Weekend Scribblefest

I promised you guys more sketches and even though I didn't get much in during the work week I tried to destroy some pages this weekend. Most of the stuff is scribbles/studies from photos I randomly found on the internet. Trying to practice quick drawing figures and get a little more anatomy work in there. I really just want to focus on getting ideas down quickly and trying to waste less time noodling on stuff. I suffer from "reder-itis" a bit. Tried to be more hasty when laying this stuff in though. I hope you guys like 'em!

The unfinished dwarf and the troll with the Corgi puppy were obviously random imagination stuff. The troll sketch is who I like to imagine my dog hangs out with when we're away. ;o) Y'kno how animals sometimes seem to see things that we can't? I used to imagine they could see ghosts or something. Now I think there's an invisible troll that lives in my house and just loves my puppy to pieces. lol

I'm going to do my best to be more proactive in the days to come but I'll probably only update the blog a couple times a week. Not sure which days just yet. Perhaps Sundays and Wednesdays? Regardless, I'm getting back into sketchbook mode and am having a blast! Can't wait to generate more images! Keep checking back for more scribble mayhem! Take care!

- Ryan

PS: Lots of Zelda and Hellboy prints still available! Check out my store by clicking HERE!

Things I Love Right Now:

Money Ball - Just saw the movie tonight and really adored it. Man, do I love baseball. Can't wait for spring! Go Cards!

Moleskine Sketchbooks - They really do make the best notebooks, don't they? Something about 'em just makes me feel inspired when I pull one out to sketch.

Late 80's/Early 90's Cartoons - This week was a blast from the past. I've been feeding my eyeballs episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series", "The Real Ghostbusters" and "TMNT." I'm gonna hit the big 30 this year and it has me feeling nostalgic. Looking forward to more toons this week as well!

M83's "Hurry Up We're Dreaming" - This album has been on repeat all week. Incredible old school vibe. Love it. Check it out!

It's time to LEVEL UP!

My drawing skills have fallen off quite a bit since I started working in games. My paintings have improved but I don't draw nearly as much as I used to during my school days. It's always such a headache for me to work out poses and get my sketches looking lively. But I'm sick of the frustration and it's time to level up!

I'm going to try my best to sketch every day in my sketchbook and watch for improvement. I'm giving myself freedom to do whatever I want. As long as I'm drawing and throwing study sessions in there from time to time. I read recently that if you want to improve you need to complete a sketchbook a month. That's a tall order for me but we'll see how far I can get!

Why am I telling all of you this? Hold me accountable! And be on the look out for a lot more scribble sessions then finished paintings. 2012 is the year of the drawing for me! Ha! And it's seriously time to improve! Here's the first page of my Moleskine to get things started. Something about telling myself how bad I suck makes me want to draw more. lol Hope you like these random scribbles! Look for more soon!

- Ryan

PS: GigaCon was awesome! Thanks to all of those who came out! I hope you guys enjoyed it and took something away from my ramblings. ;o)

Legend of Zelda Limited Edition Prints Now Available

Hey guys! Just wanted to pop in to let you all know that I've just ran off a limited print run of my new "Legend of Zelda" piece! The print is on high quality, matte paper stock and measures 11.8 X 17.7.

And these things look really sharp! The colors in my lame iPhone photos don't do them justice. And I included an image of what the "Hellboy Portrait" print looks like in comparison in terms of size. These guys are quite a bit larger! Still need to find a way to ship them out! Ha!

If you're looking to snap one up you can just head over to my new online shop and fork over $20 dollars plus $5 shipping. They should be arriving on your door steps in a week or two! I think you'll really like 'em! Especially if you're as big of a fan as I am!

What other super, cool stuff is going on? Welp, this weekend (January 13-15) I'll be attending GigaCon in Washington DC as a guest artist! If any of you are going to be in the area you should totally come to the Con! Really looking forward to meeting people and getting my art on with all of the awesome people on the east coast! Ha! I'm sure I've been spoiled by this Vegas winter tho. I'm sure I'm gonna freakin' freeze out there! But if you're in DC come shiver with me while we sketch!

Hope you're enjoying the New Year! I can't wait to see what 2012 has to offer! I think it's gonna be a big one! Take care and thanks for supporting my scribbles. ;o)

- Ryan

The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Tribute

Well, after several days of scraping together time to paint, I finally managed to finish off my Legend of Zelda illustration. I took some chances and varied my approach when it came to this piece. It didn't quite come out how I'd hoped but I still think it's pretty fun and I learned a lot for the next time when I dive into a work like this. And I was painting freakin' Link! So how awesome is that?! Ha!

I hope you guys liked how it turned out and enjoyed watching my progress as I moved along. There's something that I really loved about the original sketch and over the course of the illustration I just lost some of it. But I'm still satisfied and ready to move on to something new. I think I'll be working on more sketchy stuff for a while. Between this piece and work I'm getting a bit tired of working so tightly.

At any rate, I just wanted to get it posted! I was pretty sure I'd do a small print run of this but I want to see how the reception is first before I plop down any cash. I know the feel of it is a little different from some of my other work I've previously posted. Let me know what you think and I'll keep you updated on whether or not I print them off! Thanks for looking and happy Monday! Have a great week, guys!