So, what’s the deal with your username ‘Madwurmz’, where’d that come from?
The origin story; ‘Madwurmz’ started as a song title a friend came up with back when I was making music. When I moved on to drawing, I kept the name and expanded on the concept. It turned into this abstract idea of an unknown alien life-form, a fiction rooted in the real possibility that if we ever find extraterrestrial life, it might be something as simple as worms.
It’s also tied to two symbolic characters: the Mad Wurmz, Herb and Burb from Planet Verbs.
Their meaning is up for interpretation, but in a way, what started as something metaphorical became something more tangible through my art.
In 2001, a tech-savvy friend offered me a free domain, and so Madwurmz.com was born. Then in 2020, I officially registered as a graphic designer under the same name. So yeah, it all started with a song title and just kept growing.
can of worms by madwurmz
How did you get involved with ColorsLive from the very first version, and what’s a standout memory from those early days?
It was around 2007, so long ago that the exact details are a bit blurry, but I do remember that the internet felt like a much more creatively stimulating place back then. There was this forum for homebrew developments, especially for consoles like the Nintendo DS. That’s where Jens first posted about his painting app, showing off this technical trick to enable pressure sensitivity on a screen that didn’t officially support it. It felt like pure technical wizardry, and I was really impressed by the concept.
I reached out and offered to help design the user interface, picturing a colorful style that fit the app’s name, Colors! Around the same time, JetBoy was involved in building the online gallery. We mainly communicated through email, and as things got more serious, like Apple announcing the App Store, we kept working together. Later, when we moved onto the 3DS version, we finally met in person in Stockholm.
I think the most standout memory is related to me personally getting the app and being motivated to get more into digital painting, because I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, but Colors! is what really pulled me into digital painting. Before that, I was already using Illustrator and Photoshop for graphic work, so it felt like a natural evolution. Eventually, I expanded further when I got a Wacom tablet and started using Photoshop for painting as well.
Did you say you met Jens in Stockholm? So… do you still have Stockholm syndrome?
Yes, and yes. Stockholm is a great city! I haven’t traveled that much in my life, so it kind of stuck with me, still in my mind like an unforgettable trip. Jens invited me along to meet some of his friends, including the folks at Arrowhead Game Studios, and we even had dinner with Notch and jeb_ from Mojang Studios!
What’s your favorite part of the Colors Live app that you’ve worked on?
I enjoy every part of the process, especially seeing the designs come to life through Jens’ technical magic. Every detail matters to me, from spacing and margins to the tiniest icons. I also like that it’s a personal project for us, it’s all about subjective ordering, refining the look and feel until everything comes together just right.
What’s your favorite painting you’ve made with the app?
I’m not sure, I’ve deleted a lot of my older pictures, so my favorites are just the ones I decided to keep posted. But really, I need to create more work!
I actually have multiple accounts: @madwurmz.com, @madwurmz, and @the$t*. Most of my new work goes to @madwurmz, but when I feel nostalgic, I post on @madwurmz.com. It’s kind of arbitrary, though @madwurmz.com has my most refined paintings, while @the$t* is more experimental.
Marilyn Monroe by madwurmz.com
How do you work on the app, is it all chaos, or is there a method to your madness?
I try to shape as much as possible on paper first; sketching icons, layouts and details before moving to digital. Then I discuss rough digital versions with Jens, refining things along the way. Once everything feels right, I finalize the designs in Illustrator and Photoshop. Jens even created this funny document to optimize our workflow, making the whole project very accessible, something totally unique… but I won’t talk about that!
What’s keeping you busy now, any new hobbies or secret projects?
Lately, I’ve been getting into physical painting with gouache. I’ve posted a few drawings in our Discord and want to keep exploring that. Creativity isn’t always easy, though, I sometimes feel bad for losing track of past hobbies. When I learn something new, I get fully immersed in it. If I’m deep into painting, I can’t seem to make music, and if I’m making music, I struggle to paint. Sometimes I also get into more technical stuff like AI or HTML, or I simply learn things, whether it’s 3D, reading, or anything else.
What’s your favorite gear, and how do you like using Colors!? Got a killer art setup or any cool toys?
I still have all the old devices that Colors! runs on, each one holds a special memory. I think I used the 3DS more than the Switch, just because it was such a fun experience. These days, my Wacom Cintiq is probably my favorite piece of gear, even though I don’t use it as much as I’d like. We also created a demo of ColorsLive for PC, which I use for testing and painting. It’s probably the best way to use the app.
What’s the most useless superpower you’d want to have, but only while painting, and how would it completely ruin or revolutionize your art?
That’s a weird question! But actually, I spend an absurd amount of time obsessing over proportions, anatomy, and tricks to stay true to reference. So, my superpower would be the ability to draw exactly what I see, no sketching, no construction lines, no eyeballing or second-guessing. Just flawless accuracy, like having photographic memory combined with perfect hand control. It sounds amazing, but maybe it’d ruin the fun. No more struggle, no more discovery, just perfect output. But it might not fulfill that feeling of accomplishment. It could turn the act of drawing into something mechanical, and probably ruin what makes crafting fun in the first place.
veins areteries by madwurmz
Top 3 favorite Colors Live artworks?
Picking just three is impossible! The gallery is so incredibly diverse, with amazing pieces, years old and brand new. Instead of specific artworks, I find myself drawn to artists who have carefully curated their 'following' and 'favorites' lists. It's interesting because my own following/favorites can sometimes feel more like giving that little +1 boost to their number, like a silent social engagement! :) so I admire the ones who are really selective about it. I really love discovering the favorites of my favorite artists. Take Twarda, for example: I absolutely admire her art, but I also deeply respect her mindful list of artists she clearly admires and follows.
Opisthocoelicaudia by Twarda
Favorite artist on Colors Live or beyond?
I think Acchan is an especially solid artist, he’s just doing what he loves, focusing on fantasy landscapes and Japanese culture-inspired themes, and he’s highly skilled at it. I also really admire Twarda’s work, her blending is incredible, and her focus on dinosaurs and monsters is original and really fresh.
アポロジー by Acchan
Alien lifeform by Twarda
In the gallery, I really appreciate the #rdcontest initiative by @Tall73.
Lowly and riding on a donkey by tall73
We enjoy giving feedback on realism paintings under that tag, and I appreciate all the effort people put into it.
Outside the gallery, I’ve actually been compiling a list of my all-time favorite top 10 time artists to refine my personal taste. Right now, I’d say William Bouguereau is the best painter ever, his work is just pure perfection. I’m really drawn to academic realism; I can’t even imagine the level of training those artists had to go through. But I also love Impressionism, with its more expressive, rough brushstrokes.
William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905)
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917)
Gil Elvgren (1914–1980)
Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836–1912)
Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904)
Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889)
Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921)
Henri-Pierre Picou (1824–1895)
Luis Ricardo Falero (1851–1896)
Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873)
I also love cartoons; it’s a whole other topic, but something I really enjoy. On ColorsLive, I especially like seeing how people create their own cartoon characters. Over the years, we’ve had many great artists come and go, so a special shoutout to all the users who are still active!
:)
Next week learn about our resident dino enthusiast @Twarda!
The origin story; ‘Madwurmz’ started as a song title a friend came up with back when I was making music. When I moved on to drawing, I kept the name and expanded on the concept. It turned into this abstract idea of an unknown alien life-form, a fiction rooted in the real possibility that if we ever find extraterrestrial life, it might be something as simple as worms.
It’s also tied to two symbolic characters: the Mad Wurmz, Herb and Burb from Planet Verbs.
Their meaning is up for interpretation, but in a way, what started as something metaphorical became something more tangible through my art.
In 2001, a tech-savvy friend offered me a free domain, and so Madwurmz.com was born. Then in 2020, I officially registered as a graphic designer under the same name. So yeah, it all started with a song title and just kept growing.
can of worms by madwurmz
How did you get involved with ColorsLive from the very first version, and what’s a standout memory from those early days?
It was around 2007, so long ago that the exact details are a bit blurry, but I do remember that the internet felt like a much more creatively stimulating place back then. There was this forum for homebrew developments, especially for consoles like the Nintendo DS. That’s where Jens first posted about his painting app, showing off this technical trick to enable pressure sensitivity on a screen that didn’t officially support it. It felt like pure technical wizardry, and I was really impressed by the concept.
I reached out and offered to help design the user interface, picturing a colorful style that fit the app’s name, Colors! Around the same time, JetBoy was involved in building the online gallery. We mainly communicated through email, and as things got more serious, like Apple announcing the App Store, we kept working together. Later, when we moved onto the 3DS version, we finally met in person in Stockholm.
I think the most standout memory is related to me personally getting the app and being motivated to get more into digital painting, because I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, but Colors! is what really pulled me into digital painting. Before that, I was already using Illustrator and Photoshop for graphic work, so it felt like a natural evolution. Eventually, I expanded further when I got a Wacom tablet and started using Photoshop for painting as well.
Did you say you met Jens in Stockholm? So… do you still have Stockholm syndrome?
Yes, and yes. Stockholm is a great city! I haven’t traveled that much in my life, so it kind of stuck with me, still in my mind like an unforgettable trip. Jens invited me along to meet some of his friends, including the folks at Arrowhead Game Studios, and we even had dinner with Notch and jeb_ from Mojang Studios!
What’s your favorite part of the Colors Live app that you’ve worked on?
I enjoy every part of the process, especially seeing the designs come to life through Jens’ technical magic. Every detail matters to me, from spacing and margins to the tiniest icons. I also like that it’s a personal project for us, it’s all about subjective ordering, refining the look and feel until everything comes together just right.
What’s your favorite painting you’ve made with the app?
I’m not sure, I’ve deleted a lot of my older pictures, so my favorites are just the ones I decided to keep posted. But really, I need to create more work!
I actually have multiple accounts: @madwurmz.com, @madwurmz, and @the$t*. Most of my new work goes to @madwurmz, but when I feel nostalgic, I post on @madwurmz.com. It’s kind of arbitrary, though @madwurmz.com has my most refined paintings, while @the$t* is more experimental.
Marilyn Monroe by madwurmz.com
How do you work on the app, is it all chaos, or is there a method to your madness?
I try to shape as much as possible on paper first; sketching icons, layouts and details before moving to digital. Then I discuss rough digital versions with Jens, refining things along the way. Once everything feels right, I finalize the designs in Illustrator and Photoshop. Jens even created this funny document to optimize our workflow, making the whole project very accessible, something totally unique… but I won’t talk about that!
What’s keeping you busy now, any new hobbies or secret projects?
Lately, I’ve been getting into physical painting with gouache. I’ve posted a few drawings in our Discord and want to keep exploring that. Creativity isn’t always easy, though, I sometimes feel bad for losing track of past hobbies. When I learn something new, I get fully immersed in it. If I’m deep into painting, I can’t seem to make music, and if I’m making music, I struggle to paint. Sometimes I also get into more technical stuff like AI or HTML, or I simply learn things, whether it’s 3D, reading, or anything else.
What’s your favorite gear, and how do you like using Colors!? Got a killer art setup or any cool toys?
I still have all the old devices that Colors! runs on, each one holds a special memory. I think I used the 3DS more than the Switch, just because it was such a fun experience. These days, my Wacom Cintiq is probably my favorite piece of gear, even though I don’t use it as much as I’d like. We also created a demo of ColorsLive for PC, which I use for testing and painting. It’s probably the best way to use the app.
What’s the most useless superpower you’d want to have, but only while painting, and how would it completely ruin or revolutionize your art?
That’s a weird question! But actually, I spend an absurd amount of time obsessing over proportions, anatomy, and tricks to stay true to reference. So, my superpower would be the ability to draw exactly what I see, no sketching, no construction lines, no eyeballing or second-guessing. Just flawless accuracy, like having photographic memory combined with perfect hand control. It sounds amazing, but maybe it’d ruin the fun. No more struggle, no more discovery, just perfect output. But it might not fulfill that feeling of accomplishment. It could turn the act of drawing into something mechanical, and probably ruin what makes crafting fun in the first place.
veins areteries by madwurmz
Top 3 favorite Colors Live artworks?
Picking just three is impossible! The gallery is so incredibly diverse, with amazing pieces, years old and brand new. Instead of specific artworks, I find myself drawn to artists who have carefully curated their 'following' and 'favorites' lists. It's interesting because my own following/favorites can sometimes feel more like giving that little +1 boost to their number, like a silent social engagement! :) so I admire the ones who are really selective about it. I really love discovering the favorites of my favorite artists. Take Twarda, for example: I absolutely admire her art, but I also deeply respect her mindful list of artists she clearly admires and follows.
Opisthocoelicaudia by Twarda
Favorite artist on Colors Live or beyond?
I think Acchan is an especially solid artist, he’s just doing what he loves, focusing on fantasy landscapes and Japanese culture-inspired themes, and he’s highly skilled at it. I also really admire Twarda’s work, her blending is incredible, and her focus on dinosaurs and monsters is original and really fresh.
アポロジー by Acchan
Alien lifeform by Twarda
In the gallery, I really appreciate the #rdcontest initiative by @Tall73.
Lowly and riding on a donkey by tall73
We enjoy giving feedback on realism paintings under that tag, and I appreciate all the effort people put into it.
Outside the gallery, I’ve actually been compiling a list of my all-time favorite top 10 time artists to refine my personal taste. Right now, I’d say William Bouguereau is the best painter ever, his work is just pure perfection. I’m really drawn to academic realism; I can’t even imagine the level of training those artists had to go through. But I also love Impressionism, with its more expressive, rough brushstrokes.
William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905)
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917)
Gil Elvgren (1914–1980)
Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836–1912)
Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904)
Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889)
Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921)
Henri-Pierre Picou (1824–1895)
Luis Ricardo Falero (1851–1896)
Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873)
I also love cartoons; it’s a whole other topic, but something I really enjoy. On ColorsLive, I especially like seeing how people create their own cartoon characters. Over the years, we’ve had many great artists come and go, so a special shoutout to all the users who are still active!
:)
Next week learn about our resident dino enthusiast @Twarda!
