The Art of Maurizio Manzieri

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!

This article appears in my Blog with the consent of the Publisher
© 2007, Delos Books

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...!