TODAY'S FEATURED POST

Good-bye 2025

David Palumbo

It is my randomly assigned honor to close out this calendar year for Muddy Colors and I would like to look back on some works which caught my eye in 2025.  This is not a "years best" or in any way claiming to be a complete survey of the field.  These are merely a selection of pieces that were made or released this year, so far as I can tell, which I felt deserve a…

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EVERYDAY ORIGINAL

Wolverine – In Your Face

YESTERDAY’S POST

Image

The Idea Map

Wylie Beckert

August 13, 2025 - The prevailing wisdom is that a painting starts with a sketch. My own methods are a little less direct; usually the beginning of one of my paintings looks something like this: I've found this sort of written concept exploration is damn near essential to making a good painting - first and foremost because it helps me avoid making the kind of rote images ("girl standing badassedly with sword; flames optional") with which the fantasy art world is already well-supplied. More surprisingly, it does quite a bit of the heavy lifting for a painting. It's a lot easier to get away with a bit of broken anatomy or an imperfect inkwash if your image is ABOUT something - keeping the eye and mind of the viewer too busy to dwell on the way you drew an…

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Muddy Colors is a collective of more than 20 artists, dedicated to providing a free, online resource for aspiring and professional artists alike.

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