50 Greatest Matte Paintings

Here is a nice article on the '50 Greatest Matte Paintings of All Time'.

Yup, that background in the picture above is a painting. And not a digital painting either. In fact, you'd be surprised at just how many of your favorite movies used matte paintings for critical scenes and you probably didn't even notice!

The rooftops in Blade Runner, the government warehouse in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the docking bays in Star Wars... the list goes on.

Personally, I feel like this 'Top 50' list has some glaring omissions, but it is a wonderful article nonetheless! Inspiring, informative, and very well researched.

If you'd like to learn more about the subject, I highly recommend the book 'The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting'. It is quite possible the best, and most beautiful, book you'll find on the subject.

That's Advertising For You

Even though book covers can be considered a form of advertising (as almost all illustration can be), When an artist refers to an 'Advertising' job, they usually referring to a specific niche of illustration, usually one dealign with magazines, film, billboards, national campaigns, music, etc.

Advertising jobs differ from book cover jobs in a lot of ways. Firstly, the budgets are usually a LOT bigger. Which is expected, since the workload, exposure, and money at stake, are all much larger.

The other difference though, and the one that often discourages a lot of illustrators from doing such jobs, is that instead of working with a single Art Director, the art approval process usually happens by committee... very large committees.

The typical result is, a lot of revisions.

And I mean a lot of revisions.

Of course, the client pays very well for these revisions, but are we really in this field for the money? For many, there comes a point when the money just isn't worth the frustration of a having a client change absolutely everything you just did for seemingly no good reason... only to then change it back.

One of the reasons for this problem is inherent in decisions made by committees. The fact is, you can't please everyone. If everyone gets their say, what you get is a mediocre mess.

(If you're ever speaking to a veteran illustrator, just ask them about their worst advertising experience. Without a doubt, they will have a nightmare story to relay.)

Take for instance the latest iteration of the 'Little Debbie' logo.

If I had to guess, the advertising agency in charge of this revamp likely spent 10's of thousands of dollars on this. They probably hired multiple artists to do something specific, then picked their favorite, and had that artist revise it until they were happy.

And what did they end up with?

Well, a logo that looks pretty much like what they had in the first place. And that's OK. It's good to revise things every now and then.

But the real question is, how many revisions did it take to accomplish this?

How many times did they send this picture back to the artist because he painted too many freckles... or he made her look 6 years old instead of 6 1/2... or her hair just didn't look juuuust the right amount of messy?

Care to guess how many times?






16 !

16 revisions, and a year to complete it.

You can read more about it HERE.

Kansas City, Here I Come!

-By Dan dos Santos

Today is the day! Just about every artist I know is currently en route to Kansas City for this year's Spectrum Live convention. Like most illustrators, convention time means a mad, last-minute scramble to get things in order. There is so much to do! Getting paintings framed and varnished, price tags made, posters printed, crates shipped out, blog posts scheduled... well, let's just say the cleanliness of one's studio tends to suffer a bit  (No joke... the above image is the current state of things while I write this).

For those of you who attending SFAL, please be sure to stop by the Muddy Colors booth (#612). We have some cool things in store!

Our tentative schedule is as follows:

Saturday 2:00 - 3:30: Oil Painting demo by Greg Manchess.

Saturday 4:30 - 6:00: Group Portfolio Reviews (Lauren Panepinto, Justin Gerard, Donato Giancola)

Sunday 11:00 - 12:30: Demo by Donato Giancola.

Sunday 11:00 - 12:30: Group Portfolio Reviews (Sam Weber, David Palumbo, Dan dos Santos)

There are of course a lot of Art Directors that will be doing formal reviews over the weekend, but what we are offering is a bit different. Our reviews will be conducted by a group of artists and AD alike. That means, we will be critiquing the work from an artistic standpoint, offering specific suggestions on how to improve your skills, not just your marketability. You will also be getting input from 3 different people simultaneously.

Maybe you think you're work just isn't ready to show an AD? Or maybe you are looking for ways to improve your art rather than shop it around? Either way, these reviews should prove really fun and insightful.

Space is extremely limited. Sign-ups for these reviews will go up first thing Saturday morning at the MC booth, and will be conducted on a first-come-first-serve basis... so if you're interested, I suggest getting there early to sign up .

Originals for Spectrum LIVE 2

Greg Manchess

Astronaut, 1920

This Friday is the opening of Spectrum LIVE 2!

I’m excited to not only be there, but this year we’ll have our own Muddy Colors booth, and many of us from the blog will be doing demo paintings right at the booth, organized by our founder, Dan Dos Santos. My demo is scheduled for 2pm to 3pm on Saturday.

The originals of the images I’m previewing here will be on display at my own booth, right next to Muddy’s, #612. Stop by and show me your work. Tor.com’s Irene Gallo will be doing portfolio reviews there as well!

After LIVE 2, I’ll post another round of helmet studies revealed at my booth this weekend.

Space Station Repair, 1925

Major Tom

We Reach The Moon, 1920

Fly! Fly!

Interview with Annie Stegg

By Justin Gerard

Today I am interviewing Annie Stegg. She is an amazing artist known for her paintings that are both whimsical and deeply classical. She has recently been working on a series of images based on the Thumbelina fairy tale which have been particularly awesome, and because I'm kind of a big deal, I was able to use the MuddyColors brand name to convince her to do an interview with me.  

JG: So let's get started. First question: Who's your favorite artist, and why is it Justin Gerard?

AS: Who's he again..?  

"The Toad"

8"x10"

Oil on panel

JG: Ahh.. well, he's a great… let's just move on: Your work is gorgeous and has a great classical sensibility to it.  Where did this come from?

AS: The 18th century Roccoco painters have always been a big inspiration to me. Their work has been a large influence on my own method. I have always loved the imagination and atmosphere in thier work. There is just such a wonderful atmosphere of enchantment in it. It's such a great period for imaginative realism. I love how the painters of that time period worked to transport us to different worlds and fantastic places.  This is something that I strive to recreate in my own paintings. 

"Thumbelina in the Marsh"

18"x24"

Oil on panel

JG: So speaking of your work, you are currently working on a series of paintings based on Hans Christian Anderson's Thumbelina fairy tale. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

AS: I have wanted to do a series on this fairy tale for a while now. The reason I like Thumbelina has largely to do with the magic and mystery of childhood.  When we are young, the world is so big and magical and I think you lose some of that when you grow up. I like to imagine a place where everything is still a little unknown, and there is so much left to discover. Stories like Thumbelina help you to see your own commonplace world with fresh eyes and you can begin to appreciate just how amazing the world really is again.  It's like being a child again in many ways, and capturing that sense of wonder about the world around us.

I am very excited to be debuting the first paintings I have started for this series at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 later this week. It's been fun planning out the pieces that will appear in this collection, and I am eager to see them all displayed together.

JG: Whats your favorite medium to work in?

AS: For the past year I have been working exclusively in oils, and mostly on Gessobord panels.  I think it's hard to commit to one medium or even a single working method all of the time, however.  I end up modifying my process every few paintings.  Experimenting helps me approach each painting with a fresh perspective and keeps things interesting.  

JG: Ok, to switch to a more serious subject for a moment: How do you predict the world will end? Robot uprising, alien invasion or zombie apocolypse? And What will you be doing when it happens?

AS: It's not going to be zombies. We are way too prepared for any of that.  If there was a zombie invasion it would be over in a few minutes.  People just can't wait to kill zombies. How many people do you know who have talked for hours and hours about how they would kill zombies if that happened? It would be over in minutes.   And aliens aren't coming here to destroy the planet.  They just want some starbucks.  

It will be the robots.  But I'm not really worried because we will have the best way of fighting those.  I think you can kill them with E.M.P.s right? So the earth wouldn't end. Not a problem. Next.

"The Swallow"

8"x10"

Oil on panel

JG: Would you agree that the first step to making excellent artwork is being really really ridiculously good-looking? 

AS: (Laughs)

JG:  No? I'm not sure I follow. What would you say is more important to becoming a successful artist?

AS: Having a lot of money! (Laughs)  Don't write that.  (JG pretends to erase) 
A lot of hard work and passion and drive.  You've got to really love it. Learning how to accept criticism is important as well.  To gain a better understanding of oneself, it is important to be open to other's perceptions. I believe that if you are excited about art and use that energy to push yourself, sooner or later you will be successful in it. 

JG: What is the most difficult part of being an illustrator and what is the most rewarding?

AS: The most difficult part is answering interview questions.  (JG shifts uncomfortably)
Actually, it would be any of the marketing and website side of things. I think it's really important to keep your website and blog up to date.  Art promotion is vital to becoming a successful artist. Social media gives us countless ways to get our work out there.  This also means that there are now so many different platforms that you have to manage and keep up to date!  It's important to keep viewers current on what you are creating, but at the same time you want to be making art, not trying to figure out what a tweet is.

The most rewarding...  Is it shallow to say that seeing people's reactions to your work is a big thing?  You become so closed off from society when you are creating. Then, a few times a year you finally get to see a response to your efforts. I think that part is always really rewarding. 

I feel very fortunate that I am able to attend several art conventions (like DragonCon, Spectrum Live, FaerieCon)  each year. Being surrounded by so many people who all share a common vision, depicted in thousands of styles and mediums is inspiring as well as comforting. 

"The Faerie Queen"

11"x14"

Oil on panel

JG: I see.  Who would you say has been the heaviest influence on your work?  

AS: I am lucky to have artists in my family.  Both of my grandparents paint, and are a huge inspiration to me.

My grandfather works with giant paintbrushes, standing far from the canvas and using broad strokes and vibrant colors. He frequently mentions that for him, art is not relaxing, it's a workout!  
On the opposite end of the spectrum, my grandmother uses thin, delicate washes of paint and small paintbrushes. She often scrubs the canvas with a rag to make wispy billowing shapes. Her works are often serine and soft, with subtle color palettes.

Being exposed to both of these very different methods has influenced the way I approach my work. I have learned, and am still learning, a great deal from them both.

JG: Thank you for your time and for sharing your work with us!

If you plan to attend Spectrum Live this week you can find Annie at booth #913.

To see more of Annie's Work, visit http://anniestegg.com

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Edit 5/14/2013 11 AM: 
My sketchbooks are in and are available again! Check them out at:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/JustinGerard