Italian Market "Buon Natale" card

I was asked to create a new card for the Italian Market Visitors Center here in Philadelphia.
I loved drawing these little shops that are right in my neighborhood!

You can also pick up some pizzelle cards in the Visitor Center this holiday season:

If you can't get to Philly, but would still like one, you can order them in my Etsy shop.

Go West! Craft Fest flyer and Fall Events

I had the opportunity to illustrate this year's Go West! Craft Fest Holiday flyer.

I loved drawing these birds. All of them are birds that you could see at West Philly feeders in the winter. I also included the setting for the event, The Rotunda.

The text was done by Emily Dorn of VIX Emporium.

Here is a look at my preliminary drawing:

Here's a look at the birds close up:

I want to thank everyone who came out for the Art Star Craft Bazaar this November. It was a great time! I shared a space with Bethany of Stanley, Chester & Albert. You can see more of her work here.

we are all set up here at #artstarcraftbazaar until 6! sharing a booth with the lovely @sarahryandraws. #clay #ceramics #pottery #stanleychesteralbert #handmade #handmadeinphilly #madeinwestphilly #simeonemuseum

A photo posted by Stanley Chester & Albert (@stanleychesteralbert) on Nov 7, 2015 at 8:24am PST

I also had a great time this past Sunday at the Cynwyd Station Cafe Fall Festival. I was set up right next to Melissa of Popped Stitches. She just set up a Facebook page that you should definitely like!

All set up @cynwydstationcafe Fall Fest! The sun is shining, the trail is gorgeous and the coffee is brewing! Come on out and get a start on your holiday shopping! I have ornaments, soon-to-be-retired glow in the dark zodiacs and much more! Bonus, you can meet my sexy helper and our dog! #poppedstitches #crossstitch #fallfest #ornaments #glowinthedark #constellations #zodiac #wearableart #royaltenenbaums

A photo posted by Melissa Mccullough (@poppedstitches) on Nov 15, 2015 at 7:38am PST

I'll have work at the Main Line Art Center until this Saturday, November 22. There are loads of great handmade goods there for early holiday shopping.

My last event for November will be A Bit of the Arts in Lansdowne on Black Friday and Small business Saturday. I hope to see a lot of Delco people there :)

HUGE Fall Update

I have not stayed on top of my blog this fall, but that's a good thing! It means I was super busy.

Here's what I've been up to:

New Work:

I created some new Philadelphia inspired work.

I used West Philly row houses for my references for the two pieces below. I think West Philly has the most beautiful houses in the whole city. 

Penn's Woods I, watercolor & graphite on Rives BFK, 26x11”, 2015.

“Penn’s Woods II, watercolor & graphite on Rives BFK, 26x11”, 2015".

Here are some closer looks:

Another new piece was inspired by one of my very favorite buildings in Philadelphia, The Divine Lorraine Hotel. The hotel has been empty and unkept for years, but many people in Philly are really fond of this building. Read more about it here.

“Divine Lorraine Hive, watercolor & graphite on Rives BFK, 11x14”, 2015."

Here's a closer look:

Philadelphia has some of the best food! One of my favorite snacks are Philly soft pretzels. This raccoon stole one! (He's way better than New York's pizza rat)

“Pretzel Bandit, watercolor & graphite on Rives BFK, 8x10”, 2015."

 I've made notecards of this raccoon too:

Prints and cards of all of this work have been added to Etsy.

Faunadelphia:

The work above was shown at The Art Dept. gallery in Fishtown as part of a show, Faunadelphia.

The show opened on a dark and stormy night, and I am so grateful to anyone who made it out!

Photo credit: Arlene Beltran

 There are some more great photos, and an article about The Art Dept. on the Knack Philadelphia blog.

Photos of The Art Dept by Knack Philadelphia

Emily from The Art Dept. also stopped by for a studio visit, and took some fun photos:

Hey, that's me! See you Friday! #Repost @artdeptphilly with @repostapp ・・・ @sarahryandraws getting ready for Friday's exhibition opening 6-9pm at the #artdeptphilly #firstfriday #watercolor #phillyart #philadelphia #philly #clips215 @phillycitypaper

A photo posted by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Sep 30, 2015 at 2:13pm PDT

4th and Cross:

I have my work up at the South Philly restaurant, Fourth and Cross until January.

Check out some framed prints (and a couple originals) of mine at @fourthandcross ! Eat some delicious food and enjoy the neighborhood. #visitphilly #fourthandcross #sarahdrawsthings

A photo posted by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Sep 1, 2015 at 12:33pm PDT

They have the best fries! Stop by and check out the place.

Events:

I got to participate in some really fun events this fall. The photos below are from Go West! Craft Fest, The River City Festival, and the Old City Festival.

Thank you so much to anyone who stopped by my table to say hi!

Stockists:

I am in two additional stores since August.

I have cards available at the baby goods store, Minnow Lane in Fishtown. I'm also in Nice Things Handmade on East Passyunk; you can pick up cards, prints, and brooches there.

You can see a map of my stockists in Philadelphia here.

Upcoming Events:

Here's my schedule for the month of November:

There are loads of fun things coming up!

The first event is The Fall Art Star Craft Bazaar this weekend.

You can get all of the details on their website here.

I just made a poster for the holiday Go West! Craft Fest. I'll share it in my next post, so check back soon!

Philly Nest

Philly Nest, watercolor and graphite on Rives BFK, 16x20", 2015.

I have been not keeping this poor blog up to date!

I'm currently working on a lot of Philadelphia themed drawings for a gallery show in October. Here's one of the bigger pieces.

The preliminary drawing looked like this:

Here are some detailed shots:

Cardinals & Hydrangeas

This sweet painting was done as a wedding commission, but it's also available in my Etsy store.

I'll also have it with me this Saturday at the Art Star Pop-Up Market at Spruce St Harbor Park. If you haven't visited the park yet, stop by! It's one of the best outdoor places in Philly.

Spring Projects and Events Update

So it's pretty clear now that I absolutely suck at updating this blog. This post will just be a round-up of what I've been up to this spring.

The drawing above is a commission I'm working on for a wedding gift. If you have a gift in mind for someone close to you, feel free to email me at sarah.m.ryan@gmail.com .

I posted a closer look on Instagram over the weekend:

A photo posted by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on May 3, 2015 at 11:46am PDT

I also had a lettering commission for a local band called Momma Hankton. The photos below show some of that process and the final product:

If you are in the Philly area, and love to support local music, check them out here: http://www.mommahankton.com

Lastly, I've already started my spring out with two great events, Crafty Balboa and Go West Craft Fest. Here are some other upcoming events:


If you are in the Philly area, stop by and say hi!

Elephant Wreath

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share an illustration I finished earlier this month. Elephant ears were really fun to draw!

It's also available as a print on Etsy.

Here's a close up, for the details:

I drew this for some very special people who got married last year:

Speaking of weddings, my mermaid illustration is on some wedding invites available through Concertina Press. 

I love Ruth's design for them. Check out her other nautical stationary at www.concertinapress.com .

Heron Hello

Heron Hello, watercolor & graphite on Rives BFK, 8x10", 2015.

I finished another little bird notecard design this week. This time it's a Great Blue Heron.

The notecards are available on Etsy.

I've been posting a lot of in progress shots of my work on Instagram. If you're interested in that kind of this, please follow here:

#wip #illustration

A photo posted by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Feb 17, 2015 at 11:58am PST

Wren Party

Carolina Wren Party, watercolor & graphite on Rives BFK, 8x10", 2015.

Happy Monday, everyone!

I just finished this little illustration of Carolina Wrens having a party.

It's also available as a new notecard on Etsy.

Stay Warm!

Cardinal Notecard

Cardinal Pair, watercolor & graphite on Rives BFK, 8x10", 2015.

This cardinal notecard is the first of a few bird themed cards I've been working on.

You can find it here on Etsy.

Usually getting the colors to print how I want is pretty strait forward. This time I clearly had a little more trouble. Maybe I'm just being picky, and they all look the same:

Spaghetti Valentine

I created a new notecard this week for Valentine's Day. I'm not usually super into the holiday, but food was involved with this illustration. I can always go for spaghetti and meatballs!

If you're in Philly, you can pick it up at The Italian Market Visitor Center.
If you're from anywhere else, it's available in my Etsy store.

Teapot Deer

Teapot Deer, watercolor & graphite on Rives BFK, 8 x 10", 2015.

Hello again!

I hope everyone's had a great start to your new year!

I finally finished artwork for my niece's nursery. This little fawn goes with the hedgehog in a teacup I posted last year.

If you would like your own copy, they are available as 5x7" prints in my Etsy store.

I hope you enjoy this little bit of spring in January!