Team colors

Team Colors Desenhos Animados

2011-10-12T06:00:00.001-07:00

Team Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos AnimadosTeam Colors Desenhos

Team Color Bob Esponja

2011-10-12T05:47:00.000-07:00

Team Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob EsponjaTeam Color Bob

Team Colors Apple Logo

2011-10-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

Apple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple LogoApple Logo

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Happy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy HalloweenHappy

Desenho Animados 2011

2011-10-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

Desenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho AnimadoDesenho

Soccer Team Colors

2011-10-07T08:54:00.001-07:00

Soccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team ColorsSoccer Team

College Team Colors

2011-10-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

Baseball Team Colors

2011-10-06T14:48:00.001-07:00

NFL Team Colors

2011-10-06T14:35:00.001-07:00

Warmer Air

2011-10-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Geddes has been hard at work, producing pieces for his upcoming show at Jonathan Levine Gallery next year. Most of the work will be figurative, departing from his past 'Cosmonaut' series. However, Jeremy has decided to do three last paintings exploring the cosmonaut theme, all of them miniature. Here is the first of the three said paintings, entitled 'Warmer Air'. The piece is typical of

Pirate Paintings for National Geographic Pt.5

2011-10-04T21:44:00.000-07:00

Gregory ManchessThis painting depicts what it might have been like for a slave to board the Whydah for the first voyage. Chained two-by-two, they are whipped and beaten through town to get to the shore boats, often separated from their own children.The natives were in various stages of undress. The challenge was to show them realistically, but in such a way as to not offend the sensitivities of

Awol no.4 Studies

2011-10-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

By Justin GerardI am currently on the road so today's post will be a quickie of some studies done for an upcoming digital painting demo in Utah.

Bill Nelson Art Book

2011-10-02T23:10:00.000-07:00

A few days ago my friend and fellow creative Bill Nelson sent me an e-mail announcing his latest art book. Some of you may already be aware of Bill Nelson’s work - he’s an award winning illustrator (500+ awards) and artist. Bill is the master of colored pencil and has also developed a very successful career in sculpture. His dolls are sought after by celebrities and collectors. Recently he has

A Beautiful Day in the Studio

2011-09-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

By Eric FortuneHello Neighbor. Today, I would like to give you a tour of my studio. Prepare yourself. This is where the Magic happens. Welcome….to My World.Ok, so if we could all look past the raw wood beams, exposed drywall, and plaster you can see my work place. A bedroom turned studio.As you can see I’ve altered my art desk a bit to allow it to hold multiple desk lamps at a further

Princeps - a book cover

2011-09-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

-By DonatoA new book cover for Tor Books, the fifth in a series of novels authored by L.E. Modesitt Jr. These have been a true pleasure to tackle as the main character is a scholar 'magician', and seeks to place others before himself. A great alternative to the overly ambitious alpha hero. With the later trait in mind, the protagonist taps the government treasury to feed and care for the poor

Fighters

2011-09-28T04:23:00.000-07:00

-By Jesper EjsingHere is an illustration I did a year ago for Wotc.It is 2 fighters, a girl and a guy, but the guy is a werewolf and is newly transformed. The setting is a tomb. As always I am using acrylics on watercolour board. It measures 50 x 40 cm.Step 1 I start out with a bunch of thumbs. Mostly I search for a solid shape or silhouette. In this case I new the 2 figures needed to stand close

Art Out Loud 7 Recap

2011-09-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

-By Dan dos SantosThis past Saturday, the Society of Illustrators hosted Art Out Loud 7. The event consists of multiple live demonstrations by some of the industry's top pros. This time around, artists Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Donato Giancola, Rick Berry, and Greg Manchess were kind enough to donate their time.The event was quite fun. The room was packed, with over 100 people in attendance. A

Portraits

2011-09-26T02:30:00.000-07:00

-by Arnie FennerI was thinking about portraits the other day, partly because of the "Making Faces" show currently going on at the Society of Illustrators, partly because I had just received a copy of Brain Movies that features Iain McCaig's portrait of Harlan Ellison on the cover, partly because I noted the sale at auction recently of what, to me, was a not-terribly-good painting of Robert

Spotlight On: DAVE RAPOZA

2011-09-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Dave first made it onto my radar a few years ago when I stumbled across his work on Conceptart.org. I then later saw a piece he did for Jon Schindehette's Art Order Challenge, and that clenched it! In just a few short years, Dave Rapoza went from "that kid to watch out for" to, honestly, one of my favorite young artists. Apparently I'm not the only one, as Dave has been working pretty regularly

Dufflepuds

2011-09-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

-By Justin SweetWorking on THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER was one of my favorite experiences in film design. I got to work with 2 of my closest buddies on a project that was dear to me. This was one of my favorite Narnia books. The director, Michael Apted was great to work for. Our office was right next to his, and he would come in daily to see what we would draw up. Great fun this one. One

Hello World

2011-09-21T01:18:00.001-07:00

Hello World

Pirate Paintings for National Geographic Pt. 4

2011-09-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Gregory ManchessThis was a critical painting for the series.The problem: show Black Sam Bellamy chasing the slave-ship, Whydah, finally over-taking her after a three-day chase, firing a shot across her bow, watching its sails unfurl, while the pirate crew cheers and the defeated captain looks on.The actual problem: too much information.The client was asking for a long animation of events, out of

Flying Monkeys

2011-09-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

By Justin GerardQuick post today to share a speed-painting I put together recently to demo the brush sets. It is Photoshop CS5 over traditional pencil.

Wyeth at Work

2011-09-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

By John Jude PalencarSome of you may have seen this clip on YouTube. This video shows the only know footage of Andrew Wyeth at work. In this short clip he’s painting a small portrait of Thomas Hoving, the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. It is nice to see how informal this session is... Wyeth is a lap worker, sitting on a small stool in his father’s (N.C. Wyeth’s) studio.

Strip Festival Breda

2011-09-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

By Petar MeseldzijaA few days ago I came back from a comic convention, named Strip Festival Breda, that has been held in the charming city of Breda, in the Netherlands. I was attending this convention as a member of the Flesk Publications group of artists, alongside such notables as Gary Gianni, Mark Schultz, William Stout and Craig Elliott. This was my third convention in the last two years

Questions and an Update

2011-09-16T01:11:00.000-07:00

by Eric Fortune"Just a few questions regarding how you got your start after school? and what route you took to get the publicity you have obtained this far. I am mainly a graphic style artist but I really don't know how to live the life of an illustrator. I have been out of school for about 3 months now and I have not been getting much work. I would just like to know what you did and how you

Mermaid-Lover and Red Sonja

2011-09-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

By Donato Here's a new one continuing my fascination with the sea and created for portfolio and gallery exhibition. It is nearly finished, and I plan on hanging the work at IlluxCon in November. My favorite part about this is the ambiguity in the narrative - is she caressing the helmet lovingly or threateningly? I really do not know...'Mermaid-Lover', 20" x 24", oil on panelLastly a sneak peek

Zombie Brushes for Photoshop

2011-09-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

By Justin GerardSo I am selling Brush Sets again for Photoshop. And to kick things off, I am releasing the undead. Er, I mean the undead brushes. When I started working on Resistance 3 I knew that I needed to create a completely new set of brushes to tackle this kind of work. As you all know, most of my previous work had to do with pastel bunnies frolicking in magical fields of clover. I

Overlap

2011-09-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

By Jesper Ejsing I struggle everyday with ”overlap”. Or at least I think about overlap and how to use it for my convenience. Overlap is pretty basic and something most people learn early on. But I tend to blunder sometimes at it and thought that everybody could need a reminder from time to time.I have drawn up a very scientific illustrations that shows ALL implied what my theory is all about.

Art Out Loud 7... Reminder

2011-09-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder, Art Out Loud 7 less than two weeks away.More than 85 spots have already been reserved and paid for. I know from experience that the room capacity caps off around 100. So if you're interested in going, you really need to RSVP now.In addition to the five stellar artists that will be demoing that day, there promises to be many more in the audience. This is great opportunity to learn

Resistance 3: My Year with Zombies

2011-09-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

By Justin GerardSome of you may recall this little post I put up a little while back on my blog.AWOLI mentioned then that its purpose was to reclaim some balance in my life. I had been spending a lot of time in zombieland, and I needed some fresh air. The project (that I couldn't speak of or Sony would burn my farm) was Resistance 3, which was released September 6 for the PS3.I'm excited to see

Resource

2011-09-12T02:30:00.000-07:00

by Arnie FennerAn important aspect of being an illustrator, particularly within genre, is to be aware of what's come before. Partly for insight as to how peers solved problems, partly as lessons for what not to do, partly as reference (for tropes and content, not for poses or solutions), partly for inspiration—but perhaps mostly to ensure that what each artist is bringing to a project is fresh

Vincent Desiderio - New Paintings and Opening

2011-09-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

Vincent Desiderio will be opening a new show of his large scale oil paintings on Thursday evening, September 15th from 6-8 pm in New York City at Marlborough Gallery Chelsea. Vincent is one of the most brilliant painters living today, merging his knowledge of modern aesthetics with the love of the human form and sublime oil painting techniques. His work is unparalleled and has heavily

Vibrant colors are beautiful

2011-09-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger: PAUL BONNER

2011-09-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sitting comfortably?.......Good.It really is an honour to be asked to contribute something to this little gathering of movers, shakers and artistic worthies. A talented bunch who do a lot to promote the stuff we all love. A lot more time consuming than it appears (as I've found out for myself). So thank you all very much.Dan roped me into this a while ago now and though I've had to stop and start

Half Pint Post

2011-09-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

These last 2 weeks have just flown by. My plans were to have a painting finished for this week's blog session but I’m afraid all that’s done on it is a scant drawing with a wash of color. Demands of regular work and other responsibilities have edged out my time. Hopefully on my next round here I’ll have a step by step of the painting. Here’s one that I took to about 85%. It’s of Jon Snow for

Pirate Paintings for National Geographic Pt. 3

2011-09-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

Gregory ManchessThis one was a bear.I had no deck plans for the Whydah, Black Sam’s ship. The client knew what the ship looked like, but because we were all moving so fast on the project, I didn’t get the 3D animator’s images in time to use on this one. I was nearly in the dark for reference, and had to listen to general descriptions and look over deck plans from a ship of the same time period,

Reference Hunting: The Narrows

2011-09-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

By Justin GerardIn 2004 some friends and I hiked the Narrows at Zion National Park in Utah. Of all the hikes I have ever been on, this was perhaps the greatest.During much of the hike, the 100 foot vertical sandstone walls of the canyon close in so tightly that you must hike in the water itself, which is murky, and full of bowling balls, making each step a perilous lesson in jujitsu.When I was

Artistic Insults From Famous Artists

2011-09-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

After Dan and Eric’s previous “Crit Submit” posts, I thought it was appropriate to display the crits of famous artist’s disrespecting each other. A fellow illustrator sent this to me a few days ago..... 1. Andy Warhol on Jasper Johns: “Oh, I think he’s great. He makes such great lunches.”2. Salvador Dalí on Piet Mondrian: “Completely idiotic critics have for several years used the name of Piet

Crit Submit #3... Part 1

2011-09-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

by Eric FortuneFor today's post I have chosen one of the images submitted for critique. I'll try my best to give some constructive feedback.What first struck me about the submission is that it seemed a bit lacking in general. I felt it needed more atmosphere, more character, more props, and perhaps a little more focus.The first thing I did was add a little fog. Not necessary, but it seemed

Crit Submit #3... Part 2

2011-09-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

-By Dan dos SantosThanks again for all the wonderful submissions, guys! I swear some of you are just trying to show off. Quite a few of the pieces were really spectacular, and definitely not in need of any real critique. Perhaps we'll share those here someday.I've chosen a piece by Ryan Valle, that I personally thought was quite close to being successful, but just suffered from a few minor

LoTR Sketches

2011-09-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Donato has been selling limited edition copies of his "Middle Earth: Visions of Modern Myth" book, which each contain an original sketch inside. Here is a quick peek at some of those sketches.

Hand painted

2011-09-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Outdoor ceiling

2011-08-31T05:35:00.000-07:00

Kids room, hand painted

2011-08-31T05:33:00.000-07:00

Clear coated walkway

2011-08-31T05:32:00.000-07:00

Gold textured lounge

2011-08-31T04:50:00.000-07:00

Muddy Faces

2011-08-31T04:22:00.000-07:00

By Jesper EjsingThe other day I was creating another wallpaper for my screen. I try to shift the image each month choosing the latest drawing that I was happy with. Since I use the computer a lot, the wallpaper is a constant reminder of what is my best art so far. It reminds me what is good and helps me to sharpen that. To be perfectly honest I do not always know what I am doing. But focusing on

Printing your work

2011-08-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

-By Dan dos SantosGetting a good quality print of your work can be really difficult, especially when you are not there to personally oversee the printing process. I struggled with this for years, as achieving a good print seemed to be some sort of alchemy... consisting of an elusive combination of scanning, color-adjusting and file formats.In this post, I would like to focus on some of the

Lists

2011-08-29T02:30:00.000-07:00

-by Arnie FennerA few weeks ago Scott Taylor posted an essay on the Black Gate magazine blog, "Art of the Genre: Top 10 Fantasy Artists of the Past 100 Years." I've never put much thought into list-making myself—and I don't believe that there ever was or will ever be an absolute, unquestionable "#1" in the arts, be it painting or writing or acting—but it's always interesting to read someone

Coolest Trophy Ever?

2011-08-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Perhaps!Patrick Wilshire just revealed the new Illie Award Trophy. This is an award given to the best traditionally created work of the year, presented at IlluXcon. This is the second year the Wilshires will be presenting this award, and they really went all out by commissioning Thomas Kuebler to sculpt it. The sculpture stands 17 inches tall, and is a one of kind original.If you've never seen

Small Demo

2011-08-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

Tough act to follow with Greg’s post. Absolutely fantastic. Here’s another recent concept from FIRE AND ICE that I saved off in stages. Dark Wolf (again, because besides Teegra, he was my favorite to paint). I won't show the whole painting yet because it hasn't been released. Loose pencil sketch. I'd rather find out where to go with paint (or pixel paint in this case)I laid in a simple wash

Pirate Paintings for National Geographic Pt. 2

2011-08-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Gregory ManchessThe first major painting for the Real Pirates exhibition was a battle scene involving loads of figures, both pirates and non-pirates. Based on a specific, real event in the history of Black Sam Bellamy’s pirate activities, I depicted an attack against the merchant frigate Tanner, moored off Petit Grove near Haiti. The pirates sneaked up the side of the ship and washed over the

The Hidden People Sketchbook

2011-08-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

By Justin GerardMy friend and long-time co-worker Cory Godbey recently released his 2011 sketchbook which features a lot of work from a personal project that he has been working on this year. Some of you may remember him from the Eowyn and the Nazgul competition where he entered the following piece:I have the pleasure of living in the same neighborhood as Cory. We have been known to set off

Great books for under $15

2011-08-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

-By Dan dos SantosEvery now and then, I stumble around Amazon and treat myself to a few new art books. I confess, I do this more than I should. Recently, I came across several really good deals that I thought I should share. So here for you are 3 great book buys for under $15*****************Ilya RepinThis book is 200 pages, has great reproductions, and collects the majority of Repin's major

FANTASTIC WORLDS EXHIBITION

2011-08-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

Fellow Muddies Donotao Giancola and John Jude Palencar along with an impressive roster of artists are now on view at the Kenosha Public Museums in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Donato will be conducting a workshop at the museum... but I'll let him tell you about that at a later date. The exhibit is curated by Rachel Klees Andersen. Here's the exhibit info:FANTASTIC WORLDS- Masters of Science

Hugo Awards... Live!

2011-08-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

It seems every Art Director I know is in Reno, Nevada right now attending the World Science Fiction Convention, which is also the host of this year's Hugo Award Ceremony.The Hugo Awards celebrate the year's best achievements in SF/F novels, films, and artistry. If the embedded player is not working, you can watch the award ceremony live via the link below. The show starts in just one hour, 9pm

New Start

2011-08-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

by Eric FortuneI'm off on some new work. As usual I'm excited and ready for the challenge. Best to enjoy that while I can:) This is the first of a series I plan on doing that will incorporate figures with more interior elements. As always I'm going to try and stay a little looser in the beginning of my painting and try not to get too fussy too early. I've been thinking about where I want this

Tapping Inspirations -Book Illustration

2011-08-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

-by DonatoWith this particular commission from Tor books for the cover of L.E. Modesitt's novel Scholar, I not only tapped into the manuscript for inspiration, but found another source to push me beyond the commercial work and into a theme I have been exploring for my gallery presentations - that of the sea. Many times in my career I have found it exciting to pull ideas and concepts from

old and new

2011-08-17T01:48:00.000-07:00

-By Jesper EjsingJust the other day, I was trying to find an old sketch of a dragon in the big pile of drawings right to my desk. The pile is also where I keep most of my illustration not on boards but on paper. Here I found an illustration from 5 years ago of a female warrior mage. While looking at it I thought "this is pretty good". Usually I do not have that kind of thoughts. If a painting is

Patrick Jones Tutorials

2011-08-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

-By Dan dos SantosA few years ago at IlluXcon, I got the chance to meet an illustrator named Patrick Jones. Patrick is a phenomenal artist, equally versed in both traditional and digital methods... as well as a wonderful teacher, which I was fortunate enough to witness first-hand during one of his many lectures.While browsing his website, I had noticed that Patrick offers downloadable e-book and

Words of Wisdom

2011-08-15T02:30:00.000-07:00

by Arnie FennerToday, a few art-centric quotations...just because I like quotes..."When I arrived in art school, there were lots of artsy-fartsy guys and girls, mainly guys, going round with paint on their jeans and looking just like artists. And they all had lots to talk about and knew all about every damn paintbrush, and they talked about aesthetics, but they all ended up being art teachers or

Crit-Submit #3, Call for Entries!

2011-08-11T23:31:00.000-07:00

I've gotten multiple requests this week asking us to do another Crit-Submit... so let's do it!Crit-Submit #3Call for entires now open!Submission deadline: Saturday, August 20th, 12:01 AM ESTIf you are unfamiliar with the Crit-Submit, please check out the first two here and here.Basically.... you submit your best piece, and one of the Muddies will crit the living bejeezuz out of it.It's a great

Fire and Ice

2011-08-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

-By Justin SweetHere's a piece that I did for Robert Rodriguez's live action adaptation of FIRE AND ICE done by Ralph Bakshi back in the 80's.I've been a fan of Frazetta since 2nd grade when the Stop and Go liquor store down the street from my house got a poster rack with one of the images being Frazetta's "Beserker" painting. There was definately mixed feelings going into this one. Frazetta

The Philosophy of the Illustration Master Class™

2011-08-10T01:47:00.000-07:00

L to r: Rebecca Guay, Jeremy Jarvis (guest instructor ’09), Dan Dos Santos, Donato Giancola, Julie Bell, Boris Vallejo, Scott Fischer, Irene Gallo, Greg ManchessGregory ManchessFive years ago, Rebecca Guay looked around at a gathering of friends and said, “Look at this group of artists. Remarkable. We should all do a workshop or something. We love what we do, and what better group to express that

Tonight!

2011-08-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

For you NYCers, there is an opening tonight at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery. The annual Summer Invitational features the works of Yuko Shimizu, Nicoletta Ceccoli, Ashley Wood, and Edwin Ushiro, and our very own Eric Fortune, amongst many others. The opening is tonight from 6pm-8pm, and should be a lot of fun. I know Eric made the trip from all the way from Ohio just to attend.

Photo shoot spin-offs

2011-08-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

-By Petar MeseldzijaA few years ago I did a photo session for a couple of paintings that were intended for a gallery show. I rented a few costumes, hired a professional photographer, and asked my wife to be the model. The photo session was intense and long, and it was quite tiring for the model. Now and then she rested for a while in a beautiful old chair. The scene with the model dressed in a

St. George Final

2011-08-08T03:00:00.000-07:00

By Justin GerardAs some of you may recall, I planned to tackle one of these two final St. George pieces in oil. This was the piece I chose. Oil UnderpaintingThings started off really well. But after finishing the underpainting, I ran into some minor health issues... Side effects may include...And I turned into a monster and ate my neighbors. Apparently my problem is that I cannot seem to

Spocon

2011-08-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

-By Dan dos SantosFor those of you in the Seattle area, I will be in the nearby town of Spokane next weekend, attending Spocon as their Artist Guest of Honor. The Author Guest of Honor is Patricia Briggs, who writes the best-selling Mercy Thompson series for which I do the covers for.I will be exhibiting several original paintings in the art show, with a heavy focus on the covers that I have done

Last Embrace

2011-08-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

by Eric FortuneHere are some of the last work in progress shots leading up to the final. When starting a new piece of art we try to work out most of our problems in the preliminary stages. However, after taking reference, finalizing our drawings and adding some paint in things do change. I'm constantly stepping back and reevaluating the work as I go.One thing that bothered me after I had got

San Diego Comic-Con

2011-08-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

-By Donato For 12 years I have now been taking a major piece of my summer's creative energies and devoting them to a single event, the San Diego Comic-Con. This past convention was no exception, and turned out to be the one of the best years yet: from sales, hanging out with friends and the development of new business. Years ago, I had a few questions put to me, as I was gearing up for another

Magroth the undead Wizard

2011-08-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

-By Jesper EjsingThis is a cover for a Dungeons and Dragon book. I was asked to portrait an evil undead wizard named Magroth and his golem in his laboratory. It was important that he was not rotten or too zombie like. I submitted 2 sketches. One with Magroth holding a chopped off head, arm all bloody and raising the head up to get a better and curious look at it. Behind him, framing him is the

Why dumb ideas can be great ideas.

2011-08-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

I was having a conversation with a fellow artist this past weekend, and we both brought up this wonderful Ted Talks lecture by Tim Harford, as a fantastic example for why experimentation, and thusly failure, is so important in art. In this video, Tim discusses an experiment by Unilever to create a hi-fidelity spray nozzle. It may not sound particularly applicable to our field at first, but it

Honeyed Words

2011-08-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

- By Dan dos SantosI painted this image what seems like ages ago, but I'm just now getting around to share it. In mid-2010 Irene Gallo of Tor books commissioned me to paint the sequel to 'Black Blade Blues', entitled 'Honeyed Words'. My schedule was pretty full, and so even though I couldn't get the final painting done in time for catalog, I did have enough time to do a really refined sketch. The

Art Out Loud 7

2011-08-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

You thought we forgot, didn't you? It's been nearly two years since the last Art Out Loud, but we are finally doing it again!Irene Gallo has lined up an all-star roster for the 7th installment of Art Out Loud, a live painting demonstration held at the Society of Illustrators. This year's roster includes: Julie Bell, Rick Berry, Donato Giancola, Greg Manchess, and Boris Vallejo.For those of you

The Brothers Shiflett

2011-08-01T02:30:00.000-07:00

by Arnie FennerOne of the best parts of attending the San Diego Comic-Con (or any decent-sized show) is having the opportunity to meet artists you respect and admire. Artists like the legendary Shiflett Bros. Brandon (on the left) and Jarrod (yup, that's him on the right) Shiflett are, without exaggeration, two of the best sculptors working in the F&SF field today. They've worked in film, they've

Immaculate Deception

2011-07-29T00:07:00.000-07:00

Yet another great opening for those of you in the Santa Monica area tonight. Immaculate Deception, exhibited at the Copro Gallery, spotlights the work of two female artists, Genevive Zacconi and Ewelina Koszykowski. The opening starts tonight, July 29th, at 8pm PST. Both women will be in attendance, having made the long trek from NYC.Genevive, is a Philadelphia native, born in 1981. Her oil

INTRODUCTION

2011-07-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

-By Justin SweetGlad to be here!Thanks to Dan and the rest of the guys for welcoming me in to this gang of talent. Hopefully I can contribute in a likewise worthy manner.Here's a little background on me. I started in games 17 years ago at Interplay Productions as a concept artist. My first job was illustrating an opening movie for a game called Dragon Dice. I was hired to do several black and and

Pirate Paintings for National Geographic

2011-07-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

Gregory ManchessSometimes, after waiting for the right assignment for many years, it finally shows up, at exactly the wrong time.I’d just finished a job that I swore I wouldn’t repeat: 10 paintings in 5 weeks. Long days of nothing but painting, eating, and sleeping. I hit the deadline and said, ‘never again.’ Two hours after laying down the brush, I got an email from National Geographic asking if

St. George Process: Digital vs. Watercolor & Ink

2011-07-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

By Justin GerardLast post I showed the St. George painting executed in watercolor and ink. Today I am going through the same piece, only this time, working in digital over the original pencil. My initial digital process (in CS5) is almost exactly the same as my traditional process. I use primarily multiply layers to work up the dark tones slowly until the right values are generally accomplished

ThunderCats Relaunched!

2011-07-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

-By Dan dos SantosI have mentioned before my love for 80's cartoons here on Muddy Colors, and if any of you attended the IMC this year, you certainly heard me tout it again. So needless to say, I am pretty excited about Cartoon Network relaunching ThunderCats this Friday, July 29th.I have seen so many movies and comics of late re-vamping old classics (even re-vamps of the re-vamps!), and rarely

Robert Hughes - Slow Art

2011-07-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's just about "Slow Art".

Design Assistant job available

2011-07-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

Tor Books has posted an available job for the position of Production/Design Assistant. The chosen applicant would be working directly under the award-winning Art Director, Irene Gallo.This is a great opportunity for those who love SFF art, but desire a more stable career than what freelancing can offer. For what it's worth, Irene Gallo herself started at Tor in a very similar fashion.More info

Almost Done

2011-07-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

by Eric FortuneI have two pieces in the upcoming group show at Jonathan LeVine Gallery next month. And surprise surprise I'm still scrambling to wrap up my second piece. I've been making good progress and for the last week or so I've been telling myself "ok, should be able to wrap this up in the next day or two". But this time, seriously, I think in the next day or two I should have this

R.I.P. Lucien Freud, 1923-2011

2011-07-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

It seems there are just way too many deaths in the art community this year.I am sorry to report that Wednesday night saw the passing of Lucien Freud. After a brief illness, he died in his home at the age of 88. Dubbed "The greatest living realist" by one art critic in the 1980's, Lucien's work was the subject of a large retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1993.Read more about it

Blood Divided

2011-07-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

-By Dan dos SantosHere's a new cover that just went went public yesterday. The image is for the book 'Blood Divided', by K.J. Breaux, and is the sequel to the book 'Soul Born', for which I also did the cover.For those of you keeping track, this is 'Red Painting #2' that I mentioned earlier this month. Not being completely satisfied with the previous painting, I decided to take some of what I

'Savage Beauty' update

2011-07-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

-By Dan dos SantosSo I just got back from the Alexander McQueen Retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum, and I must say, it was incredible. Quite possible the most amazing exhibition I've ever seen at the Met... period.I was expecting to see a lot of great work. What I wasn't expecting, was to walk into a custom crafted exhibition hall full of mirrors, projections, sound effects, wind machines,

do it again

2011-07-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Today I haven´t got too much about artwork to say. In fact I am trying NOT to think about artwork at all. I am in a tent in a little island in Sweden called Öland. It is rainy outside and I am crossing everything I got, hoping for sun tomorrow. I had a week up until vacation just painting 12 hours a day to make everything perfect and finished before vacation. That is why

The Rescuer

2011-07-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

by Petar MeseldzijaThe Rescuer, Oil on Masonite, 60 x 43 cm / 23,6 x 16,9 inch, 2011This painting, titled The Rescuer, has been commissioned by Pat and Jeannie Wilshire, who are the driving force behind the IlluXCon show. The painting will be used on the IlluXCon 4 promotion materials. The other two commissioned artists are Eric Fortune and Mark Zug. The original painting will be on display

ImagineFX Tutorials

2011-07-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

ImagineFX Magazine, an outstanding magazine for those interested in the creation of SF/F art, has long offer a large selection of FREE tutorials on their website. These tutorials, which are taken from back issues of their magazine, often include PDFs, PSDs, and custom brushes.The kind folks at ImagineFX have now added free video tutorials to the list of freebies they offer! They've only been

Spraying ceilings

2011-07-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

Nerdvana

2011-07-18T02:30:00.000-07:00

by Arnie FennerIt's that time of year again! If you're planning to attend Comic-Con International in San Diego this week, come on by the Donato Arts booth—#4503—and see... The illustrious Donato Giancola (who will be doing a painting demo sometime during the show), Stephan "Tex" Martiniere,Illustration Master Class Empress, Rebecca Guay, "Bad" Bill Carman, and myself along with the brains of

Spotlight On: JEFF SIMPSON, Part 2

2011-07-15T02:30:00.000-07:00

-By Jeff SimpsonThis painting should provide a pretty good representation of how my recent personal works are created. I’ve almost gotten it down to a formula now, which worries me a bit since I feel like whenever I have gotten used to a certain way of drawing or a certain technique, I need to find something new to keep it fresh and interesting for myself (Having said that though, I still only

Spotlight On: JEFF SIMPSON, Part 1

2011-07-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

Jeff Simpson's talent definitely exceeds his mere 25 years of age. I first stumbled across his work years ago on Conceptart.org, and quickly dragged everything he had available into my inspiration folder.Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Jeff currently works as a concept artist at Ubisoft Games. He has numerous projects to his credit, including the soon to be released 'Assassin's Creed: Revelations'

Jason Chan: The Wheel of Time

2011-07-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

Tor.com has just released the 14th cover in their 'Wheel of Time' e-book series. Each cover has been painted by a different artist, and this most recent addition is created by Jason Chan. A full write up about the creation of this cover, including a ton of progress shots, can be found on Tor's website. Click here for the hi-rez version with type treatment.For even more insight into Jason's

Firaxe

2011-07-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

Gregory Manchess An investigative team explores a crashed alien ship in blowing snow. This was a great opportunity to paint some favorite subjects for a Tor Books cover, Firaxe, by Michael Planck, art directed by Irene Gallo. We also used it as an assignment for the Illustration Master Class in June.Many of the students chose this assignment for their week’s painting focus. As they worked

Upcoming Exhibitions: Tran Nguyen & Andrew Hem

2011-07-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

July 16th marks the opening of two of my favorite young artists.Firstly, is Tran Nguyen, whom I had the pleasure of finally meeting at this year's IMC. Tran has just completed her show entitled 'The Synapse Between Here and There'. Tran's work is represented by Thinkspace Gallery, who will be holding the opening reception on July 16th at 6pm. The show will hang until August 6th. A sneak peek of

St. George Watercolor and Ink

2011-07-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

By Justin GerardLast post I showed a few drawings for the St. George Show for Gallery Nucleus. Drawing on BristolFor the first of the pieces I decided to paint a traditional version of the piece using the Rackham/Dulac watercolor and ink manner. I've always really enjoyed working in this way. William Stout recently did a great Write Up on the method. He gives a really solid and helpful

$8 Downloads!

2011-07-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

I just got an email about this, and thought a lot of our viewers could take advantage of this good news.Several Muddy Colors members have created instructional DVDs with Massive Black (The company behind Conceptart.org). Typically, these DVDs retail for about $50. However, MB is having a huge sale, and the downloadable versons are currently just $8 until August! This is a really big savings, and

Performance Art... Parody Vs Reality?

2011-07-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

By John Jude PalencarFor the sake of this post, I’m referring to two dimensional work. How many times without seeing their work have you heard an artist explain their art in an evasive pretentious manner? In some cases the artist will respond with.... ”it’s hard to explain my approach”. What they really mean is... “I’m just so unique that no one understands my genius”. In reality, when finally