In my humble, Muppet-loving opinion, there are two categories of Muppet fan art that stand out from the rest. The first is the hyper-realistic, extremely detailed, spot-on art that truly captures the Muppets as they are. The other (and arguably better) is when an artist can put their own stylistic spin on the characters, creating something unique that brings out the true essence of the Muppets.
Julia Vaccina’s art is a perfect example of the latter. As you’ll see below, she created a flourish to the Muppets that I’ve never seen before, and yet they fit their personalities extremely well. They’re fun and animated (and in some cases, actually animated), and each one is further proof that Julia has a deep love and respect for the Muppets, along with all that artistic talent.
Here’s a little note from Julia about her relationship with Jim Henson and the Muppets:
I was first exposed to the Muppets in my teenage years, but it was only after watching Labyrinth for the first time two years ago that I realized what incredible craft puppetry is! I started researching, watching, and reading as much as I could about the topic. Reading the Jim Henson biography by Brian Jay Jones was one of the most life-changing books for me. It made me cherish Jim’s personality, characters, friends, and colleagues and it inspired me to do my best to improve my art. What I probably love the most about the Muppets is the relationship between the characters because it reflects Jim and his team. They were more than just team workers, they were a bizarre and lovable family.
If you like Julia’s work, we hope you’ll follow her on Instagram and Twitter, or just check out more of her work on her website. Many, many thanks to Julia for allowing us to share her incredible artwork!
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by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
