Websites Down!

Hey Folks!   I know it's been a very long time, since I've posted on here. I do apologize for that, but I wanted to let you all know that I have chosen not to renew my hosting service with FatCow, and am currently shopping the market for other places to host my website.

In the mean-time, I will be using my blog again!  (... and there was much rejoicing!  yaaaaaaay)  I have some new work that I'll be posting throughout the holiday weekend and can't wait to share all of the things I've down with you, since I last posted on here.


Peace be with you all,

Christopher

CAI 21st Annual Show, tonight!

It's time for the 21st Annual CAI show. In addition to showcasing our member and non-member pieces, we'll have performers, food, and beverages at our May 6th CAI Friday Art Walk opening.

Details:

WHERE:
Bizarre Monkey Studios
985 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO 80204

WHEN:
Show runs Friday May 6th, 6pm-10pm through May 27th
Opening Reception: May 6, 6-10pm
Closing Reception and artwork pick up: May 27th 6-10pm
(artwork may be picked up at the end of the closing reception)

Attendees get to vote for their Top 5 Favorite pieces, on the night of the opening, and awards will go to the pieces which receive the most votes.

RSVP on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141136359293565

Shadowness!

Hey everybody, I'm on Shadowness, now! Not yet as big as DeviantArt, but the format seems to be a little bit more geared toward adults and professionals. Check it out!

Website and Blog Facelift!

I've been spending the last month updating and recreating my website and now it's finally gone live with the new look. I apologize for not posting anything since December, but I've been pretty busy and haven't had too much time to be online for facebook or anything else, really.

So check out the new site and let me know what you think. Thanks!

7th Annual Art Bus Tour- Dec. 3rd Tickets on Sale!

Fine Art + Food on Wheels + Beer + a Bus. What more can you ask for?
Get your retinas and livers ready. The art bus is back and ready to take you on a whirlwind tour through Denver's most talked about galleries and studios. Bring your camera and your wallet! This is one social event that is as fun as it is inspirational. Check out pictures from last years event! Tickets on sale now!

When:
First Friday, December 3, 2010
5:30 - 10 pm

Where:
Meet at TOSA The Other Side Arts
1644 Platte St
Denver, CO 80202

Cost:
Members, FREE seat + $10 for unlimited hops and grape libations
Non-Members, $20 for a seat, unlimited hops and grape libations

Colorado Alliance of Illustrators Holiday Arts Show

November 19th - December 1st

Greetings Fellow Illustrators and Artisans, CAI is proud to announce that we will be having a holiday art sale, this November, at Iris Gregg Studio and Gallery.

Call for Entries: CAI Members and Non-Members are invited to be in this show


Deadline for entry is November 17th at 12 noon.
Members may enter up to 3 pieces for free, and $5 for each additional hanging piece (no charge for bin work) .
Non-Members may enter work for $10/piece
Student entries are $5.00/piece.
An additional $5 fee will be added for any piece that comes in after Nov. 17th.

Work can be submitted to Iris Gregg Gallery at 914 Inca St. Denver, CO 80204.

Please attach to each piece: Name, Contact Info, Title, Medium, Size, and Price and include any necessary payments.

The show will open November 19th and run through December 1st, so encourage your friends and family to come out to the gallery during Black Friday.

http://irisgregg.com/

Easy Glider No. 2 New Bike, different pose.

So, Pinc Tacos asked me if I would revise the Easy Glider pin up and insert a different style of bagger, one that had been customized and belongs to someone that they know. They really like the girl, but wanted to change the bike. Unfortunately, different bike meant that I had to alter the girl's pose a little bit. So far I've got the drawing of the bike and the girl just about rendered, but as you can see they're both completely naked. So as soon as I'm satisfied with the drawing, I'll go in and start blocking in the colors and filling out the details. So I just wanted to share you a quick little process shot of the revision. Enjoy her while she's still naked.

Great Video with me sketching in it!!!

Randall's Quest To See Denver's Best from Art Directors Club Denver on Vimeo.

I was approached by my friends Randall and Lindsay about being in this movie because they wanted an Illustrator to be in it. I think the idea is to show some different aspects of the Art Director's Club of Denver, in promotion for the Annual Show, this year. So we have Screen Printing with Stew and Nicky at Ink Lounge Gallery, Bryce Boyer Photography,Chris Thomas at Ripcord Design, and Myself doing Illustration. So about half-way through the movie you get to see me working on a sketch that I was doing for my original Chrome and Chroma painting. I never ended up making the painting that the sketch was for, since I went with "The Wild One," instead of this idea. But the drawing was based on a motorcycle ride up to Estes Park, and it got me to thinking about doing a series on Motorcycling Across Colorado. I still might do the series but right now I'm more inclined to focus on getting published, again, rather than gallery work. You can also briefly see my motorcycle in the movie, at 5:30 in, right after Randall leaves Herb's. Hope you enjoy the movie!

Here's the Sketch:


The ADCD Annual Show will be Sept. 24th. For more info visit www.ADCD.com.

Plein Air painting in my backyard

If you've ever been to my house, you've probably been in the backyard and saw the great little swing that we have back there that's covered by a grape vine. I've actually been meaning to paint this scene since I moved into this house but haven't, until now, been able to just sit down and do it. I actually spent a couple of days working on this piece, but I signed it with today's date because I feel like I finished it, today.

W.A.S.P Portrait Update

So I was not able to finish the painting of the Women's Airforce Service Pilot (W.A.S.P) in time for the airshow, but I took it anyway. The really exciting thing was that my table at the Airshow was actually right NEXT to two actually WASPs, and was able to show them the painting as it was, unfinished. They couldn't see very well and their hearing was going pretty bad, but they were very honored and appreciative of my sentiments. They signed pictures for many people that came up to the tent, which gave me a little bit of traffic as well.

Since I haven't finished the painting yet, I thought I'd share a couple of process shots to keep everybody interested in what I'm doing and show a little bit of a step-by-step.

So since you've already seen the digital composite, you've got a basic idea of what the finished image will be like. I washed over the drawing with a very diluted burnt umber to just get a whole quick layer over the bare canvas with the drawing over it.



From there I used a rub technique to pull out some highlights, and then went in again with the burnt umber to lay in my darker values and start giving the painting some shape. This is called the underpainting. It allows me to show my basic value and creates a unified base for the rest of the paint to sit on top of.



Now that I have my underpainting down, I can start mixing my palette and getting some color in there. It's important for me to start with the background so that I'm essentially painting in layers from background to foreground. I start with the sky and then work my way down the airplane, which is a Fairchild PT-19. The PT-19 was the plane that the army used to train its pilots during WWII.



The final stage will be, of course to render the girl, and then last but most important, the Fifi logo on her jacket, which is the emblem created by Walt Disney that the WASPs used.

More to come!

COLORADO SPORT AVIATION AIRSHOW Aug. 28-29 2010

AUGUST 28th & 29th, 2010 starting at 8:00am.
Jefferson County Airport (Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport)
11755 Airport Way
Broomfield, CO 80021

I will be doing Caricatures as well as displaying some of my artwork on both days. I'm working on a special painting of a WWII W.A.S.P. (Women's Airforce Service Pilot).

Come by to get a coupon to recieve $20 off any portrait painted in oils.

Thrilling Aerobatics, Afterburners and Pyrotechniques will all be a part of the 2010 Colorado Sport International Air Show. Join Us on Saturday and Sunday for the best and only airshow on the Front Range this summer. Come on Saturday and you will experience the bonus "Twilight Airshow" and CAF's Red, White & Loud Tour concert starring Aaron Tipp.

Saturday Only
5:30 - 7:00 PM - Immediately following the Live Concert

Twilight Air Show Performers

The Evening Begins with our Warbird Spectacular,

See Yak-52's, Nanchang CJ6-A's a T-28, B-25, C-47, P-51, and Other warbirds flying as the show begins.

Then Don Nelson, Gary Rower and Dan Buchanan will perform in the setting sun.

We'll continue into twilight with an exclusive and spectacular performance by our US Military Demo Aircraft.

After the Twilight Air Show stick around for the Barnstormer's Ball.

And just before the evening comes to a close, watch and listen as Neal Darnell and the "Flash Fire" Jet Truck light up the night sky in preparation for the grand finale Fireworks Show

CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFO AND MORE

The Wild One - painting for Chrome and Chroma 3

Apart from my motorcycle pin ups for Pinc Tacos, I wanted to do something that was completely original for the Chrome and Chroma 3 Motorcycle Art show. After I got back from Chicago, I spent a few days researching, sketching, and researching some more about what it was that I wanted to do that would speak to people. At first I was kind of stuck on the idea of making a painting with subtle references to Indian Motorcycles. I did a drawing of an American Indian making smoke signals that look like an Indian Chief Roadmaster. Then I drew a Bison Skull with the Indian logo. Then a couple of drawings of girls in leather jackets with Indian Motorcycle logos. Then I stepped back and realized that the drawings were nice, but ultimately uninspired and not terribly original, like I was just advertising for Indian. So I still wanted to have a painting with a classic feel so I starting looking to some of the things that inspired me to become a motorcyclist. One of those things was a 1953 black and white film called "The Wild One," starring Marlon Brando, about a motorcycle gang that comes in and shakes up a town. Then the leader, Marlon Brando, falls for the Sheriff's daughter and then things start falling apart. So, since I don't want to just remake a picture of Marlon Brando, I did a couple of sketches where I reversed the role and made Brando's character into a female. At first the sketches were overtly sexual with dynamic poses. But then I thought about the character and went with something that was more cool and collected. I wanted a girl that was attractive, tough, and methodical the way a gang leader should be. Here's a side-by-side of my sketch and the picture of Brando that I was working from.

Deuce is Wild Pin Up Final.

So I've finished "Deuce is Wild," and before the final touches, I was asked to switch the redhead with a blonde and to have them doing a burnout on top of that. Is it the safest thing to do? In reality, no. But since they're not real girls and it's not a real situation, it's ok. That's what fantasy art is for, right? Creating and actualizing imaginary and risky situations, like paintings of Greek gods and Jesus walking on water.

Deuces Wild update! Mid-Progress.

Don't know what else to say besides, ALMOST DONE! I'm very excited that I now have 7 followers in the blogging community. Thank you all, very much, for your continued support and interest in my work, it means everything to me. I will have this piece done by the end of this weekend so that I don't have to worry about it when I leave, next week, for Chicago and then Las Vegas. As soon as I get back, all of my time will be spent in preparation for the Chrome and Chroma 3: Motorcycle Art Exhibit at Uhl Studios. If you don't know the info, refer to an older post that I put up, all of the details are there. I've also been asked to show my work at Jay's Bar and Grill. The owner said he's tired of beer signs and bar mirrors, and he really likes my work and thought it would be nice to have it on his walls for everybody to see. So the months of July and August are all going to be about EXPOSURE!!!! Sweet! Okay, enough with my rambling, here's the pretty ladies.

Deuces Wild - New Pinc Tacos Pinup

I'm working on the next pinup for Pinc Tacos t-shirts. After this one, I believe they're going into full production with the 4 motorcycle pinups that I've done, including this one. I am confident enough with the drawing to be able to share it with you all. Everyone was pretty excited about Dyna Doll, the last motorcycle girl, but this one is going to take it another step. More complex bike with a more complex arrangement of figures. Since the bike is a Harley Davidson Softail Deuce, it's only right that I have two awesome girls instead of just one. This custom Deuce belongs to the client. One unexpected element popped up in the last week or so with a request from the client to put an 80-spoke wheel on the front of the bike instead of the 40-spoke that's currently on the actual bike. This pushed the project back a few days and will take a couple of days more once the painting and rendering phase gets around to that part of the bike. The benefit of this, though, is a much more dynamic front-end on the bike and another shiny thing to be able to look at, since the ends of the drag pipes are nearly covered by one of the girls. The girls themselves are subject to change, in the future, but the drawing of the bike is pretty much finalized, unless the client sees something he wants to change. So here's a process shot of the drawing. I'll try to keep them coming as the project rolls on. Also, here's a picture of the actual bike, so you can sort of get an idea of what I'm talking about with the spokes and the pipes.

Chrome & Chroma 3: Motorcycle Art Exhibit

July 30, 2010
Chrome & Chroma 3: Motorcycle Art Exhibit

Uhl Studios - 15801 West Colfax Ave.
Golden, CO 80401
(1/4 Mile West of I-70 on North side of Colfax)
Exhibit starts at 6 pm and goes til around Midnight.

You are invited to the 3rd Annual Chrome & Chroma
Motorcycle Art Exhibit at Uhl Studios presented by
American Throttle (www.americanthrottle.com).
Nine Artists Showing Different Styles of Motorcycle Art:
Christopher Manzanares will be showing his work along with David Uhl, Danial James, Michael Lichter, Ronnie Cramer, Patrick Glenn, Tom Pounders, Scott Jacobs, and Steve Schader.

Musical Guest Emilio Emilio is scheduled to play their
brand of Rock & Blues starting at around 7 pm.
Food and Drink will be served.

Donation at the door to help support "Art Reach".

Motorcycle Art including Paintings, Digital, Drawings, Photography and more • Food and Drink • Vendors (merchandise including Jewelry, Shirts, American Throttle games and more. And of course... Motorcycles (All bikes are welcome).

Dyna Doll Poster and La Fe: Prize Winners!

At long last I've finished the Dyna Wide Glide piece in time for the Colorado Alliance of Illustrators 20th Annual show. and I've affectionately named it "Dyna Doll." The piece took 3rd place out of all of the votes for High 5. My other piece, which was done for a recently released book of poetry, entitled "La Fe': Poetry of a Widow's Spirit," came in 2nd, so I was very happy and pleased with the turnout. Opening night of the show was really incredible and we packed Anam Cara Studio with an estimated 200 people or so. We're really hoping to have as many people for the closing party on June 11th, as well, so If you're reading this, you should definitely come down that night.

Dyna Doll was pretty grueling at the end, there, I lost at least one complete night of sleep and missed my print deadline by 2 days. I even lost feeling in my right thumb from my Wacom pen rubbing the nerves raw at the joint. But, after many revisions, here at long last is the newest Pinc Tacos pin up girl. Here's a couple of versions to check out. One without text and one with all the bells and whistles. You'll notice that the poster version is a little bit lighter. This is due to the fact that the image prints a lot darker and therefore needs to be brought out more in order to sustain its on-screen appearance.



Here's a wraparound picture of the book jacket. The cover image is the one that took 2nd place at the CAI show, without the text on it.

TONIGHT! Breaking Into the Illustrated Children's Book Market

Published Children's Book illustrators and authors talk about how they broke into the industry, what works and doesn't, and offer tips for success in a competitive market via an informative Q&A panel. Panelists include Patrick Loehr, Joyce M. Turley, Jeff Crosby and Shelly Ann Jackson.

In 2007, Patrick Loehr's debut children’s book, Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hot Dog (HarperCollins publishers) was nominated for the Borders Original Voices Award. In 2006 he was named a “Top 40” digital artist by the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art. Loehr has since released a sequel to Mucumber McGee along with a Japanese language edition of the book, and become the department chair of the Art and New Media Design department at the community College of Aurora.

Award winning illustrator Joyce Mihran Turley, specializes in presenting scientifically accurate images of nature with a painterly style and colorful palette. Published by the Grand Canyon Association, Animals Count in Grand Canyon National Park is her latest book release. It introduces young children to the engaging animals and scenery of the park. Joyce's current projects include The Totally Out There Guide to Glacier National Park, a comprehensive illustrated guide to the park for older students, and One Night in the Everglades, a book detailing current research efforts to return the Everglades to a more sustainable condition. Her loon and osprey illustrations are featured in a series of books for children published by Mountain Press Publishing.

When:
Wednesday, Apr 28, 2010, 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM

Where:
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
Tri Boro Building (across from Rotunda) room 102 (AV theatre)
1600 Pierce Street
Lakewood, CO 80214

Fees:
Alliance Members: Free
Non-Member Professional: $10.00
Non-Member Student: $5.00

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

FantasyConstruct.com!

NEW DOMAIN! After kind of a ridiculous run-about way of doing things, I've had to purchase a new hosting package and domain for this site. Now christophermanzanares.com and fantasyconstruct.com are both one and the same. Christophermanzanares.com will take 24-48 hours to reinitiate itself and sink with the new server. Fantasy Construct is the name I use for my blog as well as my Facebook fan page, so I figured that the domain name was the next logical step, it's also easier for people to spell and shorter to type out. Hopefully I won't have this many problems when it comes time to renew, next year! Cheers: to my first successful year online, and for many more to come!

FantasyConstruct.com, click here!

Colorado Alliance of Illustrators 20th Annual Show: The High Five Exhibit

You are invited to come to the 20th Annual Colorado Alliance of Illustrators Exhibit. Attendees on opening night vote for their top 5 favorite pieces. The voting will end around 9 pm and at 9:30 the top 5 pieces of the show
will be announced.

There will be performers, FREE food to snack on, and a lot of great beer generously providedby Del Norte Brewing Company of Denver, CO.

This Event Sponsored By:
Art Director's Club of Denver
AIGA Colorado
Del Norte Brewing Company
and
Anam Cara Living Arts Studio & Gallery

We will also have a Closing Reception with many of the same perks!
WHEN?
June 11 6-10 pm
Art pick-up from
9 - 10 pm

For Artwork Registration or More information Visit:
Colorado Alliance Of Illustrators