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!

Horse Portrait: Mo

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

I just completed my first horse portrait of Mo. He's handsome!

Here's a close up:

Here's a look at the preliminary drawing from Instagram:

Revisited this dude today. 🐎 Have to get started on the final version. Thanks for the model, @jwin977 . . . . . #horseportrait #horsesofinstagram #wip #illustrator #illustratorsofinstagram #illustration #pencil #drawing #sketch #sketchbook #art #animals #horse #artofinstagram #artwork #draw

A post shared by Sarah Ryan (@sarahryandraws) on Mar 16, 2017 at 2:21pm PDT

Look for a listing for custom pet and animal portraits on Etsy later this spring. I'll be taking commissions.

Owl Sisters

Owl Sisters, gouache, watercolor & pencil on Rives BFK, 8x10", 2017.

Woo! Done!

This one took longer than I anticipated, but I like the result.

Here's a detailed look:

I also have a print available on Etsy: 

WIP: Owls

Here's a look at what I've been working on lately. It took much longer than I thought it would!