shouty blog

Moving

2011-08-17T11:05:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

I'll be moving shortly to the fancy new address blog.shoutymouths.com
The new guy is powered by tumblr as well so if you have an account you'll be able to interact with posts (which is part of the reason for the move, it is such a user-friendly application). This blog address will be redirecting there as well if I can ever figure out how to do that through blogger.

woo!

The New Art Festival

2011-05-27T20:54:00.002-05:00

I'll be at The New Art Festival next weekend in merry old Ottawa. This will be my third year participating and each year is better than the last. I'm right along the central pathway at space 13 so if you're in the Ottawa area that weekend come on down and check out the sweet artwork and come say hi!

Oh Oh Oh

2011-05-24T23:55:00.003-05:00

The lovely folks at Oh Comely asked me to contribute again to their upcoming issue. I had a lot of fun making four postcard like images for them. The deadline was tight on this one so i definitely learned a bit about working within a limited time frame. Florida is my fav, probably (definitely) because of the man boobs.

Also my friend Brooks Reynolds just launched a brand spanking new website. I encourage you to have a peak and enjoy his ambitiously beautiful photography.

http://brooksreynolds.com/

A128

2011-05-15T11:57:00.002-05:00

The graduating class of Sheridan's 2001 illustration program recently had a short documentary made about them as part of their final year and cumulative grad show. I urge you all to have a look and it was produced by the talented group over at YEAH! Films.

A128

100th post

2011-05-15T02:16:00.003-05:00

Yay the 100th post! Thanks for reading so far, this post is slightly anti-climatic but who cares it's a CELEBRATION.

I recently had work down in San Francisco, I was unable to attend but I did acquire some pretty great photo proof!

chillin' like a villain'

And that being said my outdoor art show season is kicking up again so I'll be in the Ottawa area a few times in the next few months. You can find more info via the Upcoming Shows tab at the top of the page. See yah next time!

New Store

2011-04-16T12:23:00.003-05:00

My new store online! The new shop currently has 6 open edition prints available, all printed on Ultrasmooth Fine Art Paper, Giclee style! In future the store will feature original artwork, screen prints, limited editions, and other fantastic goodies.

Please have a look if you have a spare moment.

http://shoutymouths.com/index.php?/store/store/

Six Years Later Launch

2011-04-11T23:21:00.004-05:00

Six Years Later is having a launch party this Friday night in Melbourne and I was more then pleased to contribute to their first issue back in November and many thanks to Laura as well. I won't be able to exhibit original work at this show but I do have a limited edition, single run, of "He Started It" in a 9x12 size available at the gallery that night.

Good luck with the show everyone and if you make it to the gallery that night, or the following days let me know how it all turned out! I'm excited to be getting pictures of the opening night.

and I finally got some decent shots of the magazine cover and my sections:

Robots!

2011-04-04T01:27:00.005-05:00

In addition tot he Superheroes group show I will be included in in May I have also been accepted in a group show entitled Robots! At The Minotaur in downtown Kingston, Ontario. The show runs from April 8th (this Friday!) to July 8th, 2011. A lovely opening night will take place this Friday from 7pm-10pm at The Minotaur but if you're unable to attend and find yourself in the Kingston area wihtin the next few months have a stop by and check out some of the art from myself and the other talented artists exhibiting as well.

Here's the piece I submitted for the Robots! show. I like to think that he's trying to save the tree from all the smoke. Such a good samaritan.

"Second Hand Smoke"
11x14 inches / framed measures 16x20

Robots! Group Show
April 8th to July 8th, 2011
165 Princess St, Kingston, Ontario

My piece will be available for purchase form Minotaur as well as a limited run of prints. There will be an edition of 100 of this guy, 50 will be available via The Minotaur and the other 50 will be available online in my store when it debuts in the next week or so on www.shoutymouths.com
Each print will hand autographed and numbered.

And so not to discriminate, I have translated the show info to binary:

010100100110111101100010011011110111010001110011001000010010000001000111011100100110111101110101011100000010000001010011011010000110111101110111000011010000101001000001011100000111001001101001011011000010000000111000011101000110100000100000011101000110111100100000010010100111010101101100011110010010000000111000011101000110100000101100001000000011001000110000001100010011000100001101000010100011000100110110001101010010000001010000011100100110100101101110011000110110010101110011011100110010000001010011011101000010110000100000010010110110100101101110011001110111001101110100011011110110111000101100001000000100111101101110011101000110000101110010011010010110111100001101000010100100100001100101011100100110010100100111011100110010000001110100011010000110010100100000011100000110100101100101011000110110010100100000010010010010000001110011011101010110001001101101011010010111010001110100011001010110010000100000011001100110111101110010001000000111010001101000011001010010000001010010011011110110001001101111011101000111001100100001001000000111001101101000011011110111011100101110001000000100100100100000011011000110100101101011011001010010000001110100011011110010000001110100011010000110100101101110011010110010000001110100011010000110000101110100001000000110100001100101001001110111001100100000011101000111001001111001011010010110111001100111001000000111010001101111001000000111001101100001011101100110010100100000011101000110100001100101001000000111010001110010011001010110010100100000011001100111001001101111011011010010000001100001011011000110110000100000011101000110100001100101001000000111001101101101011011110110101101100101001011100010000001010011011101010110001101101000001000000110000100100000011001110110111101101111011001000010000001110011011000010110110101100001011100100110100101110100011000010110111000101110

Artists Assemble!

2011-03-30T20:49:00.007-05:00

Recently I entered the Society6 Superhero Group Show collaboration and it looks like my entry was selected for the group show in San Francisco at D-Structure!

It's an overwhelmingly talented body of work that the fellow artists and illustrators have assembled for the show and I'm pretty proud to be displayed along side them.

The group show is going to take place on Friday, May 6 at D-Structure gallery located at 520 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA. 8:00pm. Stop by if you're in the area. I'm hoping to make down myself so if we both start saving now we can shake hands at opening night.

To see all the work present in the show click here (hit me up on page 3 holla). And let your eyes unwrap the visual presents!

And for good measure here's the piece being displayed in the show:

First Day on the Job

If the Glove Fits

2011-03-08T20:37:00.002-06:00

line

ink

11x14
ink of stonehenge

The biggest difference here between the line and the final is the rendering of the smoke. Since I knew ahead of time that I would be rendering the smoke with my brush and using the stokes to define the volume and movement of it I just kinda wiggled it into the line drawing to give me a rough frame of how I wanted the shape to be in the final.

Studio & etc.

2011-03-06T13:59:00.004-06:00

The Foxtrot - Final

2011-02-22T23:24:00.002-06:00

Studio

2011-02-22T00:54:00.003-06:00

In a delightful moment of madness I decided to rearrange my entire apartment a weekend ago. This turned out to be a more daunting task then I expected and has been a full week and a half project so far. The plus is I manged to rearrange in a way that allows me to have a small, personal studio space for myself. No more working in corners or just at a table!

I thought I'd share some pics of the space. I'm missing a few key elements so i drew them in. And I can't wait to re-paint the walls, I'm thinking of a lighter blue.

I'm hoping a short trip this coming weekend will reward me a table and a comfy chair to finally finish the space.

Giveaway!

2011-01-30T15:52:00.005-06:00

I'm doing a giveaway on my Facebook Fanpage right now. It runs till this coming Saturday and all you have to do is head on over to the page, like it if you haven't already, and leave a comment on the giveaway image. I'll be giving away two autographed prints as well as a full set (8) of buttons.

www.facebook.com/ryanillustration

Oh Comely

2011-01-18T09:11:00.004-06:00

I was recently asked to contribute an illustration to Oh Comely Magazine. The theme was "a dream that meant somehting to you." We had to do a little write up along with the illustration as well. I had a lot of fun writing this up and getting the illustration ready.

Here's what will be in the next issue:

and for your reading pleasure, my short write-up:
Oh Comely: Dream Interpretation:
Ryan MacDonald

"My dreams are always very nonchalant. There are no dragons, or wizards, or great mountains in the sky. There's usually just me in ordinary places and then something fantastic happens that dream-me takes little notice of. Like the time a cat in a suit tried to sell me vacuums at the door. I brushed him off as if it weren't odd to see a cat selling vacuums, or even dressed in tweed for that matter. I sometimes get a good laugh when I wake up and I've taken the habit of writing down the ones I really enjoy. Sometimes a dream is a great inspiration.

The dream I choose to illustrate was one, which started with me ideally fishing in my living room, and as the dream progressed so did the water rise. All throughout, in my usual dream-me like manner, I took nothing of it. I was stead fast to fish and enjoy my tea. I was determined to carry-on despite a rising tide. I always took that dream as a symbol of determination. That despite any "tide" I may face personally or professionally you must always "fish on." And drink lots of tea."

you can check out their stuff and past and future issues on their website: http://www.ohcomely.co.uk/

I should also have some shots of my stuff in AMMO and Six Years Later soon. Till then! Go pictures!

FML

2011-01-15T13:40:00.005-06:00

I was asked to do a small illustration for fmylife.com. I scanned through the hundreds of entries and found one that suited my fancy. There is some pretty hilarious stuff on that website and there certaintly isn't a lack of material there. There was even a small interview as well so you guys get to read the words I speak.

Interview on FML
And here's the litte guy I did, the fml was:
"Today I walked in on my boyfriend saying, "I shall be the prince and you shall be the princess," to his hamster. Once he saw me, he quickly turned to the hamster and said "I have to go. The dragon is here."

My thanks to Alice for being a stand up gal and giving me the opportunity to submit an illustration to FML.

Mountains Collective

2011-01-01T19:22:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year everyone. It's a new start, the old year has passed and I'd like to take this time to thank everyone who has viewed, clicked, shared, purchased, and published my work in the past year. Your support means the world to me and it wouldn't have been the year it was without you.

And to kick off the New Year the Mountains Collective is having a show tomorrow night at Function13 in Toronto's Kensington market. There is going to be a lot of great work, along with live music, zero cover, and booze (no better combination then alcohol and art appreciation I say).

As for me: I'll have a few newer pieces on display

As well as a small assortment of buttons, only $1 each for the night.

And I'll also have a small selection of framed prints. Each print is numbered and autographed. They look ultra-snazzy.

If you're in the area, come drop on by and say hello and check out some art from some very talented young artists.

Reach for the Crown!

2010-12-22T20:58:00.003-06:00

So I've become a recent fan of Superfex's Work and she's motivated me to try my hand at some more digital fun. And I love patterns so it was a perfect fit.

The little guy's shape is loosely based upon that old Victorian wallpaper pattern. I think it came out pretty well for a first attempt at something like this, I think I'll make him my new desktop.

Space or Something Like It

2010-12-13T23:32:00.004-06:00

I finished off this guy recently. I was very happy with how the colours turned out. He was a commission but I won't say for who (and if you think it's yours you're probably being mislead because I have a few I'm not posting yet ( you'll have to wait till Christmas morning time!)). Now it's time to kick it into full gear for the Mountains Collective show.

The Foxtrot

2010-12-11T22:52:00.002-06:00

a work in progress

Mountains Collective

2010-12-11T00:28:00.002-06:00

I recently updated the Upcoming Shows section with my next appearance in the Toronto area. I had a great time in July with this same group of people and this time we're making sure that our returning appearance at Function 13 will be better than before. I'll be showcasing a few new pieces as well which I'm excited to get working on.

Full details are on the poster below. I hope to see you all there in the new year!

Chunky Nightmares

2010-12-09T00:31:00.006-06:00

I've been working on a few new things and while roughing out parts of the composition for one I decided to add a nose to a little character and now I've accidentally given myself nightmares

And a friend asked me for a portrait today and while we were talking about it I just drew her as a blind contour and gave it to her (she did love it btw ha). Nothing says "you're a really good friend" than a drawing that resembles Chunk from The Goonies.

HOLY SHIP!

2010-12-08T00:10:00.003-06:00

These are a lot of fun to do. It's almost meditative for me, I zen out and cut paper for hours and when I'm done it's the next day and I'm covered in tape and glue.

Paper Cut: He Started It

2010-12-06T23:48:00.000-06:00

AMMO Magazine

2010-12-05T20:06:00.005-06:00

I have been fortunate enough to provide a piece for issue 5 of AMMO magazine. I've been a huge fan of AMMO since their first issue. They're all super nice over there (shout outs to Dave holla) and I was more then happy to contribute for them.

This little guy will be appearing in issue 5 this holiday season. A big thanks again to AMMO again and if you head over to http://www.ammomagazine.co.uk/index.html you can see a peak at the awesome cover art by Ross McCaughey.

pre-orders are available now for issue 5.

First Degree Murder Process

2010-12-04T00:54:00.003-06:00

I found an old USB (I call him Panda) tonight I thought I had lost. Inside was a scan of First Degree Murder that I was working on for Mountains Magazine at the time. I was planning to share it on here with all of you as part of my regular posts about my process from concept to final.

I realize that I move to final quickly with my illustrations so what takes the most time is the idea (which will stew on paper as key phrases, in my mind, or anywhere else I can scribble it down).

this was also on the key, it's a thumbnail for the Mountains back cover. I think he looks cute.

Forgotten Gems

2010-11-20T02:57:00.006-06:00

I often look through older sketchbooks to see what kind of ideas I didn't develop yet (sometimes I can find something I had forgotten about or get a fresh set of eyes on an idea that didn't pan out the first time) I often switch sketchbooks quickly so individual concepts get thinned out over many books. I currently have a tiny moleskine hiding somewhere in my apartment that is filled with some good gems. Perhaps I will get the cat to sniff it out later today.

In my reviews today I found two things I thought would be fun to share.

This is a drawing I did waiting for the train, the girl was actually very pretty and I laughed when I realized I really didn't do that justice for her in this:

And this I had forgotten about completely. I met Henry Winkler, a.k.a The Fonz and he signed the inside of my moleskine.

I like being in here

-Henry Winkler

I miss my inks

2010-11-04T22:24:00.002-05:00

I've had lots of work on the computer lately. I miss my little ink bottles but I know I'll be sitting down with them again soon to work on a TON of new stuff. I do love my computer though, I design a little, then I dig holes in minecraft, then I design some more. It's a great cycle!

Six Years Later

2010-10-06T01:37:00.004-05:00

So Six Years Later is a magazine. A FRESH magazine. And they're Australian. Hiyo I'm going international!

I'll have these two pieces featured in their debut issue about consumerism. The magazine will featuring many young, fresh, and upcoming artists. It will be primarily visual so if you've been wronged by letters in the past this is definitely the issue for you.

Issues are available for purchase late November/early December and full details can be found at:

http://sixyearslater.com.au/

Process Version I Lost Count

2010-09-02T22:43:00.003-05:00

Everything I do always starts as a pencil sketch after the initial thumbnail. It allows me to map out anything I like or don't like about the composition before I go to final. A lot of the time i will tweak things here or there during the final inking as well since colour and tone can change things a lot. but I always like to have my bases covered.

Lesson Learned

2010-08-22T22:02:00.002-05:00

don't forget your business cards this time.

Art in Strathcona Park

2010-08-05T10:39:00.003-05:00

This Saurday I will be attending The Art in Strathcona Park Show in Ottawa, Ontario. This was the first show I ever did about 4 or 5 years ago so not only is this show a lot of fun it is also like a tradition for me (awww Ryan).

There will be the usual mirage of inked characters and prints available, as well as buttons, greeting cards and other goodies.

As well, all the pieces I displayed at the Mountains 2 Launch will be available for purchase at this show as well as prints of each piece.

Hope to see you there!

(I am the worst at Wednesday updates I know!)

When I Was Young Series

2010-08-02T23:36:00.003-05:00

Three new pieces I did for the Mountains Launch. Each figure is something I played as when I was a child and also I think represents the the typical archetypes of a young boys imagination.

Tar and Feathered
11x14 // ink on paper

Space Case

11x14 // ink on paper

First Day on the Job

11x14 // ink on paper

Mountains 2 Launch

2010-08-01T22:46:00.007-05:00

What a fantastic night. Without any further banter from me, here are some selected photos from the evening along with my portion of the show. Photobombing included.

A little late

2010-07-31T01:00:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone,

So no Wednesday update this week. If you follow me on facebook you would have already heard that I had a nasty spill on my keyboard this week and now I can't log into my mac which means I can't update you in my typical narcissistic fashion. how am I doing this update now?

sorcery.

Tonight I was at the Mountains 2 Launch and it was an amazing success! So many great artists and so many wonderful people. I am spending the weekend with family this long weekend (going to Pacific Mall and a Rib festival) so a Mountains Launch post as well as three new pieces will be updated this Monday.

See you then, enjoy the holiday weekend!

A Little Bit of Everything

2010-07-21T22:27:00.004-05:00

late update this Wednesday and not very arty overall (boo we want art you guys say). Here me out though, I am trying to get a business plan written up for the 30th of this month and it is daunting.

Speaking of the 30th I have a show on the 30th of this month. It is the launch show for Mountains Magazine Volume 2. It is going to be held at:

Function 13
156 Augusta Ave
Toronto, ON
7pm to 11pm

The show will feature the photography & art of:
Brooks Reynolds - www.brooksreynolds.com
Sylvia Waliczek - Currently on display at Function 13
...Tod Ainslie - Featured in Mountains 2
Ryan MacDonald - www.shoutymouths.com
Jess Baumung - www.jessbaumung.com
Jackie Musial - www.justbearwithme.blogspot.com
Erin McPhee - www.mcpheee.blogspot.com
Casey Shea - Musician gone artist.

& the music of:
Everlea - www.myspace.com/everlea
San Sebastian - www.myspace.com/wearesansebastian

I hope to see you there, I will be the well dressed bearded man.

nice bike, stranger

2010-07-14T11:17:00.006-05:00

If you live in Oakville and have a really nice bike then you might find one of these on your seat when you go into the store to buy a bottle of milk.

outside

inside

I see gorgeous bikes everyday when I am riding around Oakville, this should be a good bit of fun and maybe it'll be a nice little treat for someone's day.

Buttons!

2010-07-10T13:41:00.003-05:00

Spent the afternoon with a friend making buttons for the etsy shop and my upcoming show this weekend which you should all check out because the studio it is held at is beautiful.

Ready For My Close Up

2010-07-09T00:10:00.000-05:00

Cards // Postcards

2010-07-07T21:27:00.004-05:00

This Wednesday is a very late update but it shall not be in vein. I wanted to give you the first look at two new items I going to be offering in my etsy shop and at my upcoming shows. As the blog title has already told you those items are greeting cards and postcards. I have been told pretty frequently at all my previous shows that they are somehting I should look into doing and I always have a lot of people asking me for one or the other. So you demand I supply!

I have about 8 postcard images and 8 greeting cards in the works and getting ready for printing. These three are the first proofs I have run that I am really happy with.

These items will be available for sale in my etsy shop later tonight along with a few other designs. and I will be adding more designs in the next few days as I finish the proofs and get my stock together.

see you next week and inbetween,
Ryan

Roommate

2010-06-30T19:02:00.006-05:00

The walls felt a little bare so I added a friend, it was also around 5am and I had just had a very large cup of coffee so I was so ready to go.

Willow charcoal is great to rough it in, but my hands have never been blacker.

a little paint

just had to wait for him to dry and then damp down the walls and wipe them down to get rid of the charcoal. Welcome to the apartment new roommate!

think i should add the speech bubbles around his head?

Mountains Are Calling!

2010-06-25T00:08:00.004-05:00

It is coming! Lock your doors, dim your lights and curl up and wait by the mail slot beacuse Mountains V2 is on the hunt!

There is so much great stuff going on in this issue check out www.mountainsarecalling.com for the full issue details.

The issues will be in in about 1 to 2 weeks so pre order now and get your hands on it first!

It feels good to show you guys the cover finally

I wouldn't lie to you

2010-06-23T22:40:00.005-05:00

It is show season for me right now and that also means it is application season for me as well for the coming year. Here is a photo of my package going out to the One Of A Kind show:

I like applications, especially juried ones, I always enjoy putting that extra bit of polish into things; I am a big nerd for presentation.

I have been thinking a lot about this blog lately and I realized it does not have enough regularity. So starting today (06/23/2010) I pledge (just like a kinght) a new post at the very least every Wednesday. I hold this promise very close to my heart, like you were a relative i promised a kidney to, expect the promise is a pledge and the kidney is a collection of words and pictures publised quarter monthly.

here is a kidney in the form of a new paper cut I am working on

The Mona Lisa Curse

2010-06-15T23:12:00.006-05:00

I am a fan of all things art and more often then not my obsession and passion leads to me to read and watch commentaries, documentaries and opinions on art old and new. I just stumbled upon a great piece of commentary by Robert Hughes, art critic for Time Magazine.

For your viewing ease The Mona Lisa Curse has been put on youtube in 12 parts and is well worth the watch. It is an honest, intelligent look at the modern and contemporary art world and its transformation into a sellable commodity.

Part One on Youtube

image from www.animationarchive.org

A Thanks

2010-06-10T11:57:00.004-05:00

Thank you to everyone who saw me and my work at this years New Art Festival. The show was a roaring success for me and you have my deepest thanks for that.
if you found your way to this blog via the Artist Directory on TNAF website then allow me to direct you to my official site as well:

www.shoutymouths.com

you can find all the work displayed at the show there, including other goodies!

Quick update: The paper cut in a shadow box had a greater response then I could imagine, there will be many more to come in the future.

Till then.

Two Newbies

2010-06-03T08:53:00.006-05:00

Here are two new pieces I have been working. You can see them on display and for sale at this weekends New Art Festival in Ottawa, ON at the Glebe. These are available for order as a print form me in person at this weekends show, or on my etsy shop.

Wow, Expansive

11x14; ink on stonehenge

Ouch That Stings

5x7; ink on stonehenge

Paper Cut Fun!

2010-05-31T03:01:00.004-05:00

For those of you who haven't seen this latest addition on my facebook page or my website here it is for your viewing pleasure!

I have had a pair of shadowboxes sitting on my desk for months and I decided to finally tackle an idea I had for it tonight while taking a break from getting ready for The New Art Festival.

I bought one of them with the image from this poster I did specifically in mind.

The entire piece is cut from coloured paper and mounted inside the tiny 1 inch gap within the frame. The hardest part was by far figuring out a way to mount each piece within the frame so it would give it an illusion of depth. there will definitely be more of these to come in the future. It was a blast!

Process1: Ow

2010-05-29T22:18:00.003-05:00

Process sketch for new piece “Ow.”
This piece is about self containment and its sometimes destructive qualities.
The nose reminds me of Adrian Brody.

shouty mouths dot com

2010-05-29T18:51:00.005-05:00

After a lot of love and CSS editing, my website is finally launched and up and running.
There you will find all information regarding shows I will be doing, representation, new and old work, as well as full contact info, CV(coming very soon) and anything else relevant to my work.

This blog will still be active so now you have a healthy double dose of the Ryan!

So feel free to browse, observe, and enjoy!

www.shoutymouths.com

Like A Sweater On My Face

2010-05-28T01:32:00.004-05:00

No matter how hot it gets I cannot shake the beard. It has become a security blanket growing out of my face.

Just look how happy I am.

The New Art Festival

2010-05-22T00:32:00.003-05:00

look for my barrage of monsters and other oddities at this years New Art Festival. In fact; consider this your official invite :D

Wowie Zowie

2010-05-18T22:23:00.003-05:00

Well hi there!

Lots of exciting things going on, it has been a little while since I ventured into the ol blogspot to keep whoever may be listening informed of the going ons of my day to day, or month to month as it appears.
I have been a busy little bee lalty, I got back form the United States a few weeks ago, where my darling lady has returned back to the Great North by my side! So there have been lots of visits to the local ice cream parlour and walks by the lake.

We also adopted this little guy:

his name is Rockefeller. He will make small appearances in my new work. mrow

And of course comes the pertinent info of my upcoming work; which will debut very soon. I have been accepted into four outdoor festivals this year, all taking place in the Ottawa area. The first of which is coming up in about three weeks. All this info, including the three other shows will be available just to the right of this post in the Upcoming Shows section.

I want this to b an exciting year for me artistically so keep your eyes peeled and I hope you like what you see in the coming days and weeks.

In Your Pocket

2010-03-27T00:31:00.006-05:00

Coming soon to a pocket near you. Since show season will be starting up for me again in the next couple of months I decided to overhaul last years business card design as well as a few other smaller items.
I like where this guy is going right now and will most likely end up with a more polished version of this for printing with nicely laid out info on the back.

oh hi

having fun

There have been minor changes made to the site, after a little hit and miss with the HTML I have been able to compress some links on the side up top into the tabs you see before you. Check out the Mountains and Shop links for sure!

Cosmic Colour Options

2010-03-19T00:39:00.002-05:00

Who needs the colour wheel when I have the Orion Nebula to aid me in my palette choices.

space is beautiful

Working On Some Things

2010-03-06T23:53:00.004-06:00

For MOUNTAINS. Now those things are done. Just gotta scan and send away.

Happy V-Day

2010-02-16T21:18:00.001-06:00

Or if you're single, sorry that a whole day was created to rub it in your face; I would hug you if I could.

made a little card for my lady.

workworkwork

2010-01-15T23:58:00.007-06:00

Busy year up ahead! I'm in full production for my contribution to Mountains magazine and school and work and life. Life is good life is fun.

When i'm not buried under the work I'm doodling myself.

or I'm drawing people in my sketchbook. I hung out at my girlfriends work while she did a short shift, so i drew people in the Starbucks right there. It was a great time to listen to music and ponder what I wanted to do this year artistically.

and oh yeah, here's a thumbnail of something I'm not going to tell you about. But it's going to be great so get stoked!

If Only It Were Real

2009-12-14T11:02:00.002-06:00

I had to design a fictional poster for a venue. Naturally everyone in my class chose music and so did I. I designed mine based off the top 4 artists in my iTunes recently. Final Fantasy hit the top spot. If only this were true, ugh I'd squeal.

Recluse

2009-12-05T02:35:00.000-06:00

I've been a bit of a recluse lately round these parts.

School has been keeping me busy, very busy. Unfortunately it is not a busy i've been enjoying, or a busy that is producing any work of substantial value. It's a grind and that's unfortunate.

I do have a lot of great projects I'll be working on in the next few weeks and into the New year. I'm fortunate to be featured in the next issue of Mountains Magazine. An honour my good friend Jackie Musial had in the first issue. I'm working with the very talented Brooks Reynolds on this and you should check out his and Jackie's work. I'l be doing new pieces for my portion, but those will be kept mostly underwraps till it's released. So expect me to be the world's biggest tease about it till then.

I even went out a bought a new sketchbook just for Mountains and labeled it accordingly :)

I'm also in the mix of getting my shows and representation together for 2010 so updates on that will follow as well.

I've just got to grind through the next few weeks at school and then I can fianlly focus on the art and the creative outlet i enjoy doing.

till then :D
Ryan.

p.s. check out my etsy shop, any money I get from those is going towards moving my girlfriend up from the states to live with me. do it for love! :D

Etsyyyyy

2009-11-18T00:41:00.001-06:00

Remember way back in August when I mentioned an etsy shop in the works? That etsy shop has finally come to life! I've posted a selection of prints and also I will be posting original, framed work for order on there as well. I hope you have a mosey on over and check out my wares. I'll be adding more as the weeks go on and as I produce more work.

I'm excited at the prospect of selling framed work again, that means I get to make handmade, brown paper boxes again!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ryanillustration

Mailed It To Yah

2009-10-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

My package finally arrived today at my friend's house. Sending letters and packages is such an enjoyable activity for me but the wait for it to arrive is excruciating. Making the box was a riot. Canda Post has a poor selection of boxes, and to minimize costs I made that box out of a bigger box and then covered it in brown kraft paper. Below is a Scan of the artwork I sent along.

Interpret This!

2009-09-26T00:33:00.000-05:00

It's what? 3rd week of school, and I am already immensly excited about what I am doing. I will be designing a circular, art nouveau inspired illustration based off the ideas and themes that the elements Air and Water represent. I've got a pretty solid idea of how this is going to workout and what the final should look like.

The Second and more jarring assignment is a 10 week long narrative illustration project. I'll be designing four illustrations, one spot, one half page, one full, and the last a double spread with gutter. I have to choose between two different stories right now. One is by David Sedaris, a wonderful story set in Paris, France and involves an unrelenting skeleton. The other story is a fable-like piece about three robbers that steal an orphan and buy it a castle. I'm still unsure which one to pick, but I will no doubt be posting my process for both of these projects.

RYB

2009-09-22T00:30:00.001-05:00

This project was fairly simple, in that it was a self portrait, and the only requirement was that the photoshop file had to be layered. Working under that criteria I came up with this. I wanna look at this again in the morning and see how I still feel about it. Although I have a lot of Bluebeard jokes running through my head that will never ever go away.

I recently had to do ninety fish for my Interpretive Illustration class. It was a lot of effort for very little pay off in the end. I actually ended up loosing about half my project two days before. Suffice to say it was my first all nighter of the school year.

Hopefully our next project will be a little more engaging.

I Not Dead

2009-09-18T18:09:00.000-05:00

Dear Blog,

School is rough! In the sense that it has battered my sleep schedule. And it is also expensive.

I don't think I've been more excited. Anyways updates coming soon, sorry for neglecting you.
hugs and kisses

Ryan

FINAL COUNTDOWN

2009-08-19T00:28:00.001-05:00

Here's all the stuff I did this summer that is available for prints. I am still setting up my online etsy shop for these guys.

This summer was a resounding success! I couldn't keep them on the walls. Thanks for sucking me dry, gives me more motivation to keep the work coming.

Note: I'll be adding the info (price, size, names, ecetra) as well when it is not 1:30am and when I do not have work in the morning.

For now, peruse my wares :D

He Started It 11 x 14

Bad Day For My best Pants 11x14

30second Memory 11x14

You All Look Like Ants 14x11

Air Head 5x7

Sucker Punch 8x10

Dry Clean Only 11x14

Do I Know You? 10x8

You're Lucky I Ate Today 11x14

I Always Ate My Vegetables 10x8

If the Hat Fits, Pillage 5x7

Etsy

2009-08-11T19:18:00.000-05:00

I'll be opening up an etsy shop within the next few days, there you can make smooth purchases of anything Ryan related.

Update: My internet went down for about three days, so that has backed-up everything

He Started It

2009-08-06T02:36:00.000-05:00

A new piece for Art in Starthcona Park.
From sketch to ink.

Last Show Guys

2009-08-02T01:35:00.000-05:00

My last show of the summer is this Saturday, August 8th, in Ottawa, ON at the lovely Strathcona Park. I'm currently looking into a few more exhibitions around March, but school will be starting soon again.
KNOWLEDGE.

so many lined drawings are littering my apartment. Tomorrow is definitely an all day work day.

Process+Sketchbook

2009-07-28T23:28:00.001-05:00

New Piece for Art in Strathcona Park.

I've been riding alot of buses back and forth from Toronto to Kingston so I actually sketched in my sketchbook on the rides home instead of doing copious amounts of thumbnails.

Newbies

2009-07-28T18:18:00.000-05:00

Dry Clean Only
acrylic ink on Stonehenge 11 x 14

Sucker Punch
acrylic ink on Stonehenge 11 x 14

Fantasy in the Forest

2009-07-14T21:32:00.001-05:00

What fun I will be having this weekend! If you're in the area, you should stop by my next show, the property it is being held on is simply beautiful and the hosts work is stunning in person.

What I Learned the Last Several Days

2009-07-02T01:07:00.000-05:00

Prints are alot more work then I anticipated. But are infinitely worth the time.

gah, so many proofs.

Torso of Work - Summer '09

2009-06-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

Below is my body of work displayed at The New Art Festival this past weekend. I'd like to thank everyone who came out and stopped by my spot to say hi or take home an original that day. It was a pleasure talking to you all of you.

I'll be in the Rideau Lakes area twice next month. Check the Upcoming Shows section at the side for more info. For now, I'm going to take the time to work out some ideas and get some well deserved rest.

Enjoy:

Bad Day for My Best Pants
11 x 14 acrylic ink on watercolour paper

30 Second Memory - original sold
11 x 14 acrylic ink on Rives BFK

You All Look Like Ants
14 x 11 acrylic ink on watercolour paper

Do I Know You? - original sold
10 x 8 acrylic ink on watercolour paper

You're Lucky I Ate Today - original sold
8 x 10 acrylic ink on watercolour paper

I Always Ate My Vegetables - original sold
10 x 8 acrylic ink on watercolour paper

Air Head - original sold
5 x 7 acrylic ink on watercolour paper

If the Hat Fits, Pillage - original sold
5 x 7 acrylic ink on watercolour paper

Everything shown here is available to be ordered in the form of a print. I'll be bringing prints for sale to all my remaining shows this summer as well. If you are interested feel free to contact me, info is posted just below.

macdonaldryan@hotmail.com
9059012826

This Weekend.

2009-06-03T20:01:00.000-05:00

This is what I'll be doing this weekend. If you're in the Ottawa area, you should come on down and sample all the talented artist's showcasing their work, and come say hello to yours truly. It would make my day.

see yah in four days.

You're Lucky I Ate Today.

2009-05-31T02:03:00.001-05:00

I'll ink him tomorrow.
just keep drawing.
:D

Present

2009-05-30T23:04:00.001-05:00

For Jackie's Birthday. Happy Birth.

Abacus to Doomsday (Calendar)

2009-05-19T20:12:00.001-05:00

Took me awhile to post this; but, this is my final computers project from the past semester.
The covers were posted in advance here.

I'll be selling these: cut, coiled, and fully assembled at all my shows starting in July. You can also place orders with me in person, or through my contact info located at the bottom of this blog.

Rough Stuff

2009-05-18T21:01:00.000-05:00

Some rough work from my sketchbook.

Working on this guy tonight. The head will be less of a goop and more of single, smooth orb, with somehting(undecided) inside it. goldfish?

What Once Was Skine

2009-05-16T20:24:00.001-05:00

Fabricland is a good friend to me. Credit goes to Yessenia and her shiny new sewing machine for the fancy stitching. I think I'm going to start covering each new sketchbook I get with a different fabric. It makes it feel more like mine.

Updates: I've been working towards completing my body of work for the New Art Festival. I've just about finished tweaking around with this guy below. I bought some tan Rives BFK today that I'll make a "brother" piece to match the lower. Fun stuff

Enjoy.

Almost done. Head size will change.

Two and A Half Weeks

2009-05-14T19:29:00.001-05:00

Deadlines are getting shorter! I'm in full force for my first show of the summer and that means this weekend is supply time. My do list keeps on getting bigger and bigger.

Here's some line work for stuff I've been working on.
More to come.

this one will get a head of some sort eventually.

ld 3

2009-04-22T23:02:00.000-05:00

This lady is from my final semesters life drawing portfolio. It was a mixed media focus this time. She was going to have anatomy put on her but she ended up being stronger then another one I had, so I threw some anatomy on that salty dog instead.
Enjoy!

AWESOME

2009-04-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

I just received my juried results for The New Arts Festival. You can come down and see me as well as many other fine artists displaying their work this summer. You can check out more info here.

I've also updated the Upcoming Shows section. These will most likely be the only shows I'll be doing this summer. Save any fantastic last mintue oppurtunities.

:D

Keeps Me Going.

2009-04-20T20:55:00.001-05:00

After a long day at school/work, stuff likes this brings a chuckle to me and keeps me going forward.

Soldier on brave packagers!

CALENDER

2009-04-16T05:05:00.001-05:00

Here's the covers for the calender I've been working on for the past month. Enjoy!
I'll be posting the calender images as well in the next few days.

front and back

Journal Journey!

2009-04-12T21:56:00.001-05:00

My set-up in the living room. I'm using my drafting table less and less.

My journal has been pretty hush hush this semester. One part being a secretive ass, one part being in a creative, artistic rut. Nothing I've done this semester has been satisfying my expectations.

I've had the opportunity for copious amounts of rest this long weekend and that has seemed to re-fuel my artistic juices. It's put me in the mood for sharing, which is a good thing, cause that's what blogs do. If they fried eggs for me; I'd never go hungry.

I'm really looking forward to the academic summer. Eating , sleeping, ART, and video games. woooooooo

HA!

2009-04-04T22:17:00.000-05:00

I've only just formatted my essay and it's already 6 pages.
Once this thing is over it'll be a huge sigh of relief.

On a much lighter note, I got two lovely pairs of jeans and a new sweater today. Happy boy. :D

It's Late

2009-03-30T23:32:00.001-05:00

My next Basic Design assignment. This tiny Thom Yorke will be replaced by values made up of text.

Christopher Cully

2009-03-24T08:27:00.000-05:00

Last night was a wonderful fusion of Thai food and good company. It was our dear Christopher Cully's birthday. This is what I made him for the big day.

Abacus to Doomsday

2009-03-22T16:05:00.001-05:00

See how the invention of the simple abacus leads to the destruction of our known world.
More updates coming soon.

F**x This

2009-03-10T06:24:00.001-05:00

My Fluxist Box for Conceptual Process. I had to choose a public space and design the contents of my box around it. I wish I had more time to add more to it. My favorite ones are the eye boxes. You hold them to the light and it illuminates a picture inside the box.

Keep Me Up All Night Chatting.

2009-03-09T06:32:00.001-05:00

ld2

2009-03-07T13:20:00.001-06:00

some life drawings from semester one.

Czech This

2009-03-04T20:32:00.000-06:00

Trust Me

STAMP

2009-02-05T07:41:00.000-06:00

ah.

stamp rough

2009-01-30T13:54:00.000-06:00

My latest computer project is to select a famous Canadian and design a stamp around their image.
Pingu makes me laugh.

Painting in Progress

2009-01-29T23:23:00.000-06:00

Painting for the sheer hell of painting is so rewarding and pleasant.

*almost done, got a few more areas to refine and re-work*

Ld.

2009-01-28T21:42:00.001-06:00

Monster minus Charlize Theron.

2009-01-28T21:28:00.000-06:00

Instead of doing homework a monster was born! Yessy did all the sewing(the hard work), I cut out the eyes. It was a big deal for me.

Design: Ryan MacDonald
Hard Labour and super sewing: Yessenia Rodriguez

his name is Victor.

Process Progress

2009-01-22T20:38:00.000-06:00

It has begun!
I don't have to do acrylic work at school for six weeks so they get to sit at home with me and I've decided to make good use of them.

I also bought some pretty new colours the other day. They make my heart warm. Also that giant white makes me extra happy seeing as Curry's can't keep white in stock. I've been hoarding them from the store as much as possible.

*drools*

This Year Business

2009-01-02T18:52:00.000-06:00

It's a new year. The habitual ponders of what to promise myself have plagued me like this damn cold I've had for the past few days.

I've decided to just try my best.