Greg Manchess just finished a series of paintings for a non-fiction children’s book, Magallen’s World, due out in July. (Look carefully and you’ll see that the role of Magallen was played by Donato Giancola.) Here is a step-by-step of the scene where Magallen forces the native Filipinos to burn their religious artifacts. Followed by “Navigating the Straits”, “Firing the Cannons”, and a detail progress of Magallen’s comeuppance. Currently, Greg is at work on the sequel to S. M. Stirling's The Sky People for Tor."This rare type of book assignment is especially engaging for me. I like to try to combine historical fact with a grand sense of adventure. History is extremely exciting and I take it as an honorable task to excite kids to appreciate it.
I painted 10 pieces for the book in 5 weeks. I planned it so that every piece would be fun for me to paint. By the time I had gotten to each of the finishes, I saw each one so clearly in my mind that I was able to simply fill it in. I don’t start a piece until I know eactly where I’m going with it. The experimentation is all in the concept stages." -- Greg Manchess