South Carolina. Predominately working in Fantasy fiction, some of his previous clients include The Jim Henson Company, Warner Bros., HarperCollins and Random House. His work has been featured in Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, and the Society of Illustrators 50th Annual of American Illustration.
From a young age, he studied the work of Arthur Rackham and other Golden Age illustrators. He soon began creating his own narrative-driven illustrations. He started painting later in life after he found a Step-by-Step Graphics guide on Peter de Sève. Gerard was also inspired by the books of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.
He earned a BFA in painting and drawing from Bob Jones University. Gerard furthered his foundational knowledge by studying Renaissance and modern masters, including Rembrandt and many of the Victorian painters.
In 2012, Gerard, alongside illustrators Cory Godbey and Chris Koelle turned to Kickstarter to bring to light The Lamp Post Guild. An online platform to teach the craft and business of illustration. The successful campaign raised more than double their goal and the site launched in March 2013.
In November of 2013, Justin and his wife Annie Stegg Gerard set up Gallery Gerard. Based in Georgia, the studio specialises in fine art and narrative illustration for publishing, game and film industries.
You can see more of Justin Gerard’s work on Gallery Gerard, where many of his pieces, such as The Gryphon Hunters, have insightful work in progress images. You can also check out his old blog.
