It does come from experience and focused practice…all of your life. Just ask me what I think about talent sometime, D. So most times I start with what I know for certain. Most times, it's just how I see it in me wee head, and I have to start with something that establishes the value range. On the left side, I had to establish how light the background colors would be so that I could figure out the right values of the foreground figures running.
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I wanted to paint the extreme darkest dark in the beginning so I could calibrate how to mix the values for the subtle colors against the insane bright fireball values. I start with the main point that makes sense. That's odd….I didn't think about where I started on parts of this, Mjade! Gregory is included in Walt Reed’s latest edition of “The Illustrator in America, 1860-2000.” He lectures frequently at universities and colleges nationwide and gives workshops in painting at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA, and the Illustration Master Class in Amherst, MA. His painting of the Oregon coast was used for the 2009 Oregon Statehood Stamp by the USPS. He has recently finished 10 murals for a traveling exhibition on the Pirate ship, Whydah, for the Nat’l Geographic Society. Howard CONAN stories with over 60 paintings, is due out in 2010. A lavishly illustrated limited edition of Robt. His latest children’s book illustrations narrate the story Cheyenne Medicine Hat about wild mustangs. Manchess’ work has also been recognized in the children’s book market.
His peers at the Society presented him with their highest honor, the coveted Hamilton King Award in 1999, and a year later, the Stephan Dohanos Award. Widely awarded within the industry, Manchess exhibits frequently at the Society of Illustrators in New York. Manchess’ interest in history and his excellent figure work has made his paintings a favorite choice of the National Geographic Society on many occasions, including an expedition down the Fond du Lac river in Canada for the 1996 article David Thomson: The Man Who Measured Canada. There he was able to expand his client work to include covers for Time, Atlantic Monthly, spreads for Playboy, Omni, Newsweek, and Smithsonian, and numerous book covers. His versatility and broad range of interests allowed him to crossover to mainstream illustration. He combined his love for fine art and science fiction and began his freelance career painting for OMNI magazine. A native of Kentucky, he spent two years as a studio illustrator with Hellman Design Associates before striking out on his own in 1979.
Creating a moment that communicates emotionally with the viewer is the essence of Gregory Manchess’ artwork.