Stewart was hired to work on the series as a background painter right after graduating college. Unlike fellow background painter Emily Tetri, who was a big fan of the Avatar series, he did not know the franchise until he got the background test for Korra. He rented the season one box set of Avatar: The Last Airbender, ended up watching all three books in less than a week, and has been a fan since. He also painted the background for The Legend of Korra—The Art of the Animated Series, Book One: Air.