New on Etsy: Beer Squirrel Card

You can find there squirrels on Etsy here.

They were originally used for the Last Call Holiday Haul flyer:

 This was a great event organized by a group I've been a member of for the past year, The Independent Makers of Philadelphia.

Here's a look at the original painting and preliminary sketches:

Pet Portrait: Finbar

I had a great time drawing Finbar, and now that Christmas I can share this portrait.

This was a memorial portrait, and the request was for something green or Irish to go with the portrait. So, I added some celtic knots, and I researched some green and white butterflies that can be found in Ireland.

Here's a look at the preliminary drawing:

Here's a shot from my Instagram stories with a look at it in progress (on a Monday, haha):

New on Etsy: Raccoon Pretzel Brooch

This has been a request from quite a few people!

The raccoon pretzel illustration from my notecard is now a brooch. You can find it on Etsy here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/571141187/raccoon-pretzel-brooch

Inktober: The End

Whew! Catching up with this blog!

Thank you Thank you Thank you for all of your support in 2017! I was so busy, I haven't posted in a while.

I know I never posted all of my Inktober drawings, so here's an Instagram post that shows them all:

Hey guys! I'm going to bail out of the rest of Inktober. I feel a lot of pressure with the holiday season coming up, and even the half hour I give to this exercise feels like a lot. I will be posting lots of drawings! There will be new prints and cards and a few puppies too. So stay tuned for that. This was a fun exercise... I don't usually have time to just draw without it being "for something". It was hard to share drawings that I thought weren't as strong as my pencil work. It's something I can definitely improve upon. I did like a few of these drawings though... Especially the roadrunner and walrus. Thanks for checking all of my posts out!! #inktober #sketchbook #pen #micron #sketch #inktober2017 #illustration

A post shared by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Oct 20, 2017 at 7:32am PDT

Pet Portrait: Holly

Earlier this month I got to draw sweet Holly.

I wanted to include a holly plant without seeming too Christmasy, so I chose summer holly.

Here's a look at the preliminary drawing:

You can order your own pet portrait here.

New on Etsy: Bat Card

I liked my Inktober bat drawing, so I redrew it in gouache and pencil.

It's now available on Etsy as a card

 Here's a look at part of the original drawing:

Inktober Week Two

Here are my drawings for the second week of #Inktober:
you can see week one and a list of the prompts here.

8. Crooked

9: Screech

10. Gigantic

11. Run

12. Shattered

13. Teeming

14. Fierce

Inktober Week One

I have been participating in this year's #Inktober

Drawing with ink isn't my strength, so it's good practice. I'm keeping each drawing only 3-4" and using it as a warm up or end of day exercise.

Here are the official rules and prompt list:

Here are my drawings for the first week:

1. Swift

2. Divided

3. Poison

4. Underwater

5. Long

6. Sword

7. Shy

Narrative Art

Earlier this fall, I started an entry for a children's illustration contest. Unfortunately, I never had the time to finish; I was pretty disappointed.

The them was mystery, and you had to tell a story in three illustrations. I chose to tell a story about missing dinosaur books.

I will revisit these at some point, but I think I need to give myself some more time and distance from them.

Pet Portrait: Gary

Gary, gouache and pencil on Rives BFK, 8x10", 2017.

I don't just draw cats and dogs for pet portraits! You can commission one of your scaly friends too.

This is Gary, an adorable leopard gecko.

Pet Portrait: Martin

Martin, gouache and pencil on Rives BFK, 8x10", 2017.

I had the opportunity to draw Martin's portrait. His owners wanted something that represented his time in Pennsylvania, including seeing snow for the first time.

Here's a look at the preliminary drawing:

And a look at the drawing in progress with some of my references:

Cats cats cats 🐈 . . . . #petportrait #cat #catsofinstagram #drawing #sketch #sketchbook #catportrait #art #drawing #pentel #tombow #artistsoninstagram #pencil #illustrator #illustration

A post shared by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Jul 11, 2017 at 3:30pm PDT

Beaver Card

I've been working on some winter designs for Groundswell Greetings. Here are some happy beavers drinking hot chocolate :)

It's not hot cocoa and scarf weather? Well, I can pretend ❄❄❄ . . . . . #sketch #sketchbook #animalart #drawing #pencil #groundswellgreetings #illustrator #illustration #winteriscoming #animalsinhats #art #artwork #artistsoninstagram

A post shared by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Jul 15, 2017 at 12:08pm PDT

I posted this sketch on Instagram, but ended up simplifying the final drawing. I used more stylized fur lines because of the size of the card, and because I thought it looked cute.

Also, look for my cards in my newest stockist, Renee James Boutique in Havertown.

New cards from @sarahryandraws are in the Boutique! Being an animal lover I especially ❤️these cards!😻🐶🐰🐹🐨🐒🐸🐯! #rjb#reneejames #reneejamesboutique #boutiqueshopping #greetingcards #sarahdrawsthings #phillysuburbs #shopsmall #shoplocal #havertown #delco #mainline

A post shared by Renee James Boutique (@reneejamesboutique) on Jul 21, 2017 at 9:41am PDT

Alligator Valentine

This is another design for Groundswell Greetings. It's still going on the American wildlife theme. ai know that American alligators are mostly black and yellow, but I wanted this to be a little more colorful. I made yellow bunnies and a purple raccoon before, so brightly colored animals fit with my other work.

I love reptiles. I'm not sure why I haven't drawn them much before. I should definitely draw more!

Here's a look at my preliminary drawing, and a look at the very beginning of my drawing:

Unicorn Card

I have a brand new unicorn card available on Etsy!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/531732535/unicorn-you-are-magical-notecard

Here's the preliminary drawing:

Pet Portrait: Hoss

I loved painting Hoss and her tennis balls!

Here's a look at the preliminary drawing:

Commission your own portrait on Etsy!

Spring Catch Up!!!

If you follow me on social media, you've already seen these things.

I realized I never poster them on my blog, so here goes nothing:

The NFL Draft

The NFL Draft was in Philly this year. I was one of 16 artists to be asked by Mural Arts and the NFL to paint live during the NFL Draft. I had never painted live in front of an audience before, so I was excited, but also anxious before the event. We had to paint players who were drafted as they were drafted, so there was really no way to know ahead of time who you would represent. It was fast paced work! Time lapse cameras captured the whole experience:

NFL on Twitter

32 picks. 32 paintings. Local Philly artists #PaintedTheFuture to celebrate the #NFLDraft 1st Round. https://t.co/39KvmNK0Qd

We worked on prepainted canvases. I painted Jamal Adams for the New York Jets and Charles Harris for the Miami Dolphins:

Today's @nfl and @muralarts live painting progress ... Painting @presidentmal__ in his new team colors (I had the Jets!) Gotta finish this one and then start painting the 🐬. . . . . . #nfl #nfldraft #jamaladams #nyc #newyorkjets #philly #muralarts #art #painting #livepainting #artist #artistsoninstagram #portrait

A post shared by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Apr 27, 2017 at 10:26pm PDT

Before and after. This is Charles Harris, the pick for the Dolphins. Live painting is done! Thank you @muralarts and @nfl for the opportunity! . . . . . #visitphilly #nfl🏈 #nfldraft #miamidolphins #charlesharris #football #painting #livepainting #art #artist #muralarts #illustration #artist #sports #dolphins

A post shared by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Apr 28, 2017 at 2:54pm PDT

Philly.com caught me working:

You can read about the whole thing, and see more pictures on the Mural Arts site:

Painting the Future with the NFL - Mural Arts Philadelphia

When the National Football League approached us at Mural Arts Philadelphia about using painting to commemorate the 2017 NFL Draft this April, we weren't sure what to expect. Philadelphia is a proud sports city, and we've done murals for the Eagles, the Phillies, and most recently the 76ers, but we'd never done anything like this.

Groundswell Greetings

🎉🎉🎉The @groundswellgreetings site is up and going! If you've been wanting a manatee or fox card, go get it! The link is right on the @groundswellgreetings IG. . . . . . . #groundswellgreetings #teamgg #stationery #stationeryaddict #illustratorsofinstagram #madeinphilly #illustration #madeinpa #shoplocal #shopsmall #phillycreatives #sendacard #greetingcards #stationerylove #myart #animalart #wildlifeillustration #wildamerica

A post shared by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Mar 28, 2017 at 2:17pm PDT

My cards are now available on Groundswell Greetings here 

Custom Pet Portraits

Custom Pet Portraits are not available on Etsy here

Pet Portrait: Marty

Marty, watercolor & pencil on Rives BFK, 8x10", 2017.

 I got to draw another adorable dog!
This time it's Marty. My favorite part in this one (besides Marty) is the squirrel holding a Wawa hoagie:

Here's a look at the preliminary drawing:

I have some great events coming up! Come visit me at the following events this spring:

Pet Portrait: Sophie

Sophie, gouache and pencil on Rives BFK, 8x10", 2017.

Sophie is such a fun dog to paint! I used gray paper so her black and white fur would stand out a little more.

Here's a look at the preliminary drawing:

I have lots of things I haven't posted about this spring that I need to catch up on! I'll have a longer post soon.