This past Saturday, the Society of Illustrators hosted Art Out Loud 7. The event consists of multiple live demonstrations by some of the industry’s top pros. This time around, artists Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Donato Giancola, Rick Berry, and Greg Manchess were kind enough to donate their time.
The event was quite fun. The room was packed, with over 100 people in attendance. A lot of friends and professionals roamed the room, as the five artists painted and shared insights. For those who couldn’t make it, here’s a brief recap of what you missed.
Boris was working on a private commission. He came prepared with a completed drawing, toned with acrylic and ready to jump into oils.
For those of you who haven’t seen Boris paint before, it’s pretty incredible. He paint quite fast. Just 20 minutes in to the show, he has a nearly completed background.
Boris then spent the remainder of his time painting the dragon.
After 4 hours, he had completed a large chunk of his painting.
Like Boris, Donato had a drawing already prepared.
He proceeded to tone the drawing loosely using an acrylic wash, and then jumped right into oils.
Donato completed half a figure, and started laying in a face, all the while talking to the audience. He took time to show off his sketch book, and talked about his concepting process. He also brought some original art, and free posters and catalogs for the attendees.
Rick was the only artist to come in without a prepared drawing. Instead, opting to show his experimental approach to picture making. His loose ‘stream of conciousness’ approach allowed him to produce 3 or 4 monochromatic paintings in a short period of time.
A teacher at heart, Rick spent a lot of time talking to his audience, and even went so far as to invite them to paint on top of his work so as to familiarize them with his techniques.
Greg painted a nude, working from a mish-mash of reference. Taking a head from one photo, legs from another, and torso from yet another… bringing them all together into a single beautiful pose.
Precise in his painting, Greg completed the entire piece with time to spare. So he decided to paint a second portrait… and completed that one too!
All in all, it was a really wonderful event. The crowd was enthusiastic, and I feel the intimate atmosphere really encouraged people to ask a lot of questions. I can only assume it was a fantastic learning experience for those who attended (I know it was for me). Of course, a great big thank you goes out to the five artists who made it all happen!
Known for his colorful paintings, most often depicting strong women, Dan's work spans a variety of genres including novels, comics and film. He has worked for clients such as Disney, Universal Studios, Saatchi & Saatchi, Scholastic Books, The Greenwich Workshop, Penguin Books, Random House, Tor books, UpperDeck, Wizards of the Coast, and DC Comics.
Dan has been the recipient of many awards, including the 2007 Jack Gaughan Award for Best Emerging Artist, the Chesley Award winner for Best Paperback Cover of 2007, and Gold and Silver Medals from Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. His illustrations have graced the #1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller list numerous times.
Aside from freelance illustration, Dan also enjoys teaching. He has lectured all over the country at various workshops, and is the founder of Muddy Colors. He currently resides in Greensboro, NC where he lives with his Wife and two sons.
Great post, thanks for the recap and the photos. I'm kind of in love with that single, loaded brushstroke for the hard edge on the upper lip of Manchess' nude.
I'm kicking myself for not being able to make this. Thanks for posting so many awesome pictures, I love seeing as much of these events as possible when I can't be there in person.
Wow…. thanks so much for this recap. It looked amazing!!! It just helps me feel closer to my favorite artists that are so far away! (includes you, too Dan) It's just great to see all of you be such good friends over the years and keep such a great community feeling. Awesome share.
What a night! Seems like a tremendous success and all of the artists did a spectacular job with their demos. The imagination and talent they all have is breathtaking!
Amazing job to all! The entire night was fantastic. Highlight of the night however was watching Greg paint McCartney from start to finish. Absolutely divine.
Boris, I'd like to see that painting completed someday. I'm a bit of a sucker for orange and blue colors at times.
Greg, seeing you done a Beatles painting brings back the fond memory when I first witnessed your skills painting John Lennon. I love the textures and the directions of the brush strokes.
This was an amazing event. I felt so inspired having watched all the artists at work for 4 hours. Boris was crazy fast with his painting. More often then not, if you turned your head away for a second you'd miss him paint an entire dragon wing. It was an incredible display of work.
Great post, thanks for the recap and the photos. I'm kind of in love with that single, loaded brushstroke for the hard edge on the upper lip of Manchess' nude.
Such an awesome event…totally would have stayed longer if I could.
Where did this take place at? Looked like a fantastic event with some true legends to learn from.
I'm kicking myself for not being able to make this. Thanks for posting so many awesome pictures, I love seeing as much of these events as possible when I can't be there in person.
Wow…. thanks so much for this recap. It looked amazing!!! It just helps me feel closer to my favorite artists that are so far away! (includes you, too Dan) It's just great to see all of you be such good friends over the years and keep such a great community feeling. Awesome share.
-J
What a night! Seems like a tremendous success and all of the artists did a spectacular job with their demos. The imagination and talent they all have is breathtaking!
Amazing job to all! The entire night was fantastic. Highlight of the night however was watching Greg paint McCartney from start to finish. Absolutely divine.
Oh, that looks like such a fun night:)
Boris, I'd like to see that painting completed someday. I'm a bit of a sucker for orange and blue colors at times.
Greg, seeing you done a Beatles painting brings back the fond memory when I first witnessed your skills painting John Lennon. I love the textures and the directions of the brush strokes.
Oh, I would absolutely love to go to an event like this! Perhaps there will be one in Savannah, Georgia soon?
This was an amazing event. I felt so inspired having watched all the artists at work for 4 hours. Boris was crazy fast with his painting. More often then not, if you turned your head away for a second you'd miss him paint an entire dragon wing. It was an incredible display of work.
if i could be there to see u working and learn some,i promise i'll wash ur brushes and clean ur atelièr !!!