Simone Bianchi Handsigned and Numbered Limited Edition Giclee on Paper and Canvas:"Batman: Face to Face"

Artist:Simone Bianchi
Title:Batman: Face to Face
Image Size:Image Size: 20 7/8" H x 13 5/8" W Print Size: 24 7/8" H x 17 5/8" W
Edition Size: Artist Hansigned and Numbered to 250
Medium: Fine Art Giclee on Paper
About the Artist: Simone Bianchi was born on July 10th in Lucca, where he still lives and works. At the age of fifteen, he publishes humorous comic strips in the daily newspaper "Il Tirreno" and works as a cartoonist and vignettist for several Regional and National publications. A worthy start for a cartoonist destined for success.

1994- After meeting Claudio Castellini, who from that moment on becomes his maestro, mentor and close friend, he draws the first issues of "Nembo" for Phoenix of Bologna, and "Rivan Ryan" for Comic Art of Rome. These are followed by 20 plates of "Brendon", for Sergio Bonelli Editore.

1998- At Lucca Comics Convention he takes part to a group exhibition alongside such greats as Will Eisner, Koe, Andy and Adam Kubert. The international record company Metal Blade commissions to him the cover of the mini CD "Timeless Crime" by Labyrinth. That same year he is appointed by the Accademia di Belle Arti in Carrara to teach a course on "comic techniques" as an assistant to the maestro Ivo Milazzo.

1999- Two publications hit italian newsstands: the cover of the "Fantastici Quattro" by "Wiz" magazine and a one-shot of "Conan il Barbaro" by Marvel Italia. The cover of the Vision Divine band's debut album is voted from hard-metal and hard-rock fans as the second-best artwork of all record albums worldwide. Other covers for record companies: "Sigma" (Athreia Records) and the new Labyrinth record, "Sons of Thunder" (Metal Blade Records). He also becomes a full-time teacher of anatomy applied to comics and illustration at the Scuola Internazionale di Comics in Florence.

2000- His first official portfolio, "Echi" is published; it shows a vast range of works from the previous three years. The book is published by Calvin Edizioni and by the Scuola Internazionale di Comics in Florence.

2001- For "Direct to brain", one of the leading 3-D digital-video production studios in Europe, he works on character design, storyboards, scene design, graphic design and artistic supervision of 3-D modelling.

In November and December, Fantasy Fight Games (a US leader in the production of role-play games) commissions some illustrations for its "Dragonstar" project.

Meanwhile, he paints the new poster for the Scuola Internazionale di Comics in Florence and created the artwork for the new record by Vision Divine ("Send me an angel"- Athreia Records), and takes on a second course at the Accademia di Belle Art in Carrara, teaching in the new illustration section.

2002- For the Pegaso company in Siena, he paints illustrations for the respective Four Elements: Fire, Air, Earth and Water which, in June, the Pegaso sculptors use to create four resin 3D models. During the summer he realizes the cover for his second art-book "The Art of Simone Bianchi" (Vittorio Pavesio Productions), issued for the Lucca comics convention at the end of October (the book is on sale on the publisher's site www.pavesio.com). In the same period (late 2002) he paints five illustrations for the publishing house Eldec in Rome and collaborates again with Direct to Brain for a Coke commercials. Then in December he begins the studies and the preparation sketches for Ego Sum-volume one.

2003- Together with his teaching activity at the Internation Comics School in Florence and the Fine Arts Academy in Carrara and the collaboration with directory Ago Panini in the visualisation of three storyboards for commercials, he spends the whole rest of the year in the making of the 44 colour pages and the cover for the first of the three books that compose the sci-fi saga of Ego Sum.

2004- On January the 16th the first volume (cardboard cover, 44 full-color pages) of Ego Sum is released in France, Canada, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and of course Italy by the Italian publishing company Vittorio Pavesio. Edizioni, (the book is for sale on line, www.pavesio.com) and in Portugal by Vitamina BD.

Attending as a guest the Angouleme comics convention, he receives a great and warm response by the French public and strikes up a sincere friendship with Sal Abbinanti, artist and personal agent of the great Alex Ross: from that moment, he will be Simone's Agent as well; in Fall 2005 Bianchi paints an Atomika Cover.

2005- the second isue of EGO SUM is published and meanwhile Simone draws the DC story in 4 issues SHINING KNIGHT, written by Grant Morrison.

At the Expocartoon Convention in Rome he is rewarded with the Yellow Kid as best Italian Comic artist and writer of the year.

He realizes different covers for DC characters Green Lantern, Batman and Detective Comics and the interior pages of Green Lantern #6, script by Geoff Johns: at the same time he realizes some X-Men unlimited covers for MARVEL. In October his third Art Book "ONIRIKA" is published by Vittorio Pavesio Production and presented to the public at the Lucca Comics Convention, for which he paints the official poster.

2006- In February he signs an Exclusive Contract with MARVEL, Publishing House for which he draws the WOLVERINE issue #50 and some of the following ones. He meanwhile keeps drawing the covers for some DC Green Lantern and Detective Comics issues.