TODAY'S FEATURED POST

JIM HENSON PRESENTS NO. 4 – THE STORYTELLER

Cory Godbey

Over the years, I’ve chronicled my affection for and work within the worlds created by Jim Henson and Brian Froud here on Muddy Colors. From the official prequel novels for The Dark Crystal (which became the foundation for the Netflix series) to original works set within Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, to creating the 40th anniversary poster, and more, I’ve had the opportunity over the last 15 years to work on some amazing projects with…

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EVERYDAY ORIGINAL

Fish Dreams

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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