Fantasy Construct

CAI 21st Annual Show, tonight!

2011-05-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-04-25T01:01:00.001-07:00

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!

2011-04-25T00:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-11-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-09-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2010-09-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-07-19T19:00:00.001-07:00

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.

2010-07-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

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

N' YaBass - Duck the Zipper Cover with Font.

2010-04-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here's the first draft of the album cover with text. Wanted to go for a very comic book action hero kind of feel with a little bit of gonzo Ralph Steadman splash, for Duck's Name. Here's what I came up with. I'd post more explanation, but I've got to run out the door.

If you want to hear the album, it's on Sound Cloud
N'YaBass - Duck the Zipper

Portrait Painting - Little Rey

2010-03-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here's an oil portrait that I did as a Christmas present for my cousin Reymundo. The portrait is of his son "Little Rey." I presented the painting to them at Little Rey's birthday party this last weekend. So far as I can tell, the painting was well received. Let's hope that it will be well cared for, as well.

"Little Rey"
11" x 14" Oil on Canvas
©2010 Christopher Manzanares

Duck the Zipper - CD Cover

2010-03-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

So I finally decided, after talking with the DJ, Jesse Gillmore (aka N'YaBass), That I was going to just stick with the theme that I've been developing and do something simple. Here's the outcome. I'm pretty excited about it. A bit of artistic idolatry went into this particular piece, but I knew that I wanted something that was rugged and gritty. So here's the character, Duck the Zipper, holding a Desert Eagle. This is the gun that Jesse said he liked the most. I also figured that if he was going to be a motorcycle hero that he'd need to be able to shoot with his left hand so that he could still control the throttle. Overall, I think it turned out pretty awesome. Let's see what the client thinks.

If you want to hear the album, it's on Sound Cloud
N'YaBass - Duck the Zipper

Dyna Wide Glide: back end Modification

2010-03-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

Due to a request from my client, I've brought down the back end of the bike and dropped the fender over the back tire about 3 inches (based on the amount of space between the tire and the fender.) So now the fender is just barely hovering over the back tire. The modification is pretty subtle but you can see the difference best if you're looking at the left rear blinker and the chain. This gives the back end a little bit more of a tapering aero-dynamic feeling rather than being so high off of the ground.

Dyna Wide Glide - Process update!

2010-03-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share where I am with the Dyna pin up. Haven't exactly gotten the go-ahead from the t-shirt printer, they seem to be stuck with color separation on the taillights of Easy Glider, which features a Harley Road Glide. They're telling me that there are too many different types of red inside the taillight and they can't print it properly, or something. I don't know, sounds kind of bogus to me, if they can print pictures onto a t-shirt from some crappy stand inside of a mall, why can't these guys figure out how to do it, as well? Either way, I'm getting back in gear and just going to work on this piece until it's finished. Then we can work out the problems later on.

With this piece I'm finding out the kick-ass foot gear is essential for female riders and a good picture. So I did some research and came up with some sweet looking boots for our sexy Dyna girl to be wearing. I also threw in some fingerless gloves to match and get an all-around bad ass feel to the whole thing. I was also asked to remove the left mirror, since that's what's planned for the actual bike that's being used in the painting. If you look at the last process shot and compare, you'll notice the difference.

In Memorium: My Dear Brother Jose David Manzanares

2010-02-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

Today, I remember the life of my eldest and firstborn son of my family, Jose David Manzanares aka 'Create', who was born on this day, February 18, 1980. He would have been 30 years old, today, but tragically died from a gunshot wound five years ago, Sept. 25. In many ways, I feel that I knew my brother very little. We'd grown up, together, but there was always a distance and misunderstanding between us that never fostered the closeness that sibling have, even in their rivalry.

It was only in the year before his death that I believe he was trying to reach out to me, as if there was a certain premonition that we should reconnect before it was too late. It was around may of that year when he began coming over to my apartment so that I could show him how to use Adobe Photoshop to come up with a design for a flyer. The flyer would announce some grand Halloween party that he was planning, which never came to fruition. It was strange for me to give the key to my home to my older brother, under suspicion that he might bring people over, or do something illegal on my premises. But I felt that it would be better to extend my hand rather than draw it away, and I opened myself to the possibility that he and I might finally have something that will allow us to bond.
I remember him inviting me a few times to go out to some activity or another. One particular time it was when we were all gathered at my grandfather Anselmo's house, and he invited us to go bowling. I think that I had plans with my girlfriend, Miranda, at the time. I'll never remember what happened the rest of the night, but I do remember looking at him when he invited me, and then watching him leave the house to go bowling. That was the last time that he had invited me to do anything, and I wish that I had gone. Miranda and I aren't together, anymore, and I missed the opportunity to create a better memory of that night. If you ever get the chance to spend time with your family, it will always be more important than anything else, that's what I've learned.

I did get on more opportunity to do something with my brother, though, and it's a day that I'll never forget. My mom's family was all gathered in the backyard of my grandfather Joe's house and we had set up a game of Croquet. The yard is exceptionally large and includes a small brickwall that separates two different levels of the yard on one side. We played all around the yard, and had wickets set up on both levels, this made out to be the longest and most challenging game of Croquet that I'd ever played before. I had the black ball and mallet, of course. The big yard made it possible to send someone else's ball flying to the other side of the course, if you so pleased. This was the last great memory that I had of my big brother.

In closing I'd like to offer this poem by William Wordsworth. The poem was written for William Wordsworth's brother, John Wordsworth, "COMMANDER OF THE E. I. COMPANY'S SHIP THE EARL OF ABERGAVENNY IN WHICH HE PERISHED BY CALAMITOUS SHIPWRECK, FEB. 6, 1805." That's 205 years ago, this month, and the feelings and the feelings are still the same.

Composed near the Mountain track that leads from Grasmere through Grisdale Hawes, where it descends towards Paterdale.

"Here did we stop; and here looked round,
While each into himself descends."

The point is two or three yards below the outlet of Grisdale tarn, on a foot-road by which a horse may pass to Paterdale--a ridge of Helvellyn on the left, and the summit of Fairfield on the right.

I

THE Sheep-boy whistled loud, and lo!
That instant, startled by the shock,
The Buzzard mounted from the rock
Deliberate and slow:
Lord of the air, he took his flight;
Oh! could he on that woeful night
Have lent his wing, my Brother dear,
For one poor moment's space to Thee,
And all who struggled with the Sea,
When safety was so near.

II

Thus in the weakness of my heart
I spoke (but let that pang be still)
When rising from the rock at will,
I saw the Bird depart.
And let me calmly bless the Power
That meets me in this unknown Flower.
Affecting type of him I mourn!
With calmness suffer and believe,
And grieve, and know that I must grieve,
Not cheerless, though forlorn.

III

Here did we stop; and here looked round
While each into himself descends,
For that last thought of parting Friends
That is not to be found.
Hidden was Grasmere Vale from sight,
Our home and his, his heart's delight,
His quiet heart's selected home.
But time before him melts away,
And he hath feeling of a day
Of blessedness to come.

IV

Full soon in sorrow did I weep,
Taught that the mutual hope was dust,
In sorrow, but for higher trust,
How miserably deep!
All vanished in a single word,
A breath, a sound, and scarcely heard:
Sea--Ship--drowned--Shipwreck--so it came,
The meek, the brave, the good, was gone;
He who had been our living John
Was nothing but a name.

V

That was indeed a parting! oh,
Glad am I, glad that it is past;
For there were some on whom it cast
Unutterable woe.
But they as well as I have gains;--
From many a humble source, to pains
Like these, there comes a mild release;
Even here I feel it, even this Plant
Is in its beauty ministrant
To comfort and to peace.

VI

He would have loved thy modest grace,
Meek Flower! To Him I would have said,
"It grows upon its native bed
Beside our Parting-place;
There, cleaving to the ground, it lies
With multitude of purple eyes,
Spangling a cushion green like moss;
But we will see it, joyful tide!
Some day, to see it in its pride,
The mountain will we cross."

VII

--Brother and Friend, if verse of mine
Have power to make thy virtues known,
Here let a monumental Stone
Stand--sacred as a Shrine;
And to the few who pass this way,
Traveller or Shepherd, let it say,
Long as these mighty rocks endure,--
Oh do not Thou too fondly brood,
Although deserving of all good,
On any earthly hope, however pure!

----------
Brother and Friend, Happy 30th Birthday!
Love,
Chris

Dyna Wide Glide - Pinc Tacos pinup #6

2010-02-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

Well, it was bound to happen; The guys at Pinc Tacos liked the American Ironhorse pin up "One Hot Burnout," so much that they now want to get their own bikes put into a picture with a very attractive young model. This one focuses around a 96 cubic inch Dyna Wide Glide. He just got a new seat put on made of Ostrich leather from a company called Bitchin' Stitchin' here in Denver. So, naturally, we both felt that it was best to put a redhead on the bike, seeing as how the bike is a dark maroon with bright red pinstriping, very similar to the deep gooseberry paint on my 1500 Vulcan Drifter. So here's a process shot of where I'm at before I start really tightening things up and making it shine. I'm also in the process of redoing the Pinc Tacos neon sign so that it looks more like an actual gas tube neon sign. More to come.

Duck The Zipper - New Sketches!

2010-02-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

I've been having some fun doing more thumbnails and half-assed sketches of this character. I haven't quite figured out his story, yet. I'm sort of thinking he's kind of this gear-head superhero who's a mechanic during the day and a vigilante at night. Kind of an amalgam of Ghost Rider, Punisher, Batman, the Crow, Spawn and probably some other of my favorite heroes. I guess I should probably talk to DJ N'YABASS about the ideas for a story. I'm listening to Duck the Zipper, right now. You can find the whole album on Soundcloud.com
N'YABASS - Duck The Zipper
N'YABASS described the album as the emotions inside the head of Duck the Zipper. There's definitely a bit of narration in the album from start to finish. It all wraps up with some sad love-songy kind of longing for a girl, so next I'm going to try to maybe throw in a female character and see how that evolves.

Duck The Zipper - aka Merganser aka Morgue the Zipper

2010-01-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

So I've been fiddling around all day with this Duck idea, and I've come up with some strange and interesting solutions that have very little to do with the DJ's initial idea. I just kind of let myself go in any old direction that my pencil felt like and this is where I ended up. The first series was what you might expect to see, an anthropomorphic duck creature thrown into a zoot suit for good measure. But as I started doing my thumbnails and getting some action out of the bird, I began thinking to myself, "What if the bird is a symbol, Like BATMAN! So instead of being a bird, the character just has bird-like equipment and he's actually more of a Kick-ass superhero type of character. So what kind of equipment would make him cool, birdlike, and stealthy? How about a wicked looking bird helmet! I know, right? that's what I said. Freakin Sweet! So I sketched it out and then decided to do a full body character study and colored it up a bit in photoshop. These probably aren't sketches that will stick around for the final draft, but process is as process does and I just wanted to show you all what kind of fun you can have with a pencil.

Duck the Zipper - A Hooded Merganser

2010-01-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

My brother Jesse is a DJ who goes by the name N'YaBass. He's on the verge of putting out his first Album entitled "Duck the Zipper" about the emotions of his own fictional character of the same name. We had a discussion about the character and he asked me what ideas I had and if I would create an image that he could use for his Album Cover. The first thing that I thought of when I heard "duck" was that I definitely don't want to make yet another Daffy, Donald, or even Howard rip off. So I told Jesse that we need a new distinctive duck like a Wood Duck or a Merganser. He hadn't heard of a Wood Duck and thought that I literally meant a duck carved out of wood. I described the birds to him and he said "Cool." So I've been stewing over this for a night and I started working on some thumbnails and some other sketches of ducks. I had a list of other ducks including the Harlequin Duck, the Bufflehead, and the Barrow's Goldeneye. All very distinctive and ornate waterfowl in their own right, but I decided that the Hooded Merganser was the way to go. I saw many Common Merganser when I was in Alaska, last summer and remembered how much my grandmother really got excited when they came around the cabin.

A little info on the Hooded Merganser: The Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is the smallest of the three merganser species occurring in North America. Male hooded mergansers have a large white crest surrounded by black. The top of the head, neck and back are all black, and the chest, breast and belly are white. Wavy black lines can be seen on the tawny sides and flanks. The hindback, rump and tail are dark brown. The long, narrow, serrated bill is black. The iris is bright yellow and the legs and feet are dull yellow.

These ducks feed by diving and swimming under water to collect small fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects.

I Liked this picture because all of the rest of the pictures were really nice and fluffy. This one shows the true and terrible nature of the savage male Merganser, preying upon this helpless crustacean. HAHAHAA!

Drifter update #4!

2010-01-20T22:17:00.000-08:00

So I've been working like crazy trying to get this piece ready for the show on Friday. Which means that it needs to be printed, framed, and at the The Great Frame Up before tomorrow night! OUCH! That's a tight deadline. But I decided that the front end of the motorcycle was looking a little sad and needed some beefier forks and such. The tires were looking a little wonky, too, so I've fixed those. Really just tightening things down, now, and getting the drawing really solid before I start really rendering everything in great detail. We'll all just cross our fingers and hope that I can get this thing polished up in time. If there's anything I'm missing that looks a little weird, I'm totally open to critique, right now. Thanks!

High Plains Drifter Pin Update! process #3

2010-01-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty busy getting things ready for my show on Friday night at The Big Frame Up in Littleton. So I'm really getting in gear to bust out this last pinup so that I can have it ready to hang before Friday Night. Here's just a quick process shot of where I am, I'll have a more refined version to post, tomorrow, but I just wanted to show you that I'm still working and revising.

High Plains Drifter - Process update 2

2010-01-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

I'm playing around a little with different hats. I tried a straw cowgirl hat and didn't like it, so in sticking with the Man with No Name theme, I gave her an Eastwood hat. Not sure if I like it brown, but I'm going with it, for now. I haven't tucked all of her hair in, yet, because I might get rid of the hat completely in the future. So here's a little bit more rendering on the skin and face, haven't gotten too much into the bike yet, but I'll get there soon enough. I'm just glad that my Kawasaki Drifter 1500 doesn't have too much chrome. The American Ironhorse Chopper took a long-ass time because of having to render all of that chrome. I recently found out that my buddy Eric has an 800 Drifter, so now I'm getting ideas of doing a piece with two girls and two Drifters.

High Plains Drifter Pinup

2010-01-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

Howdy Fans, Working on something that is very close to my black little heart... My OWN BIKE! Freakin Sweet! After nearly a month long Holiday away from pinups I'm back on track and this time I'm using my very own 1999 VN1500-J Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter. That's 1500cc's of fuel-injected, shaft-driven, two-wheeled rolling classic beauty with all the classic flavors of a '47 Indian Chief but all the kick-ass power and performance of the 21st century. This will also be the first pinup in a line that will be exclusively designed for print on tons of novelty items from buttons to posters, coffee mugs, sweatshirts, and whatever else is available to print on. This is still in the early stages, obviously, but I thought I'd post a quick process shot to show you that I haven't been entirely sedentary since my last post. My bike currently has Vance and Hines pipes on it, but I still have the original 2 into 1 Fishtail pipe, as well and I thought that the original pipes have a nice classic look to them that I wanted to preserve in the painting.

The Burial of Mr. Sweeney Todd

2009-12-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

Today, this 16th day of December, Two-thousand nine, we remember the life of a very beloved Crown-tailed Betta fish, Mr. Sweeney Todd. He was the most daring and fierce Betta fish that I've had the privilege of owning, thus far, and lived a good life in a spacious 2-gallon tank. He'd swam around great reefs, plant life, and even a sunken Man 'o War battleship, during his lifetime and blew great joyful bubble nests when he wasn't flaring up his gills at his fellow Betta. In attendance of his funeral was his beloved owner Christopher Manzanares, his friends Kristiana Miller, Mr. Tobias (Toby), and Mr. Poe. Also witnessing the burial of Mr. Todd was Pete the neighboring Black Labrador.

This is the last resting place of Mr. Sweeney Todd. Buried next to his dear friend, Archimedes, who passed away earlier this year from natural causes.

Mr. Sweeney Todd
Brought home early in the year 2008
Passed Away the early in the morning of December 16, 2009
He is estimated to have lived 3-4 years.

I woke up this morning to find Mr. Todd lying fin up in his recovery bowl. He'd been battling with a fierce Swim Bladder Disorder for nearly 2-weeks, and it seems as though his treatment and medication just weren't enough to get him back to health. Unable to swim to the top, except for air, he hadn't eaten anything since his sickness started.

Filled with sorrow, the other Betta couldn't bring themselves to say goodbye to their dearly departed friend.

Toby turned his back to the scene,
and Poe simply hid amongst his plants.

Named after the infamous Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Mr. Sweeney Todd was bold, fiery, and spirited. His colors were fitting to his daring personality, red with black-tipped fins.

We say this to you, Mr. Todd, you shall forever be missed, and though your tank may be occupied by another in the future, you are truly irreplaceable. We love you.

"Life is eternal, and love is immortal,
and death is only a horizon;
and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight."
~Rossiter Worthington Raymond

Pinc Tacos - Board Bunny #1 Final

2009-12-15T22:41:00.001-08:00

I just now realized that I hadn't posted the final draft of the Snowboarder. Pinc Tacos told me that there was something that they didn't like about her face, originally, so I had to go back and redo everything from the neck up.

"Board Bunny #1"
5" x 12" x 300ppi Digital Painting
Adobe Photoshop CS4 w/ Wacom Intuos 3 tablet

Pinc Tacos - Spray the White Poster!

2009-12-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

I've finished the ski bunny. So I wanted to share the image that we all agreed upon. we had some issues with the font, initially, but we came to a satisfying compromise.
Christopher Manzanares
"Spray the White"
9"x12"x300ppi Digital Painting
Adobe Photoshop w/ Wacom Intuos 3 Tablet

One Hot Burnout! Pinc Tacos Poster.

2009-12-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, so now that we've settled on the image, we're throwing in the neon sign and a little bit of flavor text. The text may change or we may throw it out entirely, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'm a huge fan of all things classic, so naturally I chose this very attractive Art Deco font for the flavor text.

Skier Update!

2009-12-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post this quick update on the Pinc Tacos skier. A friend of mine from RMCAD suggested that I try doing a high-key pinup, so that the flesh doesn't look so "Hard." I'm not sure if I've quite achieved it, yet, but it's certainly starting to pop.

Pinc Tacos - Skier Spraying the White!

2009-12-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

So you saw the snowboarder, now here's the skier that I'm working on. This is second draft that I've sent to Pinc Tacos of this pose. Once again, the catch-phrase for this winter series will be "It just feels right to spray the white!"

RMCAD Art Bash 2009

2009-12-02T16:01:00.000-08:00

Come just to look or you can also bid on unique pieces of original artwork created by Yours Truly, selected professional artists, RMCAD faculty, alumni, and students. Proceeds will benefit the Foundation’s student scholarship fund.

More than 140 works of art will be on the block for this annual event and fundraiser. View and bid on the canvases here starting November 23, or see them in-person—they’ll be on display in the Rotunda Pavilion from November 30 - December 5. The event will be capped off with a wine and cheese reception and final live silent auction December 5, from 6 - 9 pm (bidding ends at 8).

WHEN:
Saturday, Dec 5, 2009, 6 - 9:00 PM

WHERE:
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (Rotunda Building)
1600 Pierce St
Lakewood, CO 80214

For more info, visit:
http://www.rmcad.edu/student-life/art-bash-2009-2009-12-05
or
Philip J. Steele Arts Education Foundation

RSVP on Facebook:
CLICK HERE!

This is the piece that I did for the Art Bash. Go and see it Live, it looks much better. It's kind of blown out in this poor photograph.

Christopher Manzanares
"Romancing The Stone"
8"x8" Oil on Canvas

Pinc Tacos - One HOT Burnout! Final (maybe)

2009-12-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, after blood, sweat, tears, and probably the loss of 8 or so pounds, I believe that I'm finished with "One Hot Burnout!" Everything's been polished, contoured, and Turned on, I think I'm ready to stamp my final seal on this one. Of course it's all up to the clients to tell me if there's anything else that they want to see, but I'm guessing that this one's good to go!

Pinc Tacos - S&S Ironhorse Hotties Update!

2009-11-30T15:32:00.000-08:00

With the holiday, last week, I had to take a day off, but I realized just a minute ago that I've neglected to post an update on the Burnout piece for Pinc Tacos. So here's a quick shot of my progress. The girls are nearly done, then it's the headlight and the smoke from the burning rubber, and then Fine'. Take a look at the girls in the meantime. = D

One Hot Burnout - S & S Engine Completed!

2009-11-22T20:32:00.000-08:00

I've finished up with all of the mechanics of the engine and the pipes, So I wanted to just throw it up here and share it with you guys. This is an S&S 45th Anniversary 145 cubic inch high performance V-Twin engine. The engine was first built in 2003 as a tribute to the original founders, George and Marjorie Smith. In addition, it commemorates Harley Davidson’s 100th Anniversary. It was also intended to honor all passionate builders, riders, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts who have helped grow the 100-year evolution of the V-Twin motorcycle market. The 145 Cubic Inch motor is capable of producing over 185 horse-power and 180 ft. lbs. of torque. Very Impressive! I turned off the smoke from the burn-out so that you can better examine the motor.

Pinc Tacos Pinup Update - One Hot Burnout

2009-11-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody, I just wanted to give you another progress shot of "One Hot Burnout." All of this machinery is meticulously time consuming, but I'm trucking along at an even pace listening to a LOT of Meat Loaf. I should have this thing wrapped up this weekend. Then it's on to more snow bunnies!

Pinc Tacos - One Hot Burnout Update

2009-11-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

Just had to post a quick update on the Burnout piece. I've been given the go-ahead for this version, so I thought I'd share the process shot before I start cleaning it up a little bit more.

Spray the White - Pinc Tacos Snowboarder #1

2009-11-10T13:15:00.000-08:00

Here's the final of the Snowboarder.

Digital Painting 5x11x300ppi
Adobe Photoshop CS4
Wacom Intuos 3 Tablet

Pinc Tacos - Spray the White

2009-11-04T23:32:00.000-08:00

Here's The next Pinc Tacos Project that I'm working on. the theme of it is a series of sexy skiers and snowboarders to market up at the resort town novelty shops. The phrase that we're going with is, "It just feels right to spray the white!" Here's the first snowboarder that I've started to develope. Not finished yet, but I thought I'd share a process shot. Done in Photoshop CS4 w/ Wacom Intuos 3 tablet.

One Hot Burnout Update - Pinc Tacos Pinup #3

2009-10-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

You saw the bike, now I've added the babes. I'll continue to refine everything, but here they are, for now.

One Hot Burnout - Pinc Tacos update

2009-10-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the bike I'm working on, for the next pin up. I'm getting a photoshoot together, for this pose, but it's been very difficult to coordinate 3 girls, one bike, and the weather all on one day. I'm really getting ready to tear some hair out of my head, at this point.

When you hit a wall; SGI Daily Encouragement

2009-10-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

This is Soka Gakkai President Daisaku Ikeda's Daily encouragement for October 8th:
"When you encounter a wall, you should tell yourself, 'since there is a wall here, a wide, open expanse must lie on the other side.' Rather than becoming discouraged, know that encountering a wall is proof of the progress that you have made so far. I hope that you will continually advance in your Buddhist practice with this conviction blazing ever more strongly in your heart."

This encouragement really made my mind rest a little bit easier now that I've come to my own wall, where it feels like I've come to an abrupt halt after a long string of success. I know that I can look back at what I've done, and realize that there's something more grand waiting just ahead of me and to not give up with what I'm doing. I hope that this is just as helpful for anyone else who reads this.

One Hot Burnout!

2009-10-01T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here's just a quick snapshot of the next pin up that I'm working on for Pinc Tacos. We decided that redheads always rock, but we needed some other hair color diversity in the mix. This is the approved sketch that I sent to the client.

Easy Glider Final

2009-09-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, the client wanted the text changed a little bit, so here's the final version of "Easy Glider."

Easy Glider
12"x16"x300ppi
Digital Painting
Adobe Photoshop CS4 w/ Wacom Intuos3 Tablet

Easy Glider - Pinc Tacos Pin up #2

2009-09-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Here is the second Pin up girl for the Pinc Tacos t-shirts. Still working with the text, but this is what the back of the t-shirt will look like, more or less. Baggers are getting really popular in the motorcycle world, so I decided to put a girl on a Road Glide, which is where the name "Easy Glider" was derived.

Easy Glider
Digital Painting
12"x12"x300ppi
Adobe Photoshop CS4 w/ Wacom Intuos3 Tablet

Pinc Tacos!

2009-09-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Since I only currently have 1 follower on my blog, I'm hoping that I'll draw some attention with what I'm working on, now (drumroll) ..................................
PINC TACOS! This is the logo that I came up with after several revisions. This logo will be the spearhead for all of the marketing.

I'm on assignment with a couple of guys that do custom .45 work, and now they're out to make a line of apparel. They're heavy into motorcycles and pin ups. Someone handed them my card and called me to do all of the pin up work for their clothing line. The company is called "Pinc Tacos." Basically pin up girls and pink taco bell tacos. It's cheesy and kitsch but that's pin up, right? So I'm pretty excited.
I'll be putting up some more of the stuff that I'm working on, but here's some shots for now.

This was the sketch that I did after hearing the client's ideas.

This was the sketch that I showed the client. He quickly approved, so I moved on to the next step.

Adding Color!

After several revisions, and knowing that the t-shirts would be black, this is the final image that will be printed on the T-Shirts, keep an eye out for them.

La Fe Backcover

2009-09-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the back cover for La Fe: Poetry of a Widow's Spirit
9x12x300ppi Digital Painting
Adobe Photoshop CS4 W/ Wacom Intuos3 Tablet

La Fe digital Final

2009-08-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

Finished the digital painting for the cover of "La Fe."

9"x12" 300ppi
Adobe Photoshop CS4 w/ Wacom Intuos3 Tablet

Back in the Saddle, The Popular Puffin

2009-08-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Alaska, now, and I'm straight back to working and cleaning things up. I got a lot of painting done, while I was in Alaska and managed to sell all three of the paintings that I did, while I was up there. I also did some caricatures at the Funny River Festival. I'll try to get as many pictures up, in a timely fashion, but I have a TON of pictures to sort through and resize for the web. So just be patient. In the meantime, Here's one of the paintings I did:
"The Popular Puffin"

Here was the sketch:

Gone Fishin'!

2009-07-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

I will be leaving for Alaska, tonight, and will not be back until the first week of August. I will be out of range of any technology with the exception of a land line. My cell phone may be out of reach, as well. See you all in August! ~Christopher

Progress 2

2009-07-12T21:50:00.001-07:00

La Fe Start

2009-07-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Starting the sketch of the final image. Working in Photophop CS4 Extended

Lightbox on my blog

2009-07-11T05:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try to add lightbox to my blog so it will be easier to view pictures. I'll get to it later today.

Thumbnail Finals

2009-07-11T04:55:00.000-07:00

These are the two that I'm going to run with and see what I come up with.

New book cover: La Fe by Jeanette Gilmore

2009-07-11T04:02:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to poke in and let everybody know that I'm working on a new book cover for a collection of poetry by Jeanette Gilmore. Here are some thumbnails for you to look at. oooooh thumbnails.... More to come Soon.

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Tonight! 5-8pm - Come to My Grad. Art Exhibition

2009-04-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

Where:
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Phillip Steele Gallery
1600 Pierce St.
Lakewood, CO 80214

When:
Friday, Apr 24, 2009
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM MDT

Because of the terrible weather, the show had to be postponed, I hope that this change will be more convenient for some of you.

This is my very last show as an undergrad and I would be very honored if you would come and see the very best of my work, before I graduate. I've put a lot into this show and I think that you will enjoy it very much. There will be refreshments and drinks served at the gallery and it's sure to be a real bang. I'm sorry for the short notice, but I've been painting painting painting, and getting everything ready for it.

I hope you can make it.
~Christopher

P.S:
You can also view my work at www.christophermanzanares.com
Please send me a message letting me know if you can or can't make it, so I can know who to expect.

Here's a quick process shot of the under-painting for Leda and the Swan. If you want to see the final, you'll have to come to the show = )

Website is ONLINE! - About Me

2009-04-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

I just finished my Bachelor of Fine Art Degree in Illustration at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. If you're interested in attending my Grad. Show or want to follow up with my work more closely please go to my website www.christophermanzanares.com

Website Under Construction

2009-03-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

My Website will be up and running pretty soon. I have all of the designing done and am halfway through with actually building the page for the web. More updates coming soon.

Third Post - Final Test

2009-03-09T13:52:00.001-07:00

Last Test. BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG

Second Blog Test

2009-03-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

Second Blog. Check Check.

First Blog - EVERRRR...

2009-03-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

Test Test Test. Check 1...2...