Ryan Metlen's Blogfolio

2011-08-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here's my Honda Center poster, #3!

2011-06-18T23:42:00.001-07:00

2011-06-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

And, below are the sketches of the guys in the original color (pencil).

The BB's themsevlves, w/ poster!

2011-06-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

Agave, Acrylic On Canvas 3'x4'

2011-05-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

Glee! Live! In Concert! is coming to LA on 5-27-11.

I was asked to make the poster for the Honda Center.

2011-05-05T23:37:00.001-07:00

2011-05-03T00:17:00.001-07:00

Acrylic on canvas, 3' x 4'

2011-04-28T11:41:00.001-07:00

2011-04-18T14:22:00.001-07:00

2011-03-07T21:23:00.001-08:00

a few boards for Imagineering...

2011-03-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

Landscape concept I designed for a model home.

2011-02-16T16:24:00.000-08:00

Designed this magazine ad for LDI.

2010-10-27T14:20:00.001-07:00

2010-08-20T00:33:00.000-07:00

Editorial illustration for The Signal.

2010-07-22T14:48:00.001-07:00

Japanese Maple

Acrylic on canvas.

6' wide x 10' tall

2010-07-21T23:56:00.001-07:00

More corporate artwork/layout.

2010-07-21T21:40:00.001-07:00

2010-07-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a conceptual design that I recently completed for one of my clients... this is hand drawn and then colored with ad markers. This is a rooftop over a 5 story studio apartment building in LA. The challenge here was transforming the spaces predetermined by the building architect into exciting, usable, unique areas through creative site-programming. The two white areas in the center represent large gaps in the structure. At the base of each gap is a courtyard garden - drawn below.

2010-04-23T12:29:00.001-07:00

Purple Leaf Plum

Acrylic on canvas 4' x 10'

2010-03-13T18:07:00.000-08:00

Creators Syndicate is set to web-publish a comic strip feature that I've been developing alongside two very talented co-creators: Steve Gabriel and Dudley Mallinson.

The strip is called "Hope & Death," and here's a sneak peak at Hope, the 6 yr old little girl who makes up the first 1/2 of the title characters. Hope loses her parents, and then goes to live with her very active Grandpa in his retirement community. There she meets and befriends a 2-foot-tall version of the Grim Reaper - that only she can see.

2009-12-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

2009-12-02T22:51:00.000-08:00

Pastel study from life.

2009-12-02T22:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a series I did for Stephen Heller who, at the time, was the Senior Art Director at the NY Times.

2009-11-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

My son (who is almost 3), Henry, has decided that he wants to fly the space shuttle. I am going to do a few more of these, I think... maybe make Ruthie (his baby sister) an adorable alien.

2009-11-15T00:36:00.000-08:00

I occasionally design landscapes. The multi-acre property below is the largest I've worked on to date - and the conceptual was a great deal of hard work. The design process is time consuming (and includes the exercise of field measuring the property). There is much to consider; a good landscape balances the asthetic desires of the owners, existing views, maintenance issues, the watering requirements and eventual growth habits of the plant material, construction material call-outs, inter-site accesibility and movement, existing architectural elements... etc.

If you're wondering "what's what," in terms of plant material, that's because this is just a conceptual. The final planting plan was submitted seperately. Special thanks to Michael McDonnell for his help picking out the right pallette!

2009-11-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

I make a living as a project manager for the unique construction firm Landscape Development, Inc. Check out some of our more recent projects! My team has successfully run between 30-40 million dollars of landscape installation over the past five years.

While most of my time is dedicated toward construction management, I get tapped occasionally for in-house artwork and marketing material. Recently LDI formed its Custom Gardens division geared toward high-end residential estates. I created the following ad, which appeared in luxe. and FINE magazines.

Here is a smattering of other corporate art done for LDI... each has a story of its own, but I will save you the pain and simply allow you to enjoy (or at least view) the images themselves.

2009-10-28T00:29:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, as a newly recruited landscape construction manager for one of the largest firms in CA, I was provided the opportunity (since I do not come from a landscaping background) to attend the Landscape Design program at CSUN. I learned much from that program, including (but not limited to) landscape design conceptualization, irrigation, plant identification, construction materials, and estimating.

These pieces were part of the coursework. They are to-scale cross sections of a fountain area I designed.

2009-10-28T00:10:00.000-07:00

Front and back of business cards I designed for Bucky Guido's Cockfighting Salsa...

2009-10-27T23:11:00.000-07:00

Sigh... my hero.

Love poppin' this portrait between the cartoon roosters... I want to be able to work in as many ways as possible.

2009-10-15T23:49:00.000-07:00

Fact is, its been too long since I updated my blogfolio. Too busy!

Recently, I was asked by a friend to create a salsa logo for his new company. Thought I'd share. That, my friends, is a menacing looking rooster. I'd buy his goods, if I were you.

2008-08-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

2008-07-12T01:58:00.000-07:00

This precious little guy is my son, Henry. Like most toddlers he's pretty much impossible to draw when he's awake. Dad has to sneak in and sketch quietly.

This is Sharpie marker - a favorite of mine.

And a couple of pencil sketches... warming up.

2008-07-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

Charcoal on paper.

Dance King

2008-07-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

2008-07-03T02:14:00.000-07:00

Ink, charcoal, colored pencil on bond.

2008-07-03T02:01:00.000-07:00

Where I grew up there were literally miles of horse trails surrounding and running through the forest around our neighborhood. We roared through on our bikes - it was a great deal of fun!

The panel below is looooong in real life. It is about 14" high & and runs easily 8' across.

2008-07-03T01:07:00.001-07:00

Why is Clint Eastwood so cool? Man, I love this movie.

Cloak Lifedrawing

2008-07-03T01:03:00.000-07:00

Nude

2008-07-03T00:58:00.000-07:00

Dozer/Clearcut Pan

2008-07-03T00:57:00.001-07:00

Frankenape

2008-07-03T00:48:00.000-07:00

2008-07-03T00:40:00.000-07:00

My Dog & Me

2008-07-03T00:36:00.000-07:00

Cityscape

2008-07-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

Painting Of Kit

2008-07-03T00:28:00.001-07:00

Oil On Canvas 2' x 3'

2008-07-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

Foxhall Layout

2008-07-03T00:17:00.001-07:00

This is the house I grew up in.

2008-07-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Teamed up with Peter Ko, who is also from CalArts, on this strange sequence. He is a tremendous draftsman.

Big Dude With Gun For Arm...

2008-06-28T16:18:00.001-07:00

O.K., occasionally I sit down and doodle - and create something completely useless and fun that nobody asked me to make. I have an enormous backlog of work nobody has ever seen because of this.

This happened to be on top of the pile.

More to come when time allows.