The Art of Maurizio Manzieri

F&SF – Cover Jul/Aug 2011

2011-06-23T22:48:00.008+02:00

My twinning with Robert Reed goes ahead. Here is my new cover for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction coming out on June 26th for the original story "The Ants of Flanders". There's plenty of sense-of-wonder in this one: an alien invasion, interesting characters, incredibile revelations about our Earth and the Universe...

F&SF – Cover Nov/Dic 2010

2010-10-31T19:06:00.001+01:00

Right on time for Halloween! Here’s my cover for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, commissioned for the last issue of the year (Nov/Dec 2010), and realized for the novella “Dead Man’s Run” by Robert Reed!

My 2009 Published Art

2010-01-29T23:59:00.003+01:00

Here are my 2009 eligible covers. Click on the images for a larger version… On my website you’ll find also a specific page including all the editorial interior illustrations. Jump to the 2009 Special Section if you wish to enjoy a wider gallery!

(Subterranean Press, December 2009)

(Subterranean Press, September 2009)

(Subterranean Press, October, 2009)

(AudioText, July 2009)

(Art Collection, Pavesio, November 2009)

Alpha and Omega - Interior Illos!

2010-01-28T00:14:00.006+01:00

Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
(Subterranean Press, 2009) Catalog Link

Introducing the set of b&w interior illos for the limited edition of this beautiful novella by Subterranean Press!

Alpha and Omega – Final cover!

2010-01-16T21:35:00.001+01:00

Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
(Subterranean Press, 2009) Catalog Link

Publications realized by Subterranean Press are a feast for the eyes, products for true fans! It’s just a pity when the editions disappear from the shelves and their catalog begins to flash with the word ‘sold out!’!

For this precious reprinting of the novella Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs I delivered the front cover and four interior b&w illos. The reading was tantalizing, I spent some time building up the characters… and the cover should have been different, then Patricia consulted her agent and they chose the version you already know…

What happened to the first project? Well, it finished inside the book as an interior illo and here is the color version… What do you think? The impact would have been different? Well, whatever the version, it seems even this book is… sold out!

"Angelic" b&w interior illustration #1

2009-11-21T17:12:00.002+01:00

Angelic by Kelley Armstrong
(Subterranean Press, December 2009)

"The Gates of Hell"

Here's an interior illustration from the upcoming novella by Kelley Armstrong, the first in a set I'll be posting till December for the Readers of this blog.

Lucca Comics 2009 Slideshow

2009-11-10T23:56:00.002+01:00

Dances begin. The Launch of my Artbook...

Drawing in front of screaming fans

Rick Berry

Ciruelo

Me and Charles Vess
With the DigiPainter Francesca Resta,
Owner of The 4th Avenue Café
Me and Lucio Parrillo (launching another Art of)
in the hall of 'La Luna(The Moon)' Hotel

With my Publishers' troupe

Me and Donato Giancola at Lucca Comics 2009

2009-11-10T23:06:00.003+01:00

Donato Giancola during a furious signing session Both escaping from our sponsors...

Donato Giancola Exhibit at Palazzo Ducale, Lucca (Italy)
Two Live Performances by Donato in the Games Area

The Art of Maurizio Manzieri - The Book!!!

2009-11-03T22:14:00.006+01:00

Publisher: Pavesio
Size: cm 23,7 x 32 - Pages: 64 full-color /SC
Multilingual: French, Italian, English, Spanish
Price: EUR 15,99
ISBN: 978-88-6233-016-9

STORE LINK: click here --- SAMPLE PAGES: click here

THE ART OF MAURIZIO MANZIERI

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT --- I'm immensely pleased to announce my first artbook, my first collection of artworks, including the Very Best among my professional publications from 1995 till 2010 and going to be distributed in United States and Europe through Diamond. Here is the direct link to my French and Italian publisher, just to be sure you don't miss my first collection of artworks!!! Isn't this a Christmas treat? Yalahiiiii!!!!!! Time to celebrate this milestone, my friends and fans. Thanks to everyone who allowed this to become reality! :-)))

Preface by:

- Marco Patrito (Artist)

'Blurbs' inside by:

- Gordon Van Gelder (F&SF)
- Robert Sawyer
- Alastair Reynolds
- Greg Bear
- Alan Dean Foster
- Roberta MacAvoy

More news to follow with pictures about the Italian launch of the book, just presented at Lucca Comics & Games on October 30th!

Bone and Juwel Creatures / Final Illo!!!

2009-10-11T23:20:00.002+02:00

Bone and Juwel Creatures by Elizabeth Bear
(Subterranean Press, March 2010) Catalog Link

I've just delivered this cover for the latest novella by Elizabeth Bear, a story I read twice in the same night and that projected me in a vivid and wonderful fantasy world, an alternative Universe between minarets and necromancers. Ebear writes stupendously, a hint could be just the Hugo Awards she's coming piling up year after year...

Being a particularly mean guy, on this assignment I produced two different advanced color roughs. At the end I liked them both myself and I have to admit I made really difficult to decide which one should be the cover to be completed...!

The publisher looked delighted and I was really flattered reading the comments about the cover in the writer's official blog. Yo man, check here what the eBear's fans say about the illo! :-)

IN BETWEEN / Final Cover Art!

2009-08-30T22:17:00.005+02:00

In Between by R.A. MacAvoy
(Subterranean Press, September 2009). Catalog Link

At Subterranean Press were slightly late in their schedule, so when they shipped around the ARCs of this enchanting novella, the proof didn't showcase any Art on the cover. Leona Wisoker wrote in her Green Man Review:

I love getting books from Subterranean Press; while I tend to quibble with their cover art, I am more often than not astonished at the writing within. In this case, however, I can't comment on the cover art -- because I got an Advance Proof without any! I'm hoping that the eventual cover is terrific . . . because this book (all books, yes, but this one more than most) deserves a great cover.

Well, I received the assignment only after this awesome review so you can just imagine the responsibility i felt when such a pearl dropped in front of my eyes!

In Between is a stupendous work marking the return of R. A. MacAvoy, a very talented writer, from a long publishing hiatus. She's the author of wonderful novels like Tea with the Black Dragon, Twisting the Rope, The Book of Kells, and The Lens of the World trilogy.

Art can work itself as a powerful social network! After the publisher showed the final design to Bertie, she replied back: "I'm in complete awe of this. Who's the graphic artist?" There were several mail exchanges with the author - it was my turn to be in awe - and next week I'll be sending to her attention a complimentary print of the artwork, sans lettering... It's the minimum homage to someone inspiring so strongly my dreams...

Thanks, Bertie.

2009 Hugo and Chesley Awards!

2009-08-16T00:26:00.006+02:00

These are all the main artistic awards assigned in Montreal, Canada, during the 67th edition of Worldcon. I followed the ceremonies live on the Twitter screen (see my new diabolic link on the menu at your right) as an editor for Convention Reporter, helped by the reports of my amazing colleague on the field John Picacio (Chesley for Best Paperback Cover)! About Convention Reporter, it's another incredible initiative launched by the unstoppable Cheryl Morgan. Stuck in all the Canadian airport for days - maybe also while I'm writing - she was able to attend myriads of panels, deliver real time news and conquer a well deserved Hugo, as Best Fan Writer. Godspeed, Cheryl, you have all my admiration...!

The mythical Donato Giancola brought home three Awards and maybe I'll be able to express personally my congrats to him when next fall he will attend Lucca Comics here in Italy.

On my front I was defeated by the wonderful cover for Clarkesworld by Matts Minnhagen. Eh, my category was indeed explosive...

Back to hard work now! In a few days I'll post new art! Judges of the next editions, sit tight!!!

HUGO AWARDS

Best Artist

Donato Giancola

Best Fan Artist

Frank Wu

CHESLEY AWARDS

Best Cover Illustration: Hardback Book

Donato Giancola, A Book of Wizards edited by Marvin Kaye (SFBC, April 2008)

Best Cover Illustration: Paperback Book

John Picacio, Fast Forward 2 edited by Lou Anders (Pyr, November 2008)

Best Cover Illustration: Magazine

Matts Minnhagen, Clarkesworld, April 2008

Best Interior Illustration

Donato Giancola, "The Wraith" by J. Robert Lennon (Playboy, November 2008)

Best Color Work: Unpublished

Simon Dominic, The Gift, Digital

Best Monochrome Work: Unpublished

Simon Dominic, The Kraken, Digital

Best Three-Dimensional Art

Vincent Villafranca, The Celestial Itinerant, Bronze

Best Product Illustration

Dan Dos Santos, Hellboy II promotional art, Dark Horse & Universal Pictures

Best Gaming - Related Illustration

Volkan Baga, Stoic Angel, Magic Card, Shards of Alara, WotC

Best Art Director

Lou Anders, Pyr Books

Award for Artistic Achievement

Julie Bell, website

2009 Chesley Award Finalist!

2009-06-27T19:57:00.003+02:00

Maurizio is again a Nominee in the Best Magazine Cover Category, together with John Picacio, Bob Eggleton, David A. Hardy and Matts Minnhagen!

It was pure pleasure to discover that my last cover realized for the F&SF magazine changed its status from suggestion to Nominee in the 2009 Chesley Awards, scheduled to be announced during the next WorldCon in Montreal.

It's the fourth time I jump on the podium and I see the world from the clouds. In 2003 I won in the Best Unpublished Illustration Category, in 2008 and today I've been nominated in the Best Magazine Cover Category and in 2004 I earned a nomination for my contribution at ASFA, the Association of Fantasy and Science Fiction Artists alas the same Association sponsoring the Award..

Check the full list of Nominees here (what a team!) and cross the fingers with me. Well, as my friend Cheryl Morgan keeps saying in her Blog: "Go Italy!" :-)

Maurizio meets Stephan Martiniere- Part 2 of 2

2009-05-02T10:36:00.002+02:00

We continue the journey in the life of Stephan Martiniere, winner of the 2008 Hugo Award as Best Artist in the fantastic field. The article was translated and included in the Issue #56 of the Italian magazine Robot. Enjoy the interview and don't forget to check the first part here:

MM: Your name is so strictly intertwined with magical environments and universes renowned all over the world. Tell us for an example about your collaboration to the Myst saga and its influence in your production…

SM: Working for Myst was a perfect match. Cyan was one of a very few company I was interested in working with at the time. The timing was perfect. I was already a big fan of the Myst universe. Me and Rand Miller, the creator, connected very quickly, I am always drawn to visually expansive and complex universes with rich and dramatic stories, I found myself not only doing concepts and art direction but also participating in the narrative and bringing more mystery to the whole universe.

MM: How is the typical job day of Stephan Martiniere? How do you organize your workday? Are you able to stop and enjoy your pauses, or you are a workaholic?

SM: It took me several years but I am now able to have a good and healthy balance between my work and my private life, I still work a lot but never to a point where it becomes stressful. It was not always the case but I am in a good place now where I can choose the project I want to be involved in.

MM: Last year you won the Hugo Award for the category of Professional Artist. What does this achievement mean to you?

SM: To be honest for many years the Hugo in the Professional Artist category didn’t mean much to me. There were a lot of issues for a long time with the World Science Fiction Society structure. As much as I respect and like some of the
past winners I found it disturbing and upsetting when the same artists kept winning years after years while a great number of other talented artists were overlooked. I was nominated several times in the past and I was willing to decline the award unless the WSFC revised its structure and recognize the works of the broader range of artists. Over the last several years things have started to change. There is now a better process and a
lot of new and talented artists are getting more visibility. In such a
context I was willing to accept the award, and I am glad I won this year... I also believe the process can get even better and to continue to improve it and allow even more visibility for new artists I stepped aside bowing out this year nomination. When all artists can be considered the Hugo will become relevant and even more prestigious.

MM: Irene Gallo, the Art Director for TOR, quotes you often in her Art Department Blog. Are you in touch with colleagues in the everyday life?

SM: Irene Gallo and I are part of a small group of friends and artists. We regularly share our work and offer each other advice and critics. It’s very rewarding and keeps us on our toes. I also keep in touch as much as I can with other colleagues

MM: You are indeed becoming a great source of inspiration to a generation of fans and artists in the fantastic field. Could you list us a few names able to inspire today Stephan Martiniere, and why?

SM: There are so many artists past and present that inspire me it is difficult to pick a few. Walt Disney, Moebius, Franklin, Hergé, Hugo Pratt, Chris Foss, Sead Mead, Bernie Wrightson, John Buscema have been very influencial during my teenage years, later on I would say John Berkey, Leyendecker, Dean Cornwell and so much more. Whether it was their skills, styles, mastery of color or composition sense of storytelling they all brought something to my artistic and personal growth. Then there are architects and visionaries such as Hugh Ferris, Lebbeus Woods, Otto Wagner, Calatrava, Zaha Hadid and film directors including Orson Welles, Kubrick, Ridley Scott, Walt Disney, Tim Burton, James Cameron, Coppola, Fellini, Terry Gilliam, Lucas, Spielberg and then production designers and writers and designers etc, as you can see the list can go on…

MM: We'd like to know your opinion about the health of fantastic illustration in the commercial market. Do you think the international economic crisis is putting in danger the future of artists in the editorial sector?

SM: As I am writing this Random House, Simon and Schuster and Houghton Mifflin/ Harcourt are having some serious problems. Obiously the economic crisis is affecting everyone; a good friend of mine called it the publishocalypse, but I also heard that the SF and fantasy genre is doing well despite the crisis.

See related articles here:

Simon and Schuster

Random House

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

MM: Which is your advice to a young artist? Have you ever met a natural talent? Should an artist follow his heart or should he apply hard on courses and studies?

SM: I would say never give up your dream, keep drawing, painting etc… and keep working hard at it. Through classes, school or whatever allows you to learn more. There is a vast amount of information and resources available today; I wish these resources were available when I was in school. One of the most important advice I would give would be ” know your industry” by that I mean know who you would like to work for and tailor your portfolio accordingly. Show your strength not your weaknesses. It is always better to be good at one thing than try to do too many and be average in all.

Yes, I have met a few natural talents although interestingly they are not the one who survived, I have seen more decent artists that became great from perseverance.

MM: Will the new assignment at ID Software keep you too busy for making new digital painting for personal or editorial purpose?

SM: I still find the time to work on other projects, films or book covers. I always make sure that the schedule are comfortable and I don’t have to deliver yesterday, no rush always means better quality of work and allows me to explore more.

MM: Are you working on new illustrations right now?

SM: Yes, I'm starting a new cover for Tor and doing some concept on a really cool SF movie. I can’t say much but it's epic.

(Dallas, 12/12/2008)

"Angelic" by Kelley Armstrong - Final Cover

2009-04-14T23:20:00.007+02:00

Angelic by Kelley Armstrong
(Subterranean Press, December 2009)

This is my final cover for Angelic, a wonderful novelette by the bestselling-New York Times writer Kelley Armstrong, going to be published on December by Subterranean Press (USA) . The story follows an afterlife mission of the warrior-angel Eve Levine and it's just a facet of the extraordinary and complex Universe developed with the Otherworld series. Painting Eve was really fascinating and it's not a secret that at the moment I'm at work on four B&W interior illustrations (!) going to be evenly spaced through the book. Hard, hard work ahead for your Jedi artist! More previews and updates to follow along the year... enjoy now an exclusive preview of the original illustration (click to enlarge) Usually the editions by Subterranean are gorgeous - especially the limited ones - and they sell out well before hitting the market. If you wish to preorder a copy of the volume, check the dedicated page here.

Here is the Angelic synopsis from the publisher's website:

"As a half-demon master of the dark arts, Eve Levine isn’t what anyone would call angelic. That’s exactly why the Fates chose her for the job. She’s their secret weapon against the forces of evil. However after five years, Eve is tired of being the designated rebel of the angel corps, expected to break the rules, then penalized for it. When the leaderless djinn stage an uprising, Eve sees the perfect chance to get herself fired. As she plunges deeper into the demon world, though, she realizes she’s in danger of losing a lot more than her job."

Maurizio meets Stephan Martiniere - Part 1 of 2

2009-04-06T20:21:00.005+02:00

After John Picacio (2007) and Yours Truly (2008), the Italian Robot magazine appointed Stephan Martiniere as the official cover artist for the year 2009. After the summer the publisher Silvio Sosio asked me to deliver materially the scepter and we caught the opportunity to interview him for Italy. Here is the cleared, integer and extended text of our close encounter, that I'm pleased to share with my Readers. Enjoy the latest interview from this talented voice, recent winner of the 2008 Hugo Award in the Best Artist category!

MM: Stephan, a new chapter in your life has just begun. You have just relocated from Chicago to Dallas taking on the position of Art Director for Rage at ID Software. What about your new job? Are you already focused on new challenges?

SM: A new job always brings new challenges. Rage is a very creative and ambitious project. A lot of the styling and ideas were already established before I jumped on board so one challenge was to catch up and get up to speed with the project. I have a good grasp of the project at this stage and I am very comfortable with my team, the challenge now is to bring my vision into the mix and align my ideas with the initial vision of the game.

MM: What did you left behind?

SM: Some very good friends, a beautiful city, some great hot dogs and all my winter clothes. I don’t mind so much about the clothes, there is something nice about wearing shorts during the winter in Dallas.

MM: Share with us the happiest moments of your career and talk a bit about your background.

SM: On an emotional level without a doubt meeting my wife and the birth of my daughter Madelynn. On a professional level without a doubt meeting my wife and the birth of my daughter Madelynn!

As for my background I was born and grew up in France. At the age of 15 I attended an art school for 4 years in Paris, graduated, then went to an animation school for a two-year program. At the end of the first years I landed my first job which took me to Japan to work as an animator and concept artist on Inspector Gadget. I never came back and didn’t finish the school program. For the next 8 years I found myself traveling between Asia and the States, working on animated series such as Heathcliff, Jayce and The Wheel Warriors, Ghostbusters and others. Then I became a director and continued my career directing shows such as Dinosaucers, Dennis the Menace and lastly Madeline, a musical adaptation of the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans which won a handful of awards including the ACT Award, the Parent's Choice Award , the Humanitas Award and got nominated for an Academy Award.

MM: A promising start-up indeed...

My career took a drastic turn after that. I felt a need to go back to doing concept design and illustration. I got hired to work for a themed park company and spent 2 very creative years designing
rides for several Japanese parks. During that period I started to establish some freelance contacts in other fields like TV and live action. For a brief period after that I returned to animation to direct 4 more Madeline musical adaptations which turned out to be very enjoyable . I directed some animation shows for different companies for a couple of years until I got involved with the 'Where is Waldo' animated series which took me from art director to director to cartoonist for the syndicated comic strip. It was during these 4 years of doing the strips that I established some very solid free lance contacts.

This eventually led me to move out of LA and become a full time freelance artist. One project leading to another, I found myself involved in pretty much every fields in the entertainment industry doing books covers, animations themed parks and working on such films as the Fifth Element, Virus, The Time Machine, I Robot, and the last two Star Wars. I got into the game industry about eight years ago. Starting as a visual design director at Cyan for the game "URU" (Ages Beyond Myst) and Myst 5 then as a visual design director and creative visual director at Midway for Stranglehold, Area51 and several other projects still in development. This led me to my current position as AD at ID.

MM: Was your experience with the movie industry rewarding? How about the interaction of a creative artist inside so terrific projects like I, Robot or Star Wars?

SM: There is always a certain satisfaction to see your work on screen especially when the movie turns out to be good, which is not always the case; there is also a fulfillment when you get to participate in a movie like Star Wars which was so influential in my artist’s life. But in general working for the entertainment industry as an illustrator is not as rewarding as doing book covers in the publishing industry. The main reasons are that in the scale of things, an artist working on a film is but a tiny portion of that film. There is little recognition for the artist and his work. Very often the work is diluted and there is absolutely no control regarding how the work is utilized. Being an illustrator for film or animation is being part of an enormous machine.

An artist also does not own his work and therefore has a lot of difficulties exhibiting his art much less exploiting it. The publishing industry especially in book cover is the exact opposite. In terms of the actual work there isn’t much of a difference between doing concept for a movie, an animated film or a game. There are obviously some technical limitations associated with each medium but doing concept is about ideas. Obviously that same idea will follow different path to completion and will be rendered in different ways based on each field. Animation for example will dictate certain simplicity of execution as opposed to a feature film. All in all as an illustrator I like doing book cover best.

MM: Recently SFSignal asked to several artists a question that we would like to propose again to you: How have digital tools affected the way in which you create your artistic pieces?

SM: Digital has reshaped my career. For many years as a concept artist in the animation industry I was given the task to come up with ideas mostly in the form of sketches, finished black and white drawings or grey scales rendering but very seldom was I allowed to finish these ideas as painting. The pre-production process at the time was such that the art team was divided between background designer, character designer, prop designer, character colorist and background colorist. During all these year I never had the chance to explore painting even less finding a painting style. I was fortunate enough to be there at the beginning of the digital shift. Since I didn’t have a particular technique or style of my own moving into digital was easy and painless, I became very comfortable with Photoshop fairly quickly. Painting digitally allowed me to explore ideas and techniques I don’t think would have been possible traditionally. Working with layers made the process even more enjoyable, in many ways it made me a faster and more efficient artist.

Note: check here for the same reply by other artists, including mine (Source: Mind Meld Archive, SFSignal)

MM: In your opinion, will a 100% digitally created work of art ever be considered a 'masterpiece', able to take its place alongside the current masterpieces realized with traditional tools?

SM: If you define a masterpiece as an outstanding achievement, then I don’t see why not. To me its about the artist skill and imagination not so much about the tool, transitions are always difficult, acceptance takes time but eventually people will recognize it.

Note: The second and last part of the interview will follow next month. Stay tuned!

Manzieri Blog - Chapter 2

2009-03-29T16:55:00.002+02:00

In the past when the word 'hectic' began to flash insistently on my starship monitor displays, I was used to close communications with Planet Earth. Now in this age of global and immediate interaction, unplugging doesn't seem so eaasy... I swear I was hard at work on many multiple projects...

I wish to thank all the nice fans who took their time to write asking for update and news. After a sabbatical pause near the North Pole - no, I didn't met Santa Clause, nor Superman -, I'm back for another ride in the Fantastic Arts!

(above: an Australian fan picks up a few leaflets distributed as soon as news about my departure from the Arctic Polar Circle became official)

MIND MELD: Art in a Digital World

2008-08-31T16:41:00.006+02:00

As a Chesley Nominee, in August I was invited by SFsignal to a MIND MELD round table titled Art in a Digital World. Below you'll find the integer version of my intervention. Check the above link and you'll discover also all the other interesting contributes by John Picacio, Lou Anders, Todd Lockwood, David A. Hardy, Stephan Hickman, Greg Bridges, Ruth Sanderson, Alan M. Clark and Irene Gallo (Irene added herself last-minute in the comments section!).

Q: How have digital tools affected the way in which you create your artistic pieces? Will a 100% digitally created work of art ever be considered a 'masterpiece', able to take its place alongside the current masterpieces?

A: Can a virtual work of art be considered a 'masterpiece' without the existence in the material world of a real canvas? What about artists from traditional school enhancing their productivity by shifting to a drawing tablet? Since the advent of digital technology I've been discussing these issues in many artistic circles. The debate will go on for decades until electronic tools will blend in such a way with traditional methods that they will be fully accepted by future generations.

If you think for a moment about it, prices are dropping and sophisticated equipments are becoming accessible to a wider range of artists. We can take as an example the Cintiq family of Wacom graphic tablets.They allow any artist to draw directly on the flat screen monitor/tablet. Jump to this videoclip about a Cintiq 12UX reviewed by Stephan Dube at CGChannel and you'll understand in a flash what I mean saying that traditional and digital tools are going to blend. A digital tool is nothing without an artist. When you are focused on your vision, it represents just a medium and while you are digi-painting directly on the screen with electronic brushes or airbrushes, you are using your mind, your experience, the teachings of your school... so the digital medium becomes indeed a cyber-extension of your fantasy.
Personally I like to draw my preliminary sketches with conventional pencils - it's a manual legacy - and then move my work to the electronic realm. My illustrations included in the Spectrum collection are expressly indicated as realized with a digital medium, and so are the creations of many other artists. When you browse through the pages of this awesome series showcasing 'The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art', you don't think you are looking at something lower just because it was made with a computer, you feel you're watching awesome expressions of Art... maybe created by artists that just a few years ago were used to paint the same artworks with acrylic colors and brushes.

In 1997 I was invited in Rome to the first international Exhibit of Digital Art together with renowned digital artists coming from all over the world, like Laurence Gartel, Gil Bruvel, Cher Threinen-Pendarvis. My featured illustration, a cover for Interzone titled "Lady of the Year 2800", was printed on a huge high-quality canvas. It was terrific! You couldn't say at first sight it was born as a digital painting. We artists wrote down on the spot a manifesto whose words still sound interesting after twelve years. I'm pleased to report here a few lines:

"The Digitalism is a movement towards the future with a powerful memory of the past...As we approach the new millennium, we are filled with the anticipation of a new global awareness...we do firmly believe and so, strongly state, that the new Art dwells not so much in the artifact that hosts it, but in the concept that molds it... Thanks to technology, our Art, all Art, can be universally enjoyed and eternally preserved... Art, as ever, springs from the mind and the heart of the Artist. Whatever their subject matter, whatever their means to the end, it remains an expansive, personal experience for both the creator and the viewer!"

2008 Chesley Award Nominee!

2008-08-02T14:19:00.004+02:00

I'm a CHESLEY Award finalist in the MAGAZINE category for the illustration Lázaro y Antonio appeared on F&SF (June 2007)! The winners will be announced on August 7th, during the 66th WorldCon.

It's beautiful to be side by side with all my overseas colleagues. On the occasion I wish to thank all the reviewers, artists and fans spurring my Muse with their incredible enthusiasm and emotions, particularly

John Picacio, for his kind words in a recent

Clarkesworld interview

Jason Sanford for being in my Fans Top Ten list
Io9 for their recent shower of love and excellent work in the field (tip by John Joseph Adams at the F&SF Blog)
SFSignal for their continuous plugs -- you are my sf newspaper!

The list would be much longer -- I love you all, people!

Fantasy & Science Fiction: Concept Art/3

2008-07-26T17:42:00.004+02:00

Here are two other sketches I dropped down the pipeline for Gordon Van Gelder during the realization of the original illustration for Five Thrillers, a novelet by Robert Reed. At this point I'm seeing a raised hand in the second row: "Please, tell me..."

Q.) How many sketches have you realized for this particular work?

A.) For this commission I realized six different sketches, each of them with different degrees of impact, all of them strictly connected to the story I had read in advance. Gordon forwarded the manuscript via email once I had confirmed my acceptance of the assignment.

Among the six sketches, there are two/three main versions, followed by secondary concepts with variations/mixing of same elements, color proofs and other tweaking.

Q.) How long did you take to complete this artwork?

A.) Being a fan of Robert Reed, it took:

an evening for reading avidly the story and elaborate a few notes
a further week for the sketches
a small waiting while Gordon showed around my creations and decided the path. This is the hardest moment, you can hear the crunch of parallel Universes splitting...
another week for completing and shipping the illustration.

I think about three weeks from the beginning to the end! ...It's just the organic rhythm of the editorial life. During the pauses - in the middle there were the usual exchanges of ideas, comments and feedback -, I kept working to other assignments...

Portable Graphic Station

2008-07-21T22:21:00.002+02:00

It's coming the time I'll be moving my Studio on the road! In addition to pencils and paper, this year a portable graphic station will be stuffed into my trekking kit!

There's nothing more relaxing than digi-painting under a secular tree! :-)

Fantasy & Science Fiction: Concept Art/2

2008-07-19T09:02:00.006+02:00

Someone asked me what looked like the concept art for Five Thrillers so I'm back with my bag of visual material. I wished the publisher could feel the same emotions of his reader, so I dropped in front of his eyes the usual advanced color sketch. Here it is:

concept art

When this solution was chosen, I kept working each part of the illustration, as you can easily see looking at the detail of my burning starship...

before

after

iPhone Thriller

2008-07-12T09:38:00.006+02:00

Yesterday my publisher Silvio Sosio (Robot magazine) got one of the first iPhone on sale in Italy ! My envy has been mitigated by noting the wallpaper - the illustration "Five Thrillers" - displayed on the coveted mobile...! :-)

below: Silvio Sosio with his new phone

courtesy of S*

Fantasy & Science Fiction: Concept Art/1

2008-07-09T22:18:00.007+02:00

When I sat at my drawing table, full of visions and ideas about the illustration I was going to realize for the novelet Five Thrillers by Robert Reed , I produced more than just a proposal... this is one of the alternative concepts...

Alternative Concept Art for Five Thrillers by Robert Reed

(click to enlarge)

Someone will say now... "What? What is this? A 'proposal'? Another illustration?" . The reply is...

This is not the real thing, it's part of a bundle of alternative concepts I offered to the publisher together with the winner selected for the front page. Apart the character faces and some fingers in the foreground, everything in this concept is a rough color sketch, a ghost canvas. The only purpose is to tell a story with great effect, to create an atmosphere and provide a general idea about spaces and color palette.

I'm sure that in the Multiverse there's a Manzieri Maurizio who has delivered this version of Five Thrillers and an issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction where the above proposal has been published. Maybe these are just rants, maybe only my quantistic mind finding connections with these other realities while painting and fishing ideas for GVG...

Hey, what about that incredible city in the background I was carving on the surface of that asteroid?!? At the end sometimes I complete one of these alternative visions for fun, mostly I go ahead towards new horizons. Multiverse is BIG! :-)

Interviewed on Robot 54!

2008-06-21T18:51:00.002+02:00

ROBOT #54 - Summer 2008 - € 9,90 (in Italian language). Cover artwork by Maurizio Manzieri

Inside interviews with:

Steven Spielberg
Greg Bear
Maurizio Manzieri

Today it's available in Italy the issue#54 of the Robot magazine, edited by Vittorio Curtoni and published in Italy by Delos Books.

The ‘end of the world' on the front cover is the same illustration first appeared on The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (USA, April 2008) for the novelet Five Thrillers by the Hugo-awarded writer Robert Reed.

About the interviews... it seems I've got honorable company! :-)

A Glimpse behind the Curtains

2008-06-16T22:35:00.004+02:00

Here's a photo album including a visual walkthrough of my illustration Underneath It All . Click on the picture - or upon the link just below -, switch off the lights, put on some good music of your choice... and let me guide you along one of my artistic paths...

The Making-of-Underneath-It-All

The brother of my Blog

2008-06-12T22:29:00.003+02:00

All my Italians friends and fans will be pleased to know that I've just opened a twin Blog in Italian language on the major portal dedicated to fantastic literature, Fantascienza.com . Run to bookmark it write now e siate i benvenuti!

Link: http://www.fantascienza.com/blog/mauriziomanzieri/

Feed: http://www.fantascienza.com/blog/mauriziomanzieri/feed

Artist of the Year!

2008-06-09T23:10:00.004+02:00

After the wonderful 2007 with the awesome artworks by my colleague John Picacio, the Wheel turned and the Italian Robot magazine picked up another artist for the year 2008. Here I am!...with a selection of illustrations originally appeared on The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. This the first of three, the cover for the Spring issue...

Technorati Profile

F&SF Magazine - "Five Thrillers" by Robert Reed

2008-02-25T21:50:00.005+01:00

Taaadaaa...!!! Here's my new cover coming out this month on the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction for the original novelet Five Thrillers by Robert Reed (April 2008). Oh, I'm really satisfied how this one turned out...!

INSPIRATION TIPS:

While I was reading this captivating story, I came across a chapter titled The End of the World. Wow, I thought! What an occasion! When will I have another first-hand opportunity to paint the end of the world?

I attacked the blank canvas and the above illustration is very close to my sketch #1.

After a week I dropped to Gordon Van Gelder a series of sketches, all of them tempting, but maybe he was hit by the same feelings and replied: "I've gotten a few opinions and all five of your sketches are well-received, but I think sketch #1 is the one to use. As you say, how often do you get to depict the end of the world?".

I tried to converge a cinematic sense in this one, so you can see that all the borders are slightly motion blurred. To the guy asking from the last row: "Yes, this isn't the end of the world of some distant planet. We are talking about the End of the World of our own Earth". I cannot add much more before beginning to spoiler you. Run to buy the magazine and leave a comment after having read Five Thrillers...! You're welcome!

Last Man Standing 3

2008-01-23T15:05:00.000+01:00

(click on the pics for a larger version)

The ' Big Unveiling' is going on at the ConceptArt.org website. I can finally share the artwork I've been realizing for the massive and awesome competition organized by Cody Tilson: Last Standing Man 3 (theme for the first Round: Underneath it All).

Details

The Chase by Clive Cussler (Putnam)!

2007-10-27T15:31:00.001+02:00

Welcome to my **NEW** cover for the novel THE CHASE by Clive Cussler (hardcover edition, Putnam), coming out on November 6th everywhere in United States. The genre is pure adventure, but as you can see how I try to be always faithful to a diffuse sense of fantastic flavor...

To anyone wishing to know more details about this assignment, check out the dedicated Blog with updates and behind-the-scenes material concerning the artwork! About the Limited Edition Prints, a print run of 50 exemplars has been issued simultaneously with the publication (Cussler Store Link).

Audiobook Edition Link (Booksontape)

Large Print Book (Thorndike)

Alternative Realities - Sketch A or Sketch B?

2007-10-13T19:53:00.001+02:00

One of the dangers for an illustrator is to fall in love with one of his/her concept arts. When you are working for a professional publishing house, it's probable you will be requested to create a few sketches or preliminary concept arts before going ahead with the commission. It's normal. They want you push the boundaries of your fantasy for them and you're going to be paid for something you love so much.

What if the chosen sketch is the one you love the less... ? It takes some experience to paint with an abstract-mode mind. It happened several times at the beginning of my career and I wished secretly that the publisher would choose the proposal 'A' instead of 'B'. This kind of situation is easy to happen with big clients.

F&SF Magazine - Alternative Concept Art
for 'Lázaro y Antonio' by Marta Randall

Q. How can this disturbing dilemma be solved ?

A. Well, once you have been hired, nothing forbids you in forwarding your proposals together with motivations that could influence the jury in a subliminal way. In addition to that, work hard, plunge in the stream and try to realize a series of concepts each one more captivating than the other, so you will not have to suffer too much!

Q. What about the discarded sketches?

A. Forget about them! Time is a harsh tyrant! At most, one day they could end up in a volume dedicated to you Art, couldn't they?

2007 Summer Postcard: Capri!

2007-08-19T20:56:00.000+02:00

Back from an extended exploration to the Italian coasts! Wow, my eyes are still so full of colors and dreaming images!!! Above, it's is a trip with my daughter Simona to the wonderful island of Capri...

Thanks for all the mails and nice messages sent during my absence to me and Vera. I'll catch all the correspondence in a few days. The Digital Arts Studio is open again open for business! :-)

F&SF Magazine - "Lázaro y Antonio" by Marta Randall

2007-06-09T17:48:00.001+02:00

- Composition Rules Tips

Here's my latest cover appeared on the June issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction for an original novelette by Marta Randall entitled Lázaro y Antonio. As you can see confronting the illustration with the magazine, this is a perfect example of partnership between image and type, whereas even the feared bar code doesn't cover relevant parts of the composition. As it always happens the original is much better, but the first impact is what counts...

The best illustrations are the ones which work with or without type. The artwork has to be complete and satisfy aesthetical as well as functional values. Don't think just for an instant that you can draw only the needed spaces. On the contrary, it's important to paint more than the visible surface. I'll try to explain this concept.

Take note that most of my artworks are digital. The forbidden areas in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science graphic layout are recurrent spaces: the upper and colored band, a lateral list of authors/titles and an impressive bar code on the bottom, so all my initial sketches develop along specular diagonals. In this case the character looks north-eastward. Being the artwork something composed on different digital planes - magic Photoshop stuff! - the background was painted separately on a different canvas while the character was glued on it during a subsequent phase. It means that behind the portrayed man there is a painted portion of drawing! All this comes back very useful when you need to move objects in the scene an inch ahead and it's an incredible bonus when your artistic flexibility has to meet the publisher's demands.

The illustration has received a lot of appreciations from my fans, but I think you should find and read the story that inspired my mind and let me dream for a few days another astounding and touching Universe! All the above processes can be compared to a sort of automatic writing. Once you've mastered the basic principles, you can dedicate yourself to the words and open the main door to the Art dwelling in your heart.

Photos from the Opening Day

2007-05-15T23:35:00.000+02:00

Well, it's so strange, isn't it? I 'was' there with all the fans and the guests and I talked with them about my dreams and my paintings. I think it still looks like an interactive cartoon, anyway it's difficult not to be grabbed by the realistic atmosphere of Second Life when you see people clapping to your words or visiting the rooms where the artworks are showcased! Several artists or writers will take a chance presenting their work through this new medium. For an example, George R.R. Martin is going to present his new book Dreamsongs at the Bantam Bookshop in Second Life on May 31!

Oh, if you are looking for me, I'm the man with the smoking and the Harry Potter face! After several try-outs and a bit of help from the organizers, I was able to create something decent just a few hours before the Opening time. Wouldn't you call it a successful avatar? :-)

The Exhibit will be preserved in this location for about a week then all the structure could be moved to a better position in this universe...

Here are two articles about the event published on the newsmagazine Il Corriere della Fantascienza (in Italian language):

http://www.fantascienza.com/magazine/notizie/9395/

http://www.fantascienza.com/magazine/notizie/9417

Invitation to my Second Life SF Exhibit!

2007-05-03T20:04:00.000+02:00

MAURIZIO MANZIERI SF EXHIBIT

You are invited to an unforgettable event in the cyberspace:
my solo science fiction exhibit at the new DELOS BOOKS residence.
Subscribe a FREE account in SECOND LIFE and join the party!

IT'S THE ONLY PLACE WHERE YOU CAN SEE
AN INTEGRAL PREVIEW OF MY BRAND-NEW F&SF COVER
"Làzarus y Antonio" (June 2007)

OPEN DAY, May 7th 9.00 p.m. CET
Region: Xenosaur (212/113/42)
You can teleport here from this link:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Xenosaur/212/113/42/

My EON entry

2007-03-25T12:01:00.000+02:00

The EON contest is over! The winners have swept away everything including my Entry!... This is the initial sketch and the illustration I came up with during this pleasant and enriching experience.

Italia Award 2007 Nominee!

2007-03-06T22:48:00.000+01:00

I'm a nominee in the Italia Award 2007
as Best Professional Illustrator
in the Science Fiction field!

The final results will be announced in Fiuggi (Rome)
on 24 March 2007.

Update after the final results : no crown, this time! :)

Maurizio Meets John Picacio!

2007-02-21T20:44:00.000+01:00

Occasionally my publishers ask for something different from a 'simple' illustration, so I take a brief pause from the canvas for chatting with overseas colleagues. After Michel Whelan and Kynuko Craft, here's another star in the firmament of the fantastic illustrators: John Picacio!
The Article/Gallery - coupled with a striking cover from his vast production - appears in the 50th issue of the Italian Robot magazine coming out just these days. Enjoy!

MM: Talk to us about your recently released art book COVER STORY: THE ART OF JOHN PICACIO. What your fans will find inside the volume? What about your personal feelings when you touched this milestone with your own hands?

JP: I'm really proud of it. It's my first art book, and it means a lot to me to see it on shelves everywhere. It's a 200-page hardcover of the best of my book and magazine work over the last several years. It includes lots of sketches and thoughts about the making of my illustrations. I actually designed the book myself as well, which is unusual for most artists' monographs. There's also an extensive interview in the book, where I talk about process and problem-solving in art. MonkeyBrain Books published the book and I'm glad to see the book selling so well.

MM: You have worked for Del Rey, Penguin, Tor Books, among many publishing houses. Can you tell us about your experience in working with publishing companies and art directors?

JP: I've been very fortunate. I think most of my publishing clients hire me just as much for what's in my head as what comes out of my hands. The best clients recognize that. There's a mutual respect between me and the art directors I work for. I try to make life as easy I can for them by producing the best work I can, and produce it on-schedule. In turn, they tend to give me a lot of space to create. I like the ultimate challenge of producing art that’s true to itself, but doing it in an open, competitive marketplace, and communicating with a smart and sophisticated audience. It’s very challenging, and I think that it’s much more interesting to me than just doing personal paintings for myself and sticking them up on a lonely wall in a gallery. I like challenging audiences with my work. I think I've been treated very well so far.

MM: What is your advice for a talented European artist wishing to enter the American editorial market?

JP: When I first started out, I mailed big postcards to all of the books and magazines I wanted to work with. I sent the cards to their art directors and it helped me get some early work. Even if an artist has a good website, it's a good idea to send out a physical reminder of their art so that art directors can keep it around. Annuals are a good way of getting noticed as well. SPECTRUM is a great one for any artist competing for work in the sf/fantasy field.

MM: Do you think Internet is essential to your business contacts? Do you receive feedback from your website?

I do receive feedback from my site, from both art directors, fans, and collectors. My website has a gallery, with many of my book and magazine covers. I also have a blog that I update frequently with updates about my work. My website is www.johnpicacio.com and my blog is http://johnpicacio.com/blog.html

MM: How do you do a book cover? Tell us about your creation process…

Well, I think the process always starts with reading the book. The book is God to me. I do my best to understand it on its own terms. No matter what though, it’s going to filter through my brain and that’s when interesting connections happen. So I make notes and little sketches, and eventually an image bubbles to the surface. Once that image is approved by the art director, I’ll do a full pencil drawing of the idea, and then I’ll seal the drawing with spray fixative. I then paint all of the darkest areas with black acrylic. Once that’s dry, I’ll do a full greyscale oil painting of the full composition. This is where all of the values of the painting happen. I’ll seal this painting and wait for it to dry. Then I’ll either build up my final color glazes directly onto this painting or I can also go a different direction. I can scan the greyscale painting into the computer. Then I can paint big abstract swatches of color on separate boards and scan those in, and then composite these color swatches over the greyscale painting and these layerings and juxtapositions can create unexpected and powerful results. It’s always a new journey with each new cover. One thing to remember is that this isn’t the only way I work. I’ve been known to do shadowbox assemblages, collages, and many other mixed-media approaches. I don’t limit myself. I try to do what I think best communicates the idea. I would say that I consistently enjoy drawing and painting with traditional media though. The computer is most fun to me when I use it to composite and layer things that I’ve done with my hands.

MM: When you are creating a cover do you use live models or your imagination?

JP: I use both. I think drawing from life helps me imagine in fresh ways. I don't actually paint specifically from live models in my studio, but I'll photograph friends or relatives with very rough photographs to provide a starting point. Sometimes I'll make my own costumes and props to give me more information when I paint. No matter how much or how little reference material I use though, my imagination will always be adding or subtracting visual information to make the best illustration I can.

MM: You have illustrated many book covers and magazines short stories. Can you tell us which illustrations have been the most rewarding?

JP: That's a tough question. There are a few I did in the last year that really stand out for me. I'm proud of the cover for Walter M. Miller Jr.'s classic A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ. It's the cover of the HarperCollins/Eos American trade paperback release. It meant a lot to me to do a cover for a book that's so important that it literally transcends the genre. I did the wraparound cover for Jeffrey Ford's THE EMPIRE OF ICE CREAM, and I like that one a lot because I thought I made some personal breakthroughs in my overall drawing and painting abilities. Even more recently, I did the wraparound cover for an anthology called FAST FORWARD 1. It's a fresh new annual sf anthology that will debut in America from Pyr in spring 2007. I really like the abstractions in that cover, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more of that in my future work. Of course, I'd have to say that I'm still fond of the cover for James Tiptree Jr.'s HER SMOKE ROSE UP FOREVER. That one won the 2005 Chesley Award for Best Paperback Cover.

MM: Have you met any of the writers whose book covers or short stories you have illustrated? Any anecdote you would like to share?

JP: Sure. I usually meet them at the conventions, and it's always good to connect with them. My first cover was for the 30th Anniversary Edition of Michael Moorcock's BEHOLD THE MAN. The editor of the book took me to Mike's house. I asked Mike what he wanted me to illustrate, and he said, "I trust you. You'll do what's best for the book." An amazing gesture, when you think about it. I had never done a book cover to that point and Mike was (and still is) one of the all-time literary legends. He could have used the opportunity to assert his control over what I did, but he put his trust in me, and I've always respected that. It gave me confidence at the time and I've believed in my abilities ever since. It set a tone for my career that continues to this day.

MM: Can you tell us which medium do you feel more comfortable with lately? Has the computer medium had an impact on your way of realizing an artwork?

JP: I think drawing and painting with traditional media will always be what I love the most. I enjoy getting my hands dirty every day, and that will never change. As I said before, I love the conceptual possibilities of the digital world, and it's an important part of some of my work. The main thing is that the elements I bring to the computer are all created by my own hands in the "real world,” and the making of those elements is the most fun part to me.

MM: Do you have any dream about your art that you would like to accomplish? What are your plans for the immediate future?

JP: In many ways, I think I’m living my dream right now. I have the opportunity every day to push the limits of myself and my art, and hopefully sometimes, my audience. It doesn’t get much better than that. I love doing book covers. I’m working on more of them right now. I’m working on a triptych cover for new editions of Jeffrey Ford’s Well-Built City trilogy. It would be fun to do an illustrated book for all ages someday. Right now, I’m about to begin the biggest illustration project of my life. Ballantine Books has just hired me to illustrate the first of their brand-new trade paperback editions of Michael Moorcock’s ELRIC. The first book will release in the USA in late 2007/early 2008, and I’m doing the cover and interior illustrations. Elric is one of the greatest characters in the history of fantasy literature so I’m very honored to be a part of his legacy. Life is good right now!

Expedition to DELOS 100

2007-02-01T15:24:00.000+01:00

My illustration originally created for the story Pictures from an Expedition by Alexander Irvine and published on the cover of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, continues to live and prosper! These days has been published for the first time in Italy as a cover for the issue #100 of Delos, the news magazine published by the major Italian portal dedicated to fantastic literature!

Well, it’s not the same image indeed! I modified it adapting the size to the magazine format… and it came out something fresh completely different! I enjoyed the transformation. It seems now that the photographer holding the camera is more distant from the austronaut. As a consequence, the field of vision looks enlarged, the character more frontal and it’s possible to see much more Martian landscape in the background.

For all the fans, a faithful high-quality Limited Edition Print – 13” x 17” -, signed by the Artist is now available in the Store. I’ve been visiting the Irvine realm and the author has launched an interesting Blog. Rummaging through the posts, I saw another illustration realized for the same story by the talented Patrick Arrasmith gracing the cover of an astounding Alex collection released by Night Shade Books. Alex, that story rocks! And if I remember well there’s a follow-up in the making! ...or is it already out? :)

'Pictures from an Expedition' Bibliography

- THE MAGAZINE OF F&SF, 2003 September, USA

- SPECTRUM #11, Underwood Books, 2004 USA

- DESIGN GRAPHICS, Cover and Portfolio, 2004 AUSTRALIA and USA

- LIMITED PRINT EDITION, Manzieri Store, 2006 ITALY

- DELOS #100, 2007 ITALY

NIGHT PROBE by Clive Cussler

2006-11-23T22:09:00.000+01:00

A new incredible Print joins the Store. Could you miss it?

NIGHT PROBE - signed LIMITED EDITION PRINT of 50 exemplars

I'm full of work and ideas…and a rain of incoming assignments on the horizon. All this is just simply wonderful for my heart of artist. Yes, life is a bit hectic but absolutely wonderful and every day I discover how the power of Art can connect people from the farthest zones of the world.
Among the beatiful happenings permeating this period there's my art cover for the reprinting of NIGHT PROBE by Clive Cussler that has allowed the privilege of a contact with all the clubs dedicated to the fans of this extraordinary writer.

Last week I've been realizing a NIGHT PROBE Limited Edition Print of 50 exemplars, all signed and numbered, size 13" x 19". There are many other works going to be added shortly to the Store, yet this particular artwork is already under attack and I don't know if it will appear on the Store with the word SOLD OUT printed on it. The quality of the output is excellent as ever - see below the snapshot of the proof copy taken during the production phase - and be advised that if you wish to hold one copy for your collection, please contact me immediately through my website for price and shipment details.

Yours,
Maurizio

NIGHT PROBE - Proof Copy

The Making of iKlawa - 4

2006-10-31T23:12:00.000+01:00

...continued from 'The Making of iKlawa Part 3'...

Workflow

We are at the end of this exotic tutorial. As you can see, in the final phase we pass from the rough sketch to a polished and finished illustration. The intermediate step shows an image where the brazier wasn't present. I stopped there, but just for a minute, then I went ahead completing the furniture. At the end the publisher chose the warmer solution on the right (my choice, too!). The only reason for the pause was the dreaded bar code that usually appears on the front of the magazine cover and it needed to put in somewhere...! I spent a few days thinking about the brazier under the bar code, but the final composition respected most of the good spots of the picture... :)

For the Extended Portfolio of the final section,

click on this hyperlink!

To reward the patience of everyone following the chapters of this voyage in Deep Africa here's the full illustration without titles, lettering or bar codes obstructing the visual from the celestial hut of Nokukhanya...

INDEX:

The Making of iKlawa - 1
The Making of iKlawa - 2
The Making of iKlawa - 3
The Making of iKlawa - 4
Extended Portfolio - 1
Extended Portfolio - 2
Extended Portfolio - 3

Maurizio enters the EON Challenge

2006-10-18T17:35:00.000+02:00

The EON CHALLENGE is an illustration contest sponsored by CGSociety and inspired to the science fiction novel EON by Greg Bear (I've read it three times together with the follow-up ETERNITY!!!)

Here's the Express Link to the Maurizio's

EON Challenge Page
-------
May the inspiration be with you!

Captured by the Eon Contest!

2006-10-14T12:44:00.000+02:00

EON, Worlds within Worlds. Another Art Challenge has been launched at The Computer Graphics Society website! And this Contest looks irresistible! First thing, it's a competition based upon the visualization of a science fiction novel by Greg Bear! I've read two times the novel upon which this Contest is based and I can assure you the plot and the environments described there are amazing!

An excerpt from the Guidelines:

Your challenge is to create material for the promotion of a (potential) blockbuster film based on EON, a novel by highly acclaimed writer Greg Bear. Expanded to three categories: Illustration, 3D Scene and Film Trailer, the challenge is to put great words into great pictures using 2D, 3D or video format.

Despite selling thousands of copies and being recognised a sci-fi classic, EON has not yet been visualized for the screen. In this challenge you get to role-play as the creative genius behind the visual interpretation of what could be a blockbuster film. Your mission is to interpret script-to-screen and dream up ways to best portray the story (or parts of it) through visual narrative. Your goal is to convey maximum impact and engagement to the viewer in a very short time.

As a SF Cover Artist and a Greg Bear's fan, I'm going to dive in the competition... just for the fun itself! I don't know personally the writer. By the way, I had a contact with him a few years ago when he wrote a blurb about my Art on the occasion of an international Exhibit of my Artworks:

"Manzieri carries on the grand old tradizion of SF art in the digital domain--a modern Ed Emshwiller, and just as versatile!" (Greg Bear)

Now tell me... shouldn't I be captured by this adventure...? ;-)

The Making of iKlawa - 3

2006-10-10T14:25:00.000+02:00

...continued...

The Making of iKlawa - 1
The Making of iKlawa - 2

Before and After

Here we have Nokukhanya in all her splendour. Magnifying the picture you can see how the illustration changes gradually into something completely different and we pass from a watercolored pencil sketch to a detailed canvas. Usually I spent a great amount of time on the human figures and their garments...

Even for this phase of the work, there's a html page that you can enjoy here:

Extended iKlawa Portfolio

...to be continued

Spectrum 13 is out!

2006-10-06T12:50:00.000+02:00

Maurizio's artworks have been included in Spectrum #6 and #11. One of the selected artworks, "Pictures from an Expedition" is available in the Shop as a high-quality 13"x17" Limited Print Edition in 100 exemplars, signed and numbered by the Author himself.

SPECTRUM 13, the Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, the magnificent volume edited by Cathy and Arnie Fenner, is out! Their scope is to promote the Fantastic Arts and provide an annual showcase for contemporary artists!

Together with the volume, it comes naturally the Call for Entries for Spectrum 14, advertised with a splendid Poster by Brom. On the Spectrum website is already downloadable the precious pdf leaflet with all the instructions for the umpteenth competition. This year the publishers have added a new Category: Concept Art (it concerns works realized between 2004-2006 for films, TV programs, theater and video games).

Deadline for the delivery has been postponed to 26 January, 2007, a good thing considering the Treasure Hunt that some overseas artists enjoyed in the past with the International UPS service during the Christmas Holidays.

At work! If I'm not grabbed by a temporal distortion, I should submit something worthy of the Jurors' attention!

"Pictures from an Expedition" is a cover realized for a story by Alex Irvine (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, September 2003)

The Making of iKlawa - 2

2006-10-02T22:52:00.000+02:00

If you lost The Making of iKlawa - Part 1, jump here

I think it's nice to share the creative process.

You cannot imagine how many simultaneous mental processes there are behind the scenes. The act of creating an illustration is by itself something you cannot teach, it's that subtle subspace feeling where you go looking for ideas, it's that place when you were a child and everything was possible... Fantastic literature is a literature of ideas and my lucky strike was to become a lover of science fiction and fantasy, at the same time I was becoming an illustrator.

OK, as you can see, it was Concept Art #2 to win the Contest!

In this post you can admire Concept Art #4, too (click on it for a larger image). I didn't include #4 in the previous post, because the ballot concerned only the first three proposals. All of them may be reviewed in a better format and presentation visiting the following address, the same document I showed to the publisher originally for scrutiny and analysis.

iKlawa Concept Art Portfolio

I suppose to have enough material in my drawers for an interesting volume about my Art. Although I've been caressing the project with some publishers, it's unnecessary to wait so long! At the moment we can meet each other in this delicious space.

...to be continued

Plug on Locus Online!

2006-10-01T11:18:00.000+02:00

My brand-new Blog has just been added to Locus Online, the incredible outpost for Locus magazine in the World Wide Web administered by Mark R. Kelly . Welcome to all the sailors coming here from that way.

If you wish to taste my sense of wonder and follow my path, in this space you’ll be discovering previews of the artistic mosaic of my life plus snapshots from unknown Universes. Mostly I'll let images speak for myself: sketches, concept art, new covers...

Welcome to all and enjoy my dreams!

The Making of iKlawa - 1

2006-09-30T20:13:00.000+02:00

A cover for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (USA)

When I'm fully immersed in an assignment, I often come out at some stage of the production with concept art layouts so well defined that they can be exchanged for the real thing. This is just an expedient to show the publisher what the final output will be.

For an example, here we have some ideas for an illustration commissioned by Gordon Van Gelder ( The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction) for the April 2006 issue cover . If you look quickly at these pictures as they appear in the blog, at a first glance they could seem a series of finished pieces, but take your time and click upon them. You'll see what we truly get during this round: just a pencil sketch mixed to a quick water-colored background!

concept art #1

The name for this Art Project had to be iKlawa, a word meaning spear in the Zulu idiom and its creation was intertwined to a novelet by the new fantastic author Donald Mead. If you wish to know something more about him - I wasn't able to find an official website - go checking immediately the radiant interview realized by The Slush God aka F&SF Assistant Editor aka John Joseph Adams. About the suggestive story, it was a blend of history and fantasy taking us into Zulu territory during the days of British colonial expansion. The reading was really superb. I put all my efforts trying to conjure up the magic atmosphere permeating the text.

As you can imagine, beyond the subject itself the real challenge behind a historical piece is that you cannot cheat anyone making up fantasy costumes and pretending they are the original stuff! Firstly, the author is the researcher Number One, then there will always be someone pointing the finger and saying 'Ehi, but...that gown is Swahili, not Zulu!' Out there there's a crowd of experts!

... and I did a lot of research here... You can bet on it. Anything you see in the drawings is one hundred percent Zulu native! The second sketch was simply a variant where Nokukhanya, the main character, sits inside a magic circle while the God-lizard's eye peers into the hut.

concept art #2

Along the way, a third sketch made his way through my sparkling brain and I fell immediately in love with a new idea. It was a dynamic vision and all the elements of the story were again present: the diviner, the God-lizard, the dream of the sea of blood, the Zulu and British armies going to clash in the background...

concept art #3

When I showed the material, I stopped for a while and I took a deep breath. Gordon said to me: "Well, Maurizio... I like second and third sketch! Both of them! What do we do now? Which one would you like to paint?'

...hmmm...

Yes. Which one? ;-)

to be continued

The First Law of Blogging

2006-09-23T00:28:00.000+02:00

It needs just a single Post to change your life.

Here it begins my diary...!