"The Last Leaf"

This piece was my most recent submission to an art blog group I'm a part of.  It's based on the theme, "In the Falling Snow".  I wanted to do something simple for this week's project, and began thinking of what would appear interesting amidst falling snow.  My first thoughts went to color and contrast: a blue backdrop, littered with white snowflakes, and contrasted by something vibrant and yellow-orange.  Then the image came of a lone leaf floating to the ground.  For the majority of the process I operated using this color scheme.  While it worked, the placement of the leaf and some mistakes I had made earlier on caused the leaf to look out of place.  I worked at it for some time, seeing what I could do to fix it.  Eventually it came down to altering all the blues and cyans (plus some other colors) in the background to earthier tones.  This changed my point-of-view to looking down on the leaf on the ground, and as a result seemed to work better.  Enjoy!

Updated Blog Info!

Like I mentioned in the last post, it's been a while since I put something on here.  I got distracted with the end of school, as well as creating a new blog for a class.  Since then, that blog has been converted into my online portfolio.  You can check it out here:

michaelkevinryan.blogspot.com

As for this blog, it's going to remain my usual spot for posting my new work / what I'm doing.   Hopefully though I'll be more regular about it from now on!   Keep your eyes peeled for new work, soon to be on the way.

"The Hooper" - Part 2

So, it's been a while since my last post!  I'll explain more in the next post.  But for now, without further delay, the long-awaited and completed version of "The Hooper"!

"The Hooper" - Part 1

This week's addition is "The Hooper"! She has the ability to hula-hoop like nobody's business. Character Design to come later!
NOTE: This has been edited since the original post. I changed the skin tone with some other cut-out paper, and then did some color editing and clean-up in Photoshop. Workin' on a logo for the character too.

Hairmonic (Part 2)

Here's the finalized character design for Hairmonic. I did the sketch in blue pencil, did some major clean-up in Photoshop, live-traced and painted it in Illustrator, then brought a rasterized version back into Photoshop for some post work. A little bit of roundabout way if you ask me! Next time I think I'll ink it by hand first before I scan it in.

What's Your (Pseudo) Super Power?

Back in high school I used to draw my friends as "superheroes" based on what talents, traits, etc. they had. This could range from being skillful at hula-hooping to being able to pop your ankles.
I've decided to bring this idea back and put it to further use. If time permits I'll make a new character design per week, each drawing being a pseudo-superhero based on someone I know. Along with the drawing I'll post a color / texture test I did of the character (I got the idea for this based on designer Teddy Newton's conceptual work for The Incredibles).
This week's design is "Hairmonic"!



Hairmonic is based on a buddy of mine who apparantly can play music on his hair when he strums on its strands. Expanding on this, I thought of a hero who could conduct symphonies to play out of his thick head of hair. For his costume I thought I'd pay homage to the attire of Mozart's era (with artistic license, of course). (NOTE: This is just the color / texture test. I'll post the character design later).

Color Sketch

This is just a color sketch of some guy I saw walking around under NYC Port Authority (back in July or August, I forgot when).

This Rabbit's Late for a Very Important Date

OK, so he's not necessarily late for a "very important date"...more like he's just a long-overdue post. Once I get a scanner I'll put these things up much more often! Also, I got to try out using a watermark with a copyright on this image. Cool stuff!

Animated Andy

Since it's been a while since my last post, I think several designs are in order (I've not had access to my old image files until recently, and I'm still without a scanner until the fall). Here are character designs for some of the star roles from the classic program, "The Andy Griffith Show". It was for a class assignment in which I had to pick a show that had never been animated before (to my knowledge it hasn't).

Andy and Opie Taylor

Aunt Bea and Barney Fife

Gomer Pyle

Have you tried Ratatouille yet?

I got to see Pixar's latest film Ratatouille this past weekend. One of their best to date, I'd say! The story was intriguing, and there were definitely moments in the plot that caught me off guard or happened not when I expected them to. The characters were designed well, each one displaying a unique personality (I particularly like the designs of Gusteau, Anton Ego, and Skinner). The animation was a definitely a tour de force; watch especially the facial expressions and movements of Linguine. The attention to detail the artists put into everything else, from the backgrounds to the effects to the props once again proved that Pixar really cares about the craft and appeal behind their work.
Other good things to note were a talented cast of voice actors, great music, and a great animation sequence that ran through the credits (I'm not sure how it was done; cut outs, or in After Effects perhaps). I will say that I need to see the movie again (I would like to see it again) so that I can better assess it, but it is still a wonderful film. Also, before the movie starts viewers are shown (following a company tradition) a new Pixar short film, entitled "Lifted". If you think that humans have it tough with driver's ed, then check this one out!
So in case you haven't treated your movie-watching taste buds yet, go on and try Ratatouille. Oh, and one last warning: I recommend eating before or after the film, because it's bound to make you a little hungry by the end (after all, it is about food; even the title is a dish). Bon appétit!