Greg Freres is a renowned pinball artist known for his distinctive cartoonish comic book art style. He established his signature aesthetic on Elvira and the Party Monsters (designed by Dennis Nordman) and continued this style for Nordman's subsequent machines. Beyond the Elvira series, Freres has contributed artwork to multiple Stern pinball titles including The Walking Dead and Williams' Monster Bash.
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Greg Freres was the formative artist for Elvira and the Party Monsters and adopted a cartoonish comic book style used in Nordman's following two machines
Greg Freres adopted a cartoonish comic book art style for Elvira and the Party Monsters and Dennis Nordman's following two machines
Greg Freres retired as Art Director in October 2024
Greg Freres took years to fully embrace computer art technology after initially resisting it, unlike younger artists like Linda Deal and Paul Barker
Legendary pinball artist and former head of Stern Art Department; 46+ year career beginning at Bally in 1978; recently retired
Art director at Stern Pinball; discovered Christopher Franchi for Batman 66 project and coordinates between game designers and artists
Collaborator on art direction and retro aesthetic for The Beatles Pinball. Described as meticulous with art palette and playfield bare-wood design.
Stern art department staff who helped match artwork execution during production
Pinball artist. Created artwork for Phantom/water Phantom (Batman theme). Gene owns original artwork for Phantom and notes 10+ rejected name variations for headglass design.
Retiring from Stern Pinball; credited with bringing Zombie Yeti and modern art standards to Stern
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Greg Freres studied Thomas Blackshear and Drew Struzan artwork to develop realistic character illustration techniques for Star Trek: The Next Generation backglass
Greg Freres was hired at Bally on June 12, 1978, after creating a portfolio in three weeks and being art-directed by Paul Faris to create a backglass sample (Summertime, later developed into Skateball)
Paul Faris deliberately introduced four-color silkscreen printing to pinball backglasses instead of traditional line art, which was instrumental in setting Bally apart from competitors during the 1979-1981 golden era
The Bally art department operated under Paul Faris philosophy of having one artist maintain visual consistency across an entire game (backglass, playfield, cabinet) rather than splitting work among multiple artists
Greg Freres recently retired as head of Stern's Art Department after approximately 46 years in the pinball industry, and attended a retirement party with original Bally colleagues Margaret Hudson, Kevin O'Connor, and Pat McMahon
George Christian, the designer of 8-Ball Deluxe and other Bally games, likely worked very closely with Norm Clark (Bally's head of design) in a highly collaborative design process, though Greg Freres cannot definitively verify this
George Christian, originally from Iran, changed his name to sound more American after becoming a U.S. citizen, choosing 'Christian' as a deliberately strong, contrasting name
The sexualized female imagery prevalent in Bally games during the late 1970s-early 1980s (the 'Bally-nipple era') originated primarily from the art department's creative direction under Paul Faris rather than upper management mandate
Pat McMahon started at Bally around 1981 as an intern fresh out of school and went on to become an artist on games like Fishtails
Stern Pinball under Greg Freres' leadership as Art Department head ushered in a new art golden era with a return to vibrant, illustrated art packages before his recent retirement
Custom typeface and logo design ('lockups') for each Bally game was an integral artistic discipline that required significant creative effort and was largely displaced by modern IP licensing that provides pre-established logos
Greg Freres worked as Stern's art director for 40-50 years
Greg Freres worked in the pinball industry for nearly four decades
Greg Freres served as Stern Pinball's Art Director for nearly twelve years
Greg Freres created iconic artwork for the Elvira trilogy of games
Greg Freres served as artist on all three Elvira games: Party Monsters, Scared Stiff, and Elvira's House of Horrors
Cassandra Peterson requested cheetah print for the 40th anniversary cabinet design
The Elvira 40th anniversary cabinet features purple background and special foil with embossing and matte finish
Party Monsters was conceived as a party-themed game inspired by Cassandra Peterson's historical role as a Coors beer spokesperson
Scared Stiff was initially met with internal resistance at Williams, with staff questioning the value of a second Elvira game
Elvira's House of Horrors was the first Elvira game to feature specifically filmed footage of Cassandra Peterson
Dennis Nordman proposed a third Elvira collaboration via Pinside and received positive community response
Greg Freres met Patrick Stewart at Paramount Studios commissary during Star Trek: The Next Generation licensing work
Greg Freres intended the cabinet front to be Union Jack colors and the tongue to be red, but this was not executed in all production runs
Greg Freres is the artist for Elvira
Greg Freres heads the art department at Stern and is a Hall of Fame pinball artist
Greg Freres has been in the pinball business since 1978
Greg Freres worked at Bally, Williams, Midway, and as a freelancer before joining Stern
Star Wars required collaboration with six additional illustrators beyond the lead artist
Supreme pinball cabinet required white glove handling in the factory due to white cabinet finish
Greg Freres has been at Stern Pinball for almost seven years
Stern created a pinball glossary to educate new licensors on industry terminology
Star Wars pinball required contracting six additional illustrators beyond lead artist Bob Stevlic
Munsters Premium features a black and white grayscale art package with selective color touches
Stern has shifted from digital/Photoshop artwork back to hand-drawn art
Greg Freres (not Christopher Franchi) will create artwork for Elvira 3
Greg Freres cited Roy Parker's Daisy May backglass as inspiration for his Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons backglass work
Medieval Madness playfield development drawings by Greg Freres are featured in the exhibition
Greg Freres created playfield development drawings for Medieval Madness
Greg Freres heads up the art department at Stern Pinball
Greg Freres currently heads Stern Pinball's art department
Greg Freres created the artwork for Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons in collaboration with Dennis Nordman
Greg Freres created Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons with Dennis Nordman and works at Stern Pinball
The game combines Roy Parker and George Molentin pin-up art styles with fruit crate label design aesthetics
Greg Freres has been working in pinball since 1978, when he began his career at Bally Manufacturing
Freres worked continuously at Bally until 2008, staying through the release of the final Bally machine, Revenge from Mars
Freres has designed artwork and helped create over 30 pinball, video and arcade games
Greg Freres expressed interest in working at Stern about five years prior to this hiring (circa 2007)
Legendary pinball designer; panel member for Pat Lawler's Expo 2024 talk
Artist who created the cabinet and backglass artwork for Rolling Stones; discussed design intent vs. execution regarding color scheme
Designer of Wo Nelly pinball game, presented at Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown
Pinball artist; worked with Steve Ritchie on Star Trek: The Next Generation; admits to lying about being Star Trek fan
Artist on Elvira's House of Horrors; also contributed design features
Artist creating hand-drawn artwork and cabinet art for Elvira's House of Horrors signature and limited editions
Master art director at Stern; collaborating with Borg on new game; co-presenting parts discussion Friday 3 p.m.
Young pinball designer; worked in art department with Dave Christensen
Artist on Elvira and the Party Monsters and other System 11 games; guest on previous podcast episodes; used Jim Patla's likeness for game artwork.
Pinball artist credited with spectacular art for Fathom (1980 Bally game); praised by Martin Robbins
Artist confirmed by Dennis Nordman to create artwork for Elvira 3, not Christopher Franchi
Co-designer (with Dennis Nordman) of Whoa Nellie; original hand-built machines toured US shows
Pinball artist; Antoinette's favorite pinball artist; created artwork for Fathom
Pinball artist; created artwork for Scared Stiff (Stern); part of recent expanded artist roster.
Williams designer who co-created Doctor Dude instead of accepting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license
Artist for Stern's Elvira pinball machine
Co-designer of Elvira and the Party Monsters alongside Dennis Nordman
Pinball artist highlighted by Michael Thomasson for quality of artwork
Designer of Captain Fantastic, Wizard, Break Shot (for Capcom); worked for Valley for many years; appearing at autograph session at Expo
Stern Pinball staff; tasked by Gomez to find replacement artist for Batman 66
Artist and frequent collaborator with Dennis Nordman; co-founder of WhizBang; provided artwork for Dr. Dude, Elvira and the Party Monsters, Scared Stiff, Elvira's House of Horrors
Williams pinball artist; known for colorful game designs; recently announced retirement
Pinball artist who adopted cartoonish comic book style for Elvira and Party Monsters and Nordman's following two machines
Stern art director; described as Hall of Fame-level talent
Pinball artist; created art packages for previous Elvira games; rumored to be handling art for Elvira 3
Stern Pinball art department, interviewed recently about art direction and Stern's visual design philosophy
Art department lead at Stern Pinball; guest on Episode 38; interviewed at Stern offices
Art Director at Stern Pinball; 40+ year veteran of pinball industry; previously worked at Bally, Williams, Midway; did playfield art for Jersey Jack's Wizard of Oz; known for work on Elvira series, Scared Stiff, Fathom
Artwork artist for Elvira's House of Horrors; heads art department at Stern; veteran artist for previous Elvira titles; described as Hall of Fame pinball artist
Former art director at Stern Pinball who recruited Jonathan Bergeron for Jurassic Park artwork; provided supportive, humorous art direction; maintained contact with Jonathan after project
Artist for Dr. Dude; won Best Art Package award for 1990
Referenced as creative director at Stern; described as 'famed pinball God'
Jersey Jack Pinball person who worked with Jack on Wizard of Oz reveal animation
Artist credited on Star Trek TNG backglass; signed the autographed backglass
Art director credited on The Walking Dead
Former Stern art director who recently retired. Credited with initiating the black-and-white variant concept for The Munsters.
Bally legend in engineering division
Pinball artist; Youssi admires his Star Trek artwork
Pinball designer (one of the 'Greg and Dennis' team); worked on all three Elvira machines; referenced as having 'it down' creatively
Encountered Ramunni at Pinball Expo 2025; facilitated connection between Ramunni and Dutch Pinball Open organizers
Co-founder of WhizBang Pinball; currently heads Stern Pinball's art department
Co-founder of Whizbang Pinball; original artist and designer; created hand-drawn graphics
Co-founder of WhizBang Pinball; heads art department at Stern Pinball; collaborating on new game with Dennis Nordman
Pinball artist; Youssi expresses respect for his work and regrets he is no longer in the industry
Designer/artist behind Elvira-themed pinball games with Dennis Nordman
Co-founder of Whizbang Pinball; artist/designer of Whoa Nellie! hand-drawn graphics
Previous Art Director at Stern; retired October 2024
Presented artwork approval process and iterative design changes for Star Wars game
Co-featured in main interview for Issue 2; worked at Bally and Williams, involved with Multimorphic ventures
Stern Pinball artist whose work is featured, including Medieval Madness playfield development drawings
Stern Pinball artist; Medieval Madness playfield development drawings featured prominently
Partner with Dennis Nordman at Whizbang Pinball; creating playfield artwork for Wizard of Oz and Dennis Nordman's Jersey Jack game #2
Pinball artist with 40 years in art business; designed backglass for Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons
Designer of Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show 2018 poster
Stern Pinball Art Director; co-presented Ghostbusters and Star Wars seminars discussing artwork and licensing approval processes
Pinball artist; attended MGC 2016 as part of three-generation artist discussion
Pinball artist; referenced as notable Chicago pinball personality (likely variant of Greg Ferris)
Pinball artist; formerly based in Chicago
Stern's previous Art Director; artwork collaboration on King Kong
Pinball designer recently hired at Stern Pinball
Team member added to Jersey Jack Pinball early design phase
Stern Pinball Art Director; collaborated with Haeger on Elvira and the Party Monsters (1989) and Star Wars artwork
Veteran pinball artist and game designer with 34 years industry experience; Hall of Fame member; recently joined Stern Pinball
Legendary pinball artist, Stern Pinball Art Director for ~12 years, inducted into Pinball Expo Hall of Fame 2004, retired July 2024
Original artist for Fathom (1981 Bally); artwork preserved in Fathom Revisited remake
Co-founder of Whizbang Pinball Studio; collaborated with Dennis Nordman on Elvira's House of Horrors; co-designer of previous Elvira games
Pinball artist; created artwork for Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons with Dennis Nordman; works at Stern Pinball; was special guest at DPO Expo 2015
Designer; co-created Elvira's House of Horrors with Dennis Nordman through WhizBang Pinball
Hall of Fame pinball artist who worked on Elvira's House of Horrors animations; previously worked on Scared Stiff and Elvira Party Monsters; scheduled to appear on next week's stream
Artist responsible for art package on Haunted House/Playboy Pinball 2000 project
Artist who created artwork featured on Elvira loot crate
Designer/artist associated with classic Fathom; autographed backglass print referenced by author
Artist associated with Fathom; created artwork for the game; mentioned as autographed print owner
Stern employee; sat next to Franchi at signing table; received Batman 66 signed print
Artist; created vibrant backglass art for Dr. Dude
Artist on King Kong: Myth of Terror Island
Art director at Stern Pinball on WWE WrestleMania project
Retiring art director at Stern Pinball with 40+ years tenure; designed artwork for Hot Doggin', Fathom, Dr. Dude, No Fear and numerous other games
Stern's previous art director (retired); co-artist on King Kong: Myth of Terror Island
Artist credited with artwork for Elvira: House of Horrors
Artist at Bally during Papaduke's early career; cited as one of the talented people in Papaduke's orbit
Art director at Williams/Bally; hired Linda Deal; worked alongside Margaret Hudson and Kevin O'Connor in art department. Previously interviewed on Wedgehead Pinball Podcast.
Legendary pinball artist and art director at Williams Electronics; known for distinctive art style blending Mad Magazine influence with monster/horror themes; worked as art department manager from early 1980s through the 1990s
Artist credited on No Fear; hosts describe artwork as 'legendary phenomenal'; distinctive photorealistic hand-drawn art style with exploding head motif
Designer who chose to create Dr. Dude (1990) original theme instead of licensed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game; described as having iconic art style
Artist on Monster Bash
Pinball artist who established his signature cartoonish comic book art style on Elvira and the Party Monsters; continued style for Dennis Nordman's following two machines
Artist for The Walking Dead pinball
Renowned pinball artist responsible for artwork on multiple Stern titles, particularly the Elvira series.
Pinball designer who influenced party-themed games and collaborated with Nordman on Elvira and the Party Monsters concept