Follow Muddy Colors, filter it, and define how you want to receive the news (via Email, RSS, Telegram, WhatsApp etc.) https://follow.it/muddy-colors Sun, 26 Sep 2021 16:54:48 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8nQpsIMWUsYTW7fhEn5oRuR

Several years ago I was planning a painting that had big rock cliffs and crashing waves, and went googling for technique inspiration. I found an artist I’d never heard of – William Trost Richards. He’s been one of my favorite landscape artists ever since. Look at these, they’re watercolors! He worked in oils as well, but his watercolor and gouache works are what really get me excited. There are more great, huge digital images of…]]> Sat, 25 Sep 2021 12:00:07 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8nQpsIMWUsYTW7fhEn5oRuR https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8n3JHkWS4-SdEZPHFZJLI3I

I wanted to bring some attention to the upcoming 6×9 Portrait Society Mystery Art Sale. It will take place September 29 and 30, 2021 7:00 pm EDT It is normally an event that takes place at the annual conference (which I highly recommend you considering if you want to see a ton of demos and meet some great people) but with Covid, like so many things it has shifted online. It did last year too.…]]> Fri, 24 Sep 2021 08:00:01 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8n3JHkWS4-SdEZPHFZJLI3I https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8n9NG0xKm4LILkdRKkm2PJP Been looking at the work of Australian artist Robert Hannaford a bunch lately. If you aren’t familiar, he grew up on a farm and worked as a political cartoonist before pursuing painting. Mr Hannaford has had a long career and produced a lot of great paintings that are thankfully available to view on this thing called the world wide web. It always kind of trips me out how a particular artist’s work will sometimes jump…]]> Thu, 23 Sep 2021 11:00:45 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8n9NG0xKm4LILkdRKkm2PJP https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8lL2cejoPOS9mw5Ur-z5Bww

Traditional painters run into lots of issues that digital artists don’t have to worry about. One of those issues is painting extremely fine lines, which can be difficult if those lines are finer than your smallest brush. Usually in a case like this, I would rely on a tight drawing to do the work, but even that can be hassle. Here’s a great trick that can help you achieve machine-like precision the next time you…]]> Wed, 22 Sep 2021 11:00:35 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8lL2cejoPOS9mw5Ur-z5Bww https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8kkoexROSQpG93hDS9njgCr

I’ve chronicled my love and admiration for Jim Henson’s worlds, in particular his 1982 film The Dark Crystal, here on Muddy Colors for years now. There was a time where I’m sure it seemed that’s all I was ever going to write about! Whether book covers, interior illustrations, or storybooks it’s been to my utter delight and good fortune to have a chance to walk within this world. The experience has felt a touch otherworldly;…]]> Tue, 21 Sep 2021 11:00:01 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8kkoexROSQpG93hDS9njgCr https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8ls1WbArfhpUu4sICfMfkNm

The lockdown caused by the pandemic had me spend a lot more time in nature. One of the tings you could do, instead of going out to lunch at a cafe or meet with people in groups, was taking the binoculars and go watch some birds. I have always been a Birdie but the virus has made me take the watching part more seriously and dial the number of trips and the equipment up til…]]> Mon, 20 Sep 2021 13:08:01 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8ls1WbArfhpUu4sICfMfkNm https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8k1Z0CANTw30KvLeqE6yv18

I feel pretty grateful that I’m able to have some really wonderful conversations with artist friends, colleagues, and students in my classes. I often find that I come away from many of these dialogs with a stronger sense of clarity, focus, and purpose when it comes to my art. When I answer these, even if just for myself at a later time, I find it really helps my personal motivation too. For example, a student…]]> Sat, 18 Sep 2021 12:30:06 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8k1Z0CANTw30KvLeqE6yv18 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8lWWhtsesKAYAO5yOwvVe_2

This is the second article about the three areas that I usually work within. Illustration (last month’s article) Concept art (this month) and next month I will look at the processes I use for my own work. Whereas my narrative contract work is a decidedly planned attack, using fairly straightforward and generally typical processes, my concept work feels more like shooting from the hip and definitely seems more intuitive. Whereas in narrative contract work it…]]> Fri, 17 Sep 2021 12:00:32 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8lWWhtsesKAYAO5yOwvVe_2 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8mKpc84ITMKGrb9ICM-PHur

Talk about staying power, Betsy Peterschmidt kept after her idea to develop a graphic novel…for ten years. How many of us might’ve lost the energy to keep a dream alive over that time? This kind of effort, to believe in and stay with an idea, through clarity and confusion, from inkling to fruition, is the kind necessary to achieve something bigger than ourselves. We tend to think ideas have to be wildly different from anything…]]> Thu, 16 Sep 2021 12:00:52 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8mKpc84ITMKGrb9ICM-PHur https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8k4XGEsCqVlX2hamfNIiY2W

A lot of people will say they love Bob Ross, and though they may enjoy watching him paint, more times than not the compliment is tinged with a sense of irony, or an affection for the kitsch of it all. I don’t share that sentiment one bit. I sincerely think Bob Ross is an incredible artist. In fact, he’s probably a better artist than you or I. I have recently taken to watching an episode…]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2021 12:00:03 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8k4XGEsCqVlX2hamfNIiY2W https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8l_eWGx7OeH5HMq2h3ehXEp

Something that happens to me somewhat regularly is that I will come up with a sketch that I’m pretty excited by, and then start working on the finished piece only to find out mid-painting that there’s some inherent flaw to the sketch that I just didn’t see before. Invariably, it’s the kind of flaw that threatens to derail the painting completely. The piece I’m going to talk about today was an example of this and…]]> Tue, 14 Sep 2021 12:00:37 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8l_eWGx7OeH5HMq2h3ehXEp https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8mnH27nz7kI4wp41t9tiERU

“Which is worse? The Devil of the forest or the terror of Puritan village rumors, accusations, and lies? At the crossroads of victimhood and vengeance, Abitha makes her choice―and blood follows.” ―Richard Kadrey, New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim series “Punctuated by moments of unanticipated levity as well as unmitigated terror, this clever and imaginative tale is not to be missed by fans of dark fantasy and historical horror.” ―Library Journal This…]]> Mon, 13 Sep 2021 11:30:55 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8mnH27nz7kI4wp41t9tiERU https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8mIVfvCxwo8UEZPHFZJLI3I

Assemblage can provide a unique three-dimensional addition to any illustration. The sculptural presence, textural finishes and custom patinas make an assemblage accent a desirable element for the mixed-media milieu. From repurposed and custom-treated natural and man-made elements to hand-sculpted creations in self-drying and polymer clay, a diverse array of exciting techniques and materials can be added to illustrative works of art! In my paintings, I like to use vintage as well as newly repurposed accents,…]]> Sat, 11 Sep 2021 07:00:58 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8mIVfvCxwo8UEZPHFZJLI3I https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8mP2KHyGXcE2bmyhX6zo8SW

I remember coming across the following Bernie Fuchs painting when I first attended The Illustration Academy. It was a game changer. It seemed to break all the rules of composition I had learned prior. The idea of jamming the focal point into the corner and behind such an obvious foreground shapes was, and is, very exciting. The viewer feels more like a voyeur. Life was imperfectly happening right in front of us. It felt less…]]> Fri, 10 Sep 2021 12:00:25 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8mP2KHyGXcE2bmyhX6zo8SW https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8m0merhV9HJ6zErtZyObPkc

So I want to talk about something I’ve mentioned within many other posts, as recently as last month, but is so important it deserves its own series: Why You Need A Website. Not a social media page. Not a DeviantArt page. Not an Artstation page. A website of your very own, that you control. I am sick of fighting about it on twitter with people, so I’m writing it all out here. Before we dig…]]> Thu, 09 Sep 2021 13:00:43 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8m0merhV9HJ6zErtZyObPkc https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8kZoPhmlhcFIrkdRKkm2PJP

Announcing: this October 15th, Northern Michigan University’s Forest Roberts Theater presents the first, full-on stage play of Above the Timberline! The Art and Theater Departments have gathered their talents, collected a 28-member cast, and assembled an enthusiastic production team to create a fantastic glimpse into the Timberline world. I was initially approached by the illustration department to visit the school and do a talk and lecture for the illustration students. Before long, I was speaking…]]> Wed, 08 Sep 2021 12:00:46 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8kZoPhmlhcFIrkdRKkm2PJP https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8nW4MzfGtdAj7DXWBZfdr71

I just got back from DragonCon 2021, and today I have a quick post featuring 2 DragonCon VODs! The first is a “Convention Survival Guide” stream where we go over a bit of Annie and my list of Do’s and Don’ts for conventions and take a lot of Q&A from the chat: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1132438524 And the second is a livestream from the floor, (which begins and ends in absolute chaos!) of our live #LETSDRAWMONSTERS event: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1140162734…]]> Tue, 07 Sep 2021 19:37:15 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8nW4MzfGtdAj7DXWBZfdr71 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8nbQAgftzg94wp41t9tiERU

Color = Value / Value = Color There is no sorta, kinda, or maybe, it just is, period!  I find it very strange that this point is even argued, I guess we have deniers of every sort these days, why wouldn’t we have them in art?  But it is still strange to me that this statement is met with resistance by some artists. Yes, I have gone tangent once again, veering away from my previous…]]> Sat, 04 Sep 2021 12:30:37 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8nbQAgftzg94wp41t9tiERU https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8mLtUJbc4vn50TXPGaG87AR

Two projects that could not be less alike together in one MC post today as we delve into the work behind the forthcoming Mondo?IFC screen print for Richard Linkletter’s BOYHOOD and THE ELECTRIC ANT of The Folio Society’s massive multi-book tome, THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES OF PHILIP K DICK, and its own upcoming ltd print from Static Medium. (Both posters will be available this September and details to follow listed below this article). First up,…]]> Fri, 03 Sep 2021 13:12:51 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8mLtUJbc4vn50TXPGaG87AR https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8lbQW2Dq9vOsiRFMxTa8z4W

In making a sculpture, there are usually many creative paths we could follow that would result in a successful finished piece. It can be frustrating having to choose only one of the many options. One of the very cool things about working with bronze casting (or for that matter, any sculptural process that involves making a mold) is the opportunity to explore these different paths. From trying various surface colorations through patina choicesto altering sections…]]> Thu, 02 Sep 2021 12:00:36 +0200 https://api.follow.it/track-rss-story-click/v3/CVlgRyURl8lbQW2Dq9vOsiRFMxTa8z4W