anna repp | illustration
about me
When I was a child, I spent every summer with my grandparents in their summer
home in the Urals, Russia. My grandfather was a hunter and a fisherman and made
up stories about forest creatures for me every night before I went to bed. My
grandmothers took me into the woods mushroom gathering and berry picking and
she also told me stories — not only about animals, but about leshys and
forest spirits; mermaids, who lived in the springs; baba yaga, who had her home
hidden in the deepest of the forests... Of course, those were fairy tales, but
deep in my heart I always believed there is real magic dwelling deep in the
woods. When I grew older, I was swept away by the wonders of Tolkien's Middle-earth,
and elves and dragons joined my list of favourite magical creatures.
Every summer I took my sketchbook with me and sketched every day, filling the pages with landscapes and studies of plants and flowers from my grandparents' gardens. Gathering pieces of bark, twigs and dried berries from the forest, I made jewelry and decorations that I pretended were designed by the fair folk.
When I was 17, my family moved to the United States. Facing so many changes in life, growing up in a new world, I almost forgot my love of the faerie and fantasy. I went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago majoring in graphic design, however magical and fantastical subjects kept coming up in my drawings. After two years as a graphic design major, I realized I needed a change and transferred to the illustration department at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. In 2000, I graduated from Pratt with a BFA degree in illustration.
Now I am a fantasy and children's stories illustrator. Among my inspirations are medieval illuminated manuscripts, Northern Renaissance masters, Russian folk art, Native American art, art of the Pacific and contemporary fantasy illustrators and film concept artists. I illustrate for Orson Scott Card's InterGacalctic Medicine Show magazine, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, work on book covers and more. I have exhibited in New Zealand, London, San Diego Art Institute and New York Public Library. My most recent project is Endless Hobbit Illustration that I expect to complete by the end of 2015.
links
publications
-
InterGalactic Medicine Show
- Oloris Publishing
- Twelfth Planet Press, Australia
- Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Australia
- Silver Leaves published by White Tree Tolkien Fund
- Leading Edge
- Stories for Children Magazine
- Cyberwizard Productions
- Drollerie Press
- Jim Baen's Universe
© 2015 Anna Repp