Self Portrait

You may have noticed a new portrait on the header of this blog and on my website. Drawing a self portrait is always very hard for me, but the image I was previously using was over five years old. It was time for an update.

I made an attempt last year, but it was too weird to work on. I was staring at myself in the eye on paper:

I prefer the new one where I'm looking down at the paper. It fits my personality better. Here's a look at the preliminary drawing:

I did have to edit the face for the final so it would look more like me. here's a look at the work in progress from my Instagram stories:

I've also been using this portrait on my promotional materials:

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.

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

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.

Pet Portrait: Red

Red, watercolor and pencil on Rives BFK, 10x10", 2017.

I  got to draw the adorable Red. He's got great personality, and loads of fun fur.

This drawing was a little bigger, at 10x10".

Here's a look at the preliminary drawing:

I have lot to catch up on, so look for some new blog posts very soon!

Pet Portrait: Nacho

Nacho, watercolor and pencil on Stonehenge paper, 8x10", 2017.

 I finished another pet portrait. This time it's an adorable cat named Nacho!

Here's a look at the preliminary drawing:

🐱 + snacks #wip #illustration #petportrait #catsofinstagram

A photo posted by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Jan 19, 2017 at 3:19pm PST

Pet Portrait: Maybe

Maybe, watercolor & pencil on Stonehenge paper, 8x10", 2017.

Here's another puppy portrait done!

There's a detail shot below:

I'll be offering custom portraits on Etsy very soon!

Pet Portrait: Reggie

Reggie, watercolor & graphite on Stonehenge paper, 8x10", 2017.

Here's my completed portrait of my boyfriend's dog, Reggie. What kind of dog is he? It's a mystery... but he sure is cute.

Here's a close up of some of the detail:

In Progress: Pet Portraits

Happy new year!

I'm starting this year by making up a portfolio of portraits, so I can offer some commissions in a month or so.

Here are the preliminary drawings for two dog portraits:

I'm waiting for a new watercolor set in the mail, then I'll start the final copies.

If you follow me on social media you've seen these in progress; if not, I'll link photos below:

Another day, another dog #wip #illustration #petportrait #dogsofinstagram

A photo posted by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Jan 5, 2017 at 5:30pm PST

More puppy progress #wip #illustration #pencil #dogsofinstagram #petportrait

A photo posted by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Jan 4, 2017 at 6:42am PST

Drawing a puppy friend 🐕❤ #wip #illustration #petportrait #dogsofinstagram

A photo posted by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Jan 3, 2017 at 1:41pm PST

Sktchy Valentine

What did the chicken give its Valentine?
A peck on the cheek!

The Sktchy app put out a challenge to draw a Valentine themed portrait using their app. This is my submission. I was going to do two, but my productivity's been super low since the Olympics started.

I photographed this at night, so it's a little blurry; here's a close up so you can see some detail:

I hope everyone's staying warm! Happy V-Day!

Illustration Friday: Disguise

I played around with the Sktchy app again today. This week's Illustration Friday topic is "disguise", so I found a photo on the app to work from that went with that theme. Drawing someone with face paint is harder than I thought!

Snow Day Sktchy Drawing

     
I had a snow day off from work today! Even though I have plenty of other projects to work on, I decided to use part of today to try the Sktchy app on my phone. I have been admiring the posts by Vin Ganapathy on Instagram, and decided to try it for myself.

The app is full of people's photos. You're free to choose any to draw from, and the upload your result. I really had a lot of fun with this one, even if it's not an exact likeness of my subject. My inspiration was this photo:

If you want some practice drawing people, I'd really suggest this app. I'm going to try to make time to draw one sketchy portrait a week. 

If you decide to try it, find my page and add me! :)

First Aid Kit for Amelia's Mag

First Aid Kit, graphite, watercolor, & acrylic ink on watercolor paper, 11 x 10", 2012.

I worked on another illustration for Amelia's Magazine. This time I drew First Aid Kit, a folk group comprised of two sisters, Johanna and Klara. I hadn't really heard of them before this illustration, but have listened to them a lot since; their voices are incredible!

My illustration was based on the video for their song, Emmylou:

The video had a 70s feeling, and I wanted that to also come through in my illustration. It also felt nice to paint something in warm desert colors when the city turned to ice this past weekend. When I heard this kind of country sounding song I assumed that these girls were from somewhere like Texas... It turns out that I was way wrong. They're from Sweden!

They'll be in Philadelphia at the end of March; it would definitely be nice to see them live. All of the videos of their live performances are very impressive.

To read the review of their album in Amelia's Magazine go here:

Holly Go-Lightning & Illustration Friday: Vanity

Holly Go-Lightning, graphite, watercolor & acrylic ink on watercolor paper , 15 x 15", 2011.

I finished my Audrey Hepburn illustration! It also fits with this week's Illustration Friday. Holly Golightly was certainly vain... although I think that that was just a cover for all sorts of crazy.

I LOVE Audrey Hepburn movies; she's such a classy lady. My favorite is probably Sabrina, but Holly was so fun to draw.

I usually photograph my drawings, but this time it's scanned (and stitched together by my multi-talented boyfriend, Zack). The scan is certainly a lot neater than my usual photography!

If you'd like to see the preliminary drawing go here.

Work in Progress: Holly Go-Lightning

Holly Go-Lightning: Preliminary Drawing, graphite & colored pencil on bristol board, 15 x 15", 2011.

Get it? Holly Golightly... Holly Golightning??? I think I might be the only one entertained by this idea... I've definitely watched "Breakfast at Tiffany's" way too many times.

I'm going to be posting a lot more projects in progress because I'm starting longer term drawings that could be considered as potential portfolio pieces. The final version of this one will be scanned, so the lighting won't be as weird and the edges won't looked warped; forgive my photography skills!

The background is based on Tiffany glass designs; I find them far more interesting than the jewelry. Did I put too much effort into the background just to cover it up with lightning? Probably! I'm hoping it will be more visible with some color in the final version.

What do you think?

Work In Progress

guess who?

What I Wore #2

What I Wore 2, pen & acrylic ink on watercolor paper, 10 x 14", 2011.

Here is my second drawing for the "What I Wore Today" flickr group!

I wish my hair was really that color... the summer sun faded it to a semi-normal looking color.
I was going to put nail polish and other stuff on the side like I did for my first drawing, but I liked the empty space too much.  I don't think that this drawing looks as much like me, but I like the clothes better.

What I'm wearing in this drawing:
- Kimchi & Blue dress
- Oh Deer! shoes
- Vera Wang tights (I think... I couldn't find the tag)
-  Poketo bag (my favorite!)