This year’s Artist Guest of Honor, Donato Giancola, has created over 300 cover art illustrations and has earned a long list of awards almost as impressive as his paintings. Perusing his online gallery is captivating both visually and emotionally. Each of his works, even a deceptively simple depiction of hands, tells a vibrant story. Intricate battle scenes capture not only the struggle for victory but also the desolation and despair of war. Even his robot paintings delve into the heart of human emotions. During the panel “Linking Personal Projects and Commercial Commissions w/GOH!” on Sunday at 2:30PM in Hyatt Grand Hall C, Giancola shared tips on how he developed his style and how he incorporates his own artistic passions into his commissioned artwork.
Although Giancola has been a freelance artist for 33 years, it took him a while to understand why some of his early pieces transcended the others—and how to apply that spark consistently. Through a series of slides, Giancola shared artists’ works that he admires, including Michelangelo’s Pietà, Alan Lee’s landscapes, and Rembrandt’s portraits. “How,” Giancola had wondered, “do I tap into that?” He admits that he felt like throwing one of his early works into Tolkien’s Crack of Doom. It was technically competent, but not great. Yet the same year, he painted something that he felt was exceptional. At first, he couldn’t figure out why they differed so much. Each time he painted, he felt he “was rolling the dice.” But he persevered and used the works of others he admired to inspire and tap into his own creativity and passion.
In his first illustration for Magic: The Gathering, he used his love of hands and how expressive they can be. His creation for the card, which depicted a person trapped in amber being held in the hand of a Wizard, cemented his long relationship with the card-game franchise. Giancola also loves portraiture, so he draws on Rembrandt and Botticelli but gives his own work an updated twist. His depiction of Boromir, reminiscent of the Old Masters, he painted for himself.
Giancola also enjoys painting battle scenes. Many years ago, he was asked to do a cover for Tor. He decided to portray a battle from the book in far more detail than the original request. Although he really wasn’t paid well enough for the amount of time required, the painting resulted in more commissions from Tor.
Although Giancola has no control over how publishers use his artwork on the cover (sometimes they have to chop off potions for the title, he doesn’t care or take that into account in his overall design. He just wants to provide an excellent piece of art. Now, because he took the time to produce what he called those “statement pieces,” he can usually lead commissions in the direction he wants.
He continues to make those statement pieces, though. When asked for a more recent book cover, he chose to portray the battle of Agincourt in mesmerizing detail. In the piece, he said he wanted to depict the chaos and violence of the battlefield, where there are truly no winners or losers, just people lucky enough to survive. The painting is one of his largest works to date at four feet high and seven feet wide. Later, he developed the painting into a triptych, with a portrait of Henry V on the left and a gathering of survivors telling the tale on the right. The final result, which he sold to a private collector, is a massive four feet by fourteen feet.
As an added bit of enjoyment, Giancola often puts himself or his friends, who model for him, into his paintings. In one futuristic cityscape, there’s even a billboard that says “Donato” and depicts a hand in the process of drawing. The artist himself is the small figure near the bottom center handing a portfolio to someone.
In closing, Giancola said, “You have to show people you can do it before they’ll commission you to do it.” When he began his career, he accepted whatever fee was offered, but by investing extra time and effort in his work and producing more than asked, he’s able to leverage that investment to yield dividends in both income and personal satisfaction. You can see Giancola and his amazing works in the Art Show.
