Gary Kelley download demo

Massive Black/Conceptart.org is continuing their excellent series of download demos. This time, Gary Kelley oil painting. Not many people are as knowledgeable and eloquent about art as Gary is. This will be a treat to watch.

Order info here.



RELATED:
Gary Kelley, Jim Bennet, and Greg Manchess demo at the Society of Illustrators.

Gary Kelley Demo Download

Massive Black just released a 45 minute Gary Kelley pastel demo. $15.00 for instant download. Check out the preview above. I've seen Gary do a demo at the Society of Illustrators -- he's got a thousand great points to make. I'm looking forward to watching this.

Donato Giancola wins Hamilton King Award!

A huge congrats to Donato Giancola. He has won this year's Society of Illustrators' Hamilton King award for The Golden Rose.

This is a big deal. The Hamilton King Award is technically given to the best painting throughout the SI annual, as judged by past Hamilton King Award winners, but it has also come to signify something of a mid-career achievement award. Past winners include Bernie Fuchs, Leo and Diane Dillon, James McMullan, Mark English, Gary Kelley, Bob Peak....basically a "who's who" of illustration since 1965.

The award ceremony will take place in June in conjunction with the Illustrators Fall of Fame inductions. I'll be sure to post about it here.

Cheers, Donato!

Richard Solomon Group Blog

Richard Solomon Representative Blog.

Richard Solomon, artist rep for Gary Kelley, Mark Summers, Chris Payne, Greg Manchess, Jim Bennet, and many other illustrators considered the best in the business, has started a blog. Sadly, their first entry is about the NYC crane collapse that destroyed their offices.

There was a tremendous amount of artwork lost in the accident, much more tragically, a number of lives were lost. The only saving grace is that it occurred on Saturday, when very few people were in the building. I’ve known Richard and his group for years...had this happened 24 hours earlier, I shudder to think of the loss it would have been.

Society of Illustrators Annual Gala 2008

The Society of Illustrators had their annual gala last Friday. I have to admit, after spending last weekend at Boskone, I was not excited about all the festivities that accompany the Society Gala but despite my best efforts, I had a really great time.

As usual, the weekend started with the Richard Solomon cocktail party on Thursday night. It’s a great way to start saying hellos and catching up with everyone from the following year. Friday night, I met up with Julie Bell, Boris Vallejo, Dan Dos Santos, and Eric Fortune for dinner and then it was off to the opening. It seems like a good show but, typical of openings, I saw very little of it. It is the 50th anniversary of the annual so there was an added bit of buzz in the air — made even made more poignant by being Terry Brown’s last annual gala as director of the Society. Terry has been the director for over 30 and is, to many people, synonymous with it.

The following days were spent with artists at various meals. (I will be eating nothing but broccoli for week to make up for it.) One of the most enjoyable traditions is having a drink (only one, since two would require a bank loan) at the Cafe des Artistes lounge. It's a tiny -- as in “even smaller than my living room” -- bar across the hall from the Christy covered restaurant of the same name. It's a great taste of an older, grander, New York. As it happened, Peter Yarrow was sitting to my left and Rufus Wainwright on my right.

Great conversations were had...I wish I could remember them all better. I know I got to talk to Cathie Bleck for a while and we both agreed about the healing powers of walking through woods and getting dirt on your shoes. Chris Payne was, as always very dedicated to his students, past and present. I was lucky enough to sit across from Mark Summers for a dinner -- I remember laughing a lot and spending time talking about how incredible Michael Deas is. I had a friendly debate with Gary Kelley about the fact that the internet is, in fact, useful for something. I got to talk a bit with Sam Weber and his wife, both medal winners this year. It’s was great to catch up a bit with Chris and Soo Jin Buzelli. Soo Jin asked if I would speak to her SVA class. I said “sure” and then immediately freaked. Typically I speak to classes run by artists -- Soo Jin is one of the most respected art directors around. I've never had to speak in front of anyone that actually knows what I do.

More photos once I catch my breath. It was a great weekend, but now I am really looking forward to being bored in my apartment for a while.

Congrats to Peter de Seve, the chairman of this year’s show. Being the 50th anniversary, he had a lot of pressure to do right by it — and he did.

PHOTOS:
First set:
Julie Bell, Boris Vallejo, Eric Fortune, Dan Dos Santos, and me at dinner.
Scot Brundage, Brad Holland, Peter de Seve.
Dan Dos Santos, Dave Palumbo.
Sam Weber, Jullian Tamaki.

Steve Stroud Richard Solomon, and Mike Mrak.

Peter de Seve talking to Tina Louise, aka Ginger from Gilligan's Island. Go figure.

Various peoples at dinner, which I will update with captions when I have a few extra minutes.s

Society Annual + NYComicCon

Here I am playing blog catch-up. It’s been a crazy bunch of days –- the stars aligned just so and there was an exhausting convergence of New York ComicCon and the Society of Illustrators’ annual gala.

Thursday
The weekend started with Richard Solomon’s annual cocktail party. This year it was held at the Beekman Towers with amazing views of east Manhattan. The party was great fun but as too many of us squeezed into an elevator to leave for dinner we managed to get stuck for a solid half hour. While it would be tough to call the experience fun it was a great crew to be stuck with. Luckily, only one person was truly claustrophobic, the rest of us were laughing for a half hour straight. The Elevator Club included Mark Summers, Gary Kelly, Greg Manchess, Peter de Seve, David Johnson, Barbara McClintock, Murray Kimber, Scott Brundage, Elise, Jim Bennet, and myself.

Friday
The Society’s opening and awards ceremony. The show looks good although, typical of openings, I saw very little of it. The awards are always handled well. The director, Terry Brown, does a nice job of keeping them moving without feeling rushed. James Jean got a medal for one of his Fables covers. Gary Kelly got an medal for his brilliant Black Cat Bone book. (A perfect gift for anyone into the blues and Robert Johnson.) Greg Swearingen got a well earned award for the sweetest Cyrano you ever did see. I’m missing some other awards, but that's what I remember right now. It was great to see and talk to John Jude Palencar, Donato Giancola, Brad Holland, Steve Stroud, Michael Deas, and many others. There are a number of Tor covers in the show but, to be honest, I’m not even sure how many. I’ll get back and take some pictures of the exhibit soon.

Saturday
I was manning the Tor booth at ComicCon with our fabulous publicist Dot Lin. (Dot did all the work, hence, fabulous!) We had a well attended George R. R. Martin signing for Ice Dragon. Other authors and Tor alumni stopped by -- Timothy Zahn, David Keck, Greg Cox. I got to see some artist friends. The convention was much larger and more interesting than last year. Sadly, I missed seeing any panels since the rest of the weekend was completely booked up with activities. Hopefully next year I'll be able to spend more of the weekend there.

Saturday night was a massive dinner with John Jude Palencar, Rick and Wendy Farrell, most of the Elevator Club, and others I never got to speak to. All topped off with the traditional annual visit to the lounge at the Café des’Artise, home of the Howard Chandler Christy murals

Sunday
Richard Solomon once again treated everyone to a lovely send-off breakfast, which was followed by a dinner with those still left in town.

Monday
The whole thing was capped off by a small dinner with Paul Cox. Honestly, being at a table for just three at an intimate Italian restaurant was really a highlight --so nice to talk and actually be heard after so much partying.

And somehow amongst all of this I managed to have a lovely lunch with my mom and my brother’s future in-laws. All in all -- a fun weekend but, boy, am I ready for nothing to do for a while.

PICTURES:

Stuck in the elevator -- Mark Summers, Murray Kimber, and others.

ComicCon floor; David Keck talking to Patrick Nielsen Hayden; George R. R. Martin and fan; Wizards of the Coast art directors, Mary (whose last name I have forgotten) and Jeremy Jarvis, with artists David Hollenbach, Arkady Roytman, and Dave Palumbo.

Sterling Hundely’s award winning painting.

Greg Swearingen gets a medal for Cyrano.

James Jean’s award winning Fables cover

Paul Cox, Greg Manchess and me.

Art Out Loud 4: James Bennett, Gary Kelley, and Greg Manchess

Saturday was our fourth Art Out Loud event at the Society of Illustrators. Each time, Dan Dos Santos, Greg, and I have been getting a little more practiced and a little more relaxed at running these things. This time was no exception -- I could not have hoped for a more enjoyable event. (Plus, my mom was there to help out so, really, what could have gone wrong.)

We had three Hamilton King Award-winning artists, Jim Bennett, Greg Manchess, and Gary Kelley -- each with very different sensibilities -- all doing a painting demo at the same time. All of them are natural teachers. They engaged the audience immediately, and, talked and fielded questions for the entire four hours. Any one of them would have been a great speaker on their own but, I suspect, the decades of friendship between them had a lot to do with the warm and intimate atmosphere in the room.

Jim Bennett worked on a image for a 2008 calendar of his baseball paintings. (Anyone that knows Jim, knows that he's a baseball nut.) In the beginning he focused on the important details -- the lead character's expressions, body language, etc. After that, he worked very loosely and off the cuff. He talked a lot about letting himself make as many "mistakes" as possible, "playing around...watching for good things to happen." Otherwise he said that he'd be bored with the image and, "If I'm bored, than my viewer is going to be bored."

Greg Manchess worked on one of a series of paintings for a new hospital of cardiology. He talked about the importance of value in creating an image, "You can make something any color you want as long as you nail the value." He talked about the importance of good reference, but, that an artist needs to supplement that reference with observation and memory. He mentioned, "You don't get your style, your style gets you." And, "You shouldn't shy away from your influences...they are trying to show you a place you'd like to go." He talked about learning from Gary Kelley and then branching off on his own...while continuing to push himself. "No one is born an artist, it's takes lots of practice and hard work."

Gary Kelley worked in pastels on a alternate (un-chosen) sketch for a wine label. (He graciously donated the painting to the Society Student Scholarship auction to be held December 4th.) Gary also talked a lot about influence and discovery...constantly looking around at situations and artists to inform his work, and, his desire to explore themes in various media -- oils, pastels, monotype, etc. He worked with his fingers as much as he used the actual pastels. He said that a lot of his process is following instinct but, "Instinct isn't about me being who I am, it's about doing a lot of looking and being influenced by the things around me." He stated, "There are no secrets, just years of experience." He spoke a bit about his start as a graphic designer and how that has informed his sense of composition. When speaking about the painting he was working on he said, "I'm looking at this work as a piece of design as much as a picture of something," "I want to retain the feeling that there is still a drawing involved in this piece," and "although I want this to look a little naïve and graphic, there is still something of a Wyeth influence in me that let's me enjoy placing in the details."

All in all, a great event. The crowd was full without being cramped. I was particularly gratified that so many people made a point to let us know what a good time they had. A number of notable artists were in attendance: Peter de Seve, Duglad Stermer, Donato Giancola, Robert Crawford, and others. Two artsit/writers for an online magazine, Resolve40, came to report on it. If I catch that post, I'll update it here.

A huge thanks to Gary, Greg, and Jim for being so giving with their time and knowledge. Thanks, also, to Arkady Roytman, Jinju Wantanabe, Rusty Zimmerman, Mike Sysn, and Garret Campbell-Wilson for, once again, helping out. And, of course, thanks to everyone who came out for the event.

Art Out Loud 3: Donato Giancola and Todd Lockwood

A week ago Saturday we held the third Art Out Loud series of painting demos at the Society of Illustrators. This one featured Donato Giancola painting with oils and Todd Lockwood painting digitally. While many convention panels like to pit digital and traditional painting against each other, we wanted to show how similar they can be.

We had a sold-out crowd of students and artists, including Bruce Jensen and Tristan Elwell. Most came in from the tri-state area but others did come in from Boston, DC, Utah, and Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai (recent Chesley award winners) get the prize for flying in from Hungary just to attend.

Donato painted a science fiction female portrait with a slight fantasy feel to the costuming. Todd recreated a Drizzt cover from the popular R. A. Salvatore series. Both artists came close to finishing the painting, which is remarkable in just four hours. (And not expected in a demo where they spend as much time talking as painting.) We projected the artists working so that it was easy watch both paintings develop at once. They both started with some simple reference and worked their images up from that. I, for one, always appreciate it when profesional artists share their reference. Too many students think they need to pull details out of thin air and that looking at an object is, somehow, cheating...Which is nonsense.

Both Todd and Donato seemed relaxed and said they enjoyed the experience. Donato brought in a bunch of drawings and a painting in progress (Tor's new David Drake novel - more on that soon) and let the audience go through everything while the demo was in progress. After the demo Todd publicly unveiled a new painting to a client that had attended. (It's an amazing poster for a tattoo company. Once the posters go on sale, I'll link to them.)

...All in all, a great time! I'd like to thank Todd and Donato for giving up their time to share their techniques with others. I'm sure they could have utilized that time for working or relaxing with family, instead they gave up their day to give back to the community. I'd also like to thank my tireless co-chair, Dan Dos Santos -- his optimism and my skepticism seems to be the recipe for a well balanced event. And, of course, thanks to Greg for helping out in everything that I volunteer for...without ever complaining.

Photos: The crowd. Todd Lockwood, Todd painting, painting with reference, Todd with Greg and Bruce Jensen looking on. Donato Giancola, Donato projected, painting with reference, nearly done, palette.

For many more photos, check out this thread on Conceptart.org -- scroll down on page three.

Next up, November 11. Art Out Loud 4 with James Bennett, Gary Kelley, and Greg Manchess!

Art Out Loud: Painting Demos

Daniel Dos Santos and I have been hosting as series of painting demos held at the Society of Illustrators called Art Out Loud. Or next two events are scheduled for this Fall.


Two fantasy/science fiction artists with similar sensibilities yet very different mediums. Oil painter Donato Giancola and digital painter Todd Lockwood
Saturday, October 7th • Noon - 4:00
$25.00 students & SoI Members • $35.00 non-members


Three Hamilton King Award-winners, each with a very distinctive style from one another. Jame Bennett, Gary Kelley, Greg Manchess
Saturday, November 11th • Noon - 4:00
$25.00 students & SoI Members • $35.00 non-members

Both events will be held at:
Society of Illustrators
128 East 63rd Street, New York, NY 10021

For tickets contact: 212.838.2560 • info@societyillustrators.org
Space is limited - past events have sold out!