EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 11 © 2015 The Book Palace (96 pages PAGES in Full edition)

2 Donato Giancola Peter Richardson looks at the work of a man whose quest for enlightenment has brought his art to the attention of millions. Despite a list of awards and achievements that would effortlessly gobble up this feature's entire word count, Donato Giancola is a refreshingly grounded and modest guy. He is disarmingly unassuming about a talent and drive that has seen him raise the bar on excellence in the field of fantasy illustration. The knock- on effect of which has been to create a renaissance in the commissioning of fantasy art illustration as well as inspiring a new generation of artists to follow in his wake. His day starts with preparing his two daughters' packed lunches and cycling off with them to their school. By 9.00 am he is in his Brooklyn studio sorting through the daily deluge of emails from fans and professionals, and then by 10.00 am he is finally ready to launch himself into the intense creative process that goes into generating images that have seared their way into the consciousness of art lovers from around the world. He reckons on a clear run of five hours before school pick-ups and various other commitments (that include teaching at the New York School of Visual Arts) begin