The Big Picture of Copyrights and Trademarks
Here on Muddy Colors, we’ve talked about copyright a few times, but I wanted to bring it up...
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Author: Lauren Panepinto
Mental Illness and Artists
There is a myth that pervades the art world that I think is very harmful and would like to address...
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How to “Leave Room” for Type
Hello everyone! This month I’m shooting down a myth many illustrators have about...
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Should You Go To Art School: A Flow Chart
The question of whether someone should go to art school or not is a smaller conversation in the bigger “Is Higher Education Worth the Cost” debate raging everywhere (especially in the US). Student debt can be crippling to someone starting out in any field, but it is often extra hard to bear as an artist because most artists will not come out of school able to pull in enough money to support themselves solely off…
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Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation
I want to bring up a complicated issue here that has been coming up very often lately in my conversation with artists, and which I deal with often in my role as a creative director in publishing: What is cultural appropriation, and how does it affect what artists make? As media becomes more and more diverse, the question comes up: who has the right to tell which stories? Can an author write a character that…
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Confidence Tune-Up
Happy New Year everybody! January is a month of good intentions and fresh starts. And the best way...
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Artist Wills & Legacies
Look, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news right at the start of the new year, but…you’re going to die. I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but we are all going to die. We spend our lives avoiding thinking about it, but it’s the one true unavoidable event. And we don’t really prepare. Those of us who have children tend to be better about doing at least a…
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15 Ways to Tip Artists
My column this month is smack between a ton of holidays, and regardless of your national and...
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Freelance Wars
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s crazy deadline time for our Focus sales meetings at Orbit, so my post tonight will be brief. However, since it is my post closest to Halloween, I will leave you a treat. (Like when I gifted you all with the Supernatural Art Director post. Or the Dune post.)Behold…FREELANCE WARSpic.twitter.com/LxsSGpdOdY — Freelance Wars (@FreelanceWars) January 22, 2018pic.twitter.com/Ma5BtkQQM8 — Freelance Wars (@FreelanceWars) February 5, 2018pic.twitter.com/s0lMtz4dKq — Freelance Wars (@FreelanceWars)…
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4 Art Directors Talk About Book Design
If you’re not a designer (and typography nerd) you might not have heard of the Type Directors Club. The TDC is based in NYC, but holds the most prestigious international typography competition every year. The TDC is a great organization and it holds seminars and talks all year, as well as bestow student scholarships. There’s a great archive of talks and videos on their youtube channel. Every year the TDC also holds a Book Nite,…
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Process Post: Soulless Illustrated
I’ve been working at Orbit Books as their Creative Director for 10 years! Which means that...
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The Art of the Pitch
I talk a lot about art business and art careers here on Muddy Colors, and if I had to pick one...
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Hannah Gadsby’s “Nanette”
I don’t often do review posts, but every once in a while I see something that knocks my...
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Magic for Artists Part 3: Runes, Sigils & More
Welcome back to my Magic for Artists series. If you haven’t read the previous two posts, you should probably do that (I’ll wait here). First there was an intro post, Magic for Artists Part One, that discussed why I think it’s valuable for artists to think about magic and how it can be used as a tool to access our subconscious & our inspiration. After that head to Tarot (and other Decks) for Artists,…
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Magic for Artists Part 2: Tarot & Other Decks
Welcome back to my Magic for Artists series. If you missed Part 1, go back and read it now,...
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