For this month’s GOOD Magazine Doodle Project, dubbed A Day with a Bicycle, they ask readers to pick a day and avoid using any kind of carbon-burning vehicles (cars, buses, mopeds, etc.), and then draw a doodle that illustrates their experiences.  That’s my drawing right up there above this paragraph.

I haven’t seen this movie yet (rumor has it that it’s not so great but I’ll see it anyway) but I really enjoy the poster.  I’ve been trying to track down who is responsible for it.  I’d like to see what else is in their portfolio.

Seeing this poster made me think of another great poster, one of my favorites… Bullitt.

Thanks to the good people at GrainEdit for posting about the new book!

If you don’t read GrainEdit… well, you’re missing out.

As Overheard in the Back of My Mind – No. 3 has now been added to my shoppe!

This is the latest installment from the series of the same name featuring a collection of various ideas pulled directly from the back of my mind.

I don’t want to tell you what to do… but with the help of a pair of scissors this book could easily become a nice stack of small prints!  I’m just sayin’.

Oh, and printing was limited to an edition of 100 copies… which will be signed and numbered.

Go HERE to snag a copy!

I just returned from an amazing week in London… and I couldn’t get this image out of my head!

Thanks to my London pals for your hospitality.  Can’t wait to come back for another visit.

Here’s a look at a new tee I’ve happily designed for Element Skateboards France.  Oh boy!

Cheers to the fine folks at Graniph for featuring my thoughts in this interview to coincide with the release of the tee I recently did for their artist series.

And here’s the final sneak peek into the next edition of As Overheard in the Back of My Mind.

The books will begin shipping September 1st.

Pre-Sales begin Monday, August 16th!

I recently designed this postcard for an upcoming exhibition I will be taking part in.

More to come!

I’m excited to have had this tee design chosen by the fine folks at the Newport Folk Festival!

Go get your Folk On!

And here’s yet another look into the next edition of As Overheard in the Back of My Mind.

As usual the book consists of various illustrations and designs created over the past year or so.

More sneak peeks, info and a release date to come shortly!

And yet another look into the next edition of As Overheard in the Back of My Mind.

As usual the book consists of various illustrations and designs created over the past year or so.

More sneak peeks, info and a release date to come shortly!

As I prepare to stock the shop with all new goods it’s time to clear out some of the old Posters and Books.

Everything is 50% Off! (Discount applied at during Checkout.)

www.mylittleunderground.net

My new tee for Graniph’s Artist Series is now available.

Make sure you have 2500 yen and get yours HERE!

Yesterday morning as I sat on the runway awaiting take-off I began to feel guilty.  As I stared into the screen on the seat in front of me at the heart-breaking, blood boiling images and the staggering statistics of disaster from the BP oil spill (Spill? It’s more like a gushing wound), I began to feel, for the first time in my life, guilty for my part in a system that runs on oil.  There I was sitting on a plane that would be burning oil.  I took a car to the airport that was burning oil.  When I landed, my taxi into Manhattan would be burning oil.  I began to obsess about these as well as all of the other things that exist in my life that are connected to oil and the need for it.  My mind began to spin as the list grew.

I began to realize that I am SPOILED.

Now, for the record, I have not been oblivious to issues surrounding oil and it’s effects on our societies and our eco-systems.  I’ve just never felt so overwhelmed by it all as I did yesterday as CNN gave me a big dose of pure truth.

Personally, I really try to watch my footprint.; I ride my bike whenever possible…  I conserve electricity… I recycle… I try to avoid unnecessary paper and plastic… I consider which businesses I support, etc.  But, I still feel… SPOILED.

Is it possible to live outside of a system that runs on oil?  Perhaps… but not so easily at this point.  I can only hope that others are feeling spoiled too… and that we collectively move towards new energy solutions that are better for our planet and our conscious.

As I was considering all of this the image above popped into my head and I thought to share it as a downloadable print.  Please feel free to print it, share it, agree with it, love it or hate it.

Download 8.5×11 Print
Download 11×17 Print
Download 18×24 Print

All Rights Reserved.
Please contact me it you’d like to use this work for non-personal or commercial purposes.

Found a few more copies of books I thought were sold out.  They are now available in my Shoppe and on sale as well.  Get ‘em while they last!

As Overheard in the Back of My Mind – Vol. 1: $7

Everything You Need Can Grow: $8

Another look into the next edition of As Overheard in the Back of My Mind.

As usual the book consists of various illustrations and designs created over the past year or so.

More sneak peeks, info and a release date to come shortly!

I often get emails from other designers asking how I achieve the distressed feel in certain pieces of my work.  Usually I respond vaguely with some basic hints, as I ultimately feel that the best part about learning some creative techniques is discovering them on one’s own.  However, my thoughts have changed as of late.  I suppose that if someone has found my work and taken the time to email me with a question then I suppose they have discovered something on their own. Why should I not share?  So, I have put together a quick, simple how-to showing the process in which I digitally distress some of my images.

Keep in mind that in lot of cases I create my work by hand using analog tools and that’s what helps the pieces feel warm and textured.  The info below applies to achieving this feel by digital means.  Also, this represents only one way of doing it; my own.  There are many ways of achieving similar effects.

Note: I work primarily in Illustrator, so this particular how-to only applies to this program.  However, you can of course get the same results in Photoshop but the steps are slightly different.

Here goes nothin!

Step No.1: Create your design
Do your thing.  You don’t need my help here!

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Step No.2: Create your distress
Use Photoshop to create a distress file.  You can create these from pretty much anything.  I scan in pieces of paper or ephemera that I feel may work.  You’ll need to export your distress file as a Bitmap.  I won’t go into how to do all of this here.  This is where you will need to do some of your own research!  Don’t forget to make sure that your file is big enough to cover the area you wish to distress.

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Step No.3: Place your distress over your design
Once you have your distressed Bitmap file ready, open it in Illustrator open it and place it over the area in which you wish to feel distressed.

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Step No.4: Color your distressed file
Once you have your distressed Bitmap file in place, make it the same color as your design’s background.  (In Illustrator you can color Bitmap files in the same way you color any other element.)  This creates the effect that the element in the foreground has been distressed.

++++++++++++

So there you have it.  It’s a simple concept that is easily executed and expanded upon.  Go try it and explore how you can make this technique your own.

Sky’s the limit!  Have fun!

Just this morning I uploaded the latest edition of my As Overheard in the Back of My Mind books to the printer!

As usual the book consists of various illustrations and designs created over the past year or so.

More sneak peeks, info and a release date to come shortly!

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about this… Trusting my eye.

I often second guess creative decisions; did I chose the right colors, a pleasing layout, the best words, typeface, etc… Yet I still find that I must trust my eye to let me know when I have come to a creative conclusion.  Hopefully it’s a good one.

When I refer to my eye I mean the WAY that I see rather than just seeing in general.  It is this Eye that has been trained by my mind to inform my aesthetic and to let me know if I have met the requirements needed to satisfy it in my work.  It’s my eye telling me what to do that makes my work My Work.

I have made the image above as a reminder… to hang near my desk, or on my desktop with a digital push-pin, or as a visual thought on the back wall of my brain.  Trust Your Eye!

Click here to download a copy for yourself.  Enjoy!

I’m very excited for the release of Sundays Are For Lovers for which I designed the cover and section dividers.

Sundays Are For Lovers is an exploration in four parts: eat, rest, laugh, love. there is a particular tenor to a sunday… there’s laziness, cooking breakfast, comfy-clothes, time spent in bed, wandering the neighborhood, sitting in a café, house-work, yard-work, making out, art projects, meeting friends at the pub, a last chance to get shit done before the work-week begins and then of course the end of something … the beginning of something.

Curated by Maria Alexandra Vettese

Available at Lines & Shapes Connect Us

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Book Release Parties:

chelliswilson
17 Pleasant Street
Portland, Maine
June 11, 5–8 p.m.

Bird
203 Grand Street
Brooklyn, New York
June 15, 6–9 p.m.

I recently did this little logo for MAV’s “WEE – Onesie Pop-Up Shop”.

Custom Letterpressed Onesies!  Have a look.

Yet another little reminder that I have needed lately.  Easier said than done, yes… but still worth a shot.

Download a copy for yourself.  Click Here!

It’s an honor to be featured in Flashback, a new release from Victionary focusing on “Retro Design in Contemporary Graphics”.

From Victionary website:

“Retro design has emerged today as designers begin to look back to the vivid 20th century and find inspirations for new graphic styles in the depressive pixel age. Some think the collective and sensational reference of the old time aesthetics is the retrieval of the lost enthusiasm for new findings and the future in the new century, others reckon it as a tribute to the prominent art and design movements between the roaring twenties and the early nineties. Taking a trip down memory lane and witnessing a bold and pronounced application of shapes, typefaces and illustration works in contemporary graphic art, Flashback unveils how the epoch persists to be an enduring spring inside modern creative studios in the well-defined sections of Geometry, Typography and Illustration.”

Available through Amazon.

It’s making silly things like this that make me the most happy.

Sundays Are For Lovers is now available for Pre-Order!

Order your copy here!

This pretty much sums up my mood after several stressful days of technical and operational issues.  Too many pixels and too much clicking in my life lately.  I wonder if my screen ever gets so tired of staring back at me?

I’ve decided to take a moment and step away from the computer.  I think that this is what I need to do.  I KNOW this is what I need to do.  I think I need to make a habit of doing this more often.  So… I printed this poster and stuck it on the wall above my desk to remind myself.

You ever feel this way?  If so, feel free to download a copy of my little poster for yourself.  Click Here!

Behold!  My cover design for Sundays Are For Lovers… out this summer from Lines & Shapes.

More to come… but in the meantime, find out more here.

I’ve got some new desktops available as part of the Year One series on the Hard Feelings Blog.

Help yourselves!
www.hardfeelingsblog.com/2010/05/year-one-christopher-david-ryan

I am incredibly excited to be part of The Exquisite Book from Julia Rothman, Jenny Volvovski and  Matt Lamothe… the trio otherwise know as Also.

The book idea is loosely based on the game started by the Surrealists in the 1920’s called the Exquisite Corpse. This version is played by 100 contemporary artists, illustrators, designers and comic artists.

The book is set to hit shelves in August. It is now available for pre-order on Chronicle’s site and on Amazon!

Oh, and did I mention that the foward is by Dave Eggers? Well, it is!

Find out more about the project here, here and here.

Closer to the book’s release I will share some images of my contribution.

Somebody pinch me.  I must be day-dreaming.  Is that really my name on this list?

I am so thrilled to be a part of this show with some really inspiring designers.
Especially Buro Destruct who have been a favorite of mine for over 10 years.

Thanks to Ship of Fools Gallery for having me.

I wish I could make it out to the Netherlands for the opening.

My “HELP” poster is now available at The Haiti Poster Project.

THE HAITI POSTER PROJECT was launched three days after the January 12th, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The project is a collaborative effort by the design community to help effect change through our work. Signed and numbered, limited edition posters have been donated by designers and artists from around the world. All money raised will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.

More info here: Ubiquity Records

It’s true.  I do THINK.  Sometimes clearer than others.
Tonight I’m thinking (clearly or not) that the time has come to update the look of this “blog”.

So… if you’ve been here before… and you know who you are… all 3 of you… you’ll notice
some new-ness.

Cheers,
- CDR

Was so excited to see my name in the papers today!

The 2 little illustrations above are the first of eight that will appear on the “The Medium”
page of the New York Times Magazine over the next 4 weeks.

I’ve recently been updating Atmostheory with new work.

www.atmostheory.com

For the HAITI POSTER PROJECT

www.thehaitiposterproject.com

This new print is on its way to LA for MANIFEST EQUALITY, March 3rd-7th.

manifestequality.com

Thanks to Alex Cornell at ISO50 for featuring me in his recent article Overcoming Creative Block.

See more here.

A blast from the past… 2004.

What Bends The Light
12 New Drawings 5×7 Drawings

Opening Friday, Feb 5th
Enormous Tiny Art

As seen at a dinner party thrown by some pals. Pretty sure that’s Paul Simon on the platter!

Photo by Reg Lancaster/Express/Getty Images

Recent work for the upcoming LMM release.
www.learningmusicmonthly.com

I get a lot of requests for “Commands” tees.

So… here they are.

You choose the color and style of garment.

Finally producing more of the Sleepyheads!
www.hellosleepyhead.com

I’ll officially launch these in the coming months but in the meantime I have a limited edition of 25 available.

16×16 inches
Organic Cotton Twill
Removable Insert
Printed in Brooklyn, NY
Made in Portland, ME

$40 + Shipping

Orders ship via USPS Priority Mail
Shipping & Handling Fee: $12 per pillow ( US )

Interested? Email me here:
cdryan@cdryan.com

My Shoppe is officially updated!

To celebrate, take 25% Off orders $20 & Up… through Dec. 15th!

www.mylittleunderground.net

18 x 24 Inches – $25
11 x 14 Inches – $12

www.mylittleunderground.net

Here are 4 new works created for Come Darkness which opened last night in Portland, Maine.

I am excited to be included this Novemeber in the…

Brooklyn Flea Design CO-OP
Curated by Lena Corwin

I will be in good company with the following designers:
Virginia Sin – Ceramics
Deadly Squire
Claudia Pearson (Special One-Day Seller: Nov 7th)
Moontree Letterpress
Wayne Pate / Good Shape Design
Maptote
Lena Corwin / Lines & Shapes

And, there will be several other one-day sellers, to be announced.

Brooklyn Flea
Saturday, 10am-5pm (Through November 21st)
176 Lafayette Avenue, Fort Greene

Poster by Wayne Pate

Looking forward to this.  I just finished my pieces.  Stay tuned to see!

New Digital Print
12×24 Inches
$15
Available at My Little Underground

Here are 3 recent tee designs for Movember, an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues – specifically prostate and testicular cancer.

http://www.movember.com

I am so proud to have been asked to create a timeline for…

3191:Evenings
by
Maria Alexandra Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes

Like bookends, 3191: Evenings is the second and final installment
in a simple and intimate visual collaboration between two friends—
one in Portland, Oregon and one in Portland, Maine.

If you do not know about this special project then you must
familiarize yourself with it this instant!
www.3191.visualblogging.com

If you do know about this special project then you should order your
copy of the book this instant! (Assuming you have not already.)

Pre-orders are available until 9/18/09.
Pre-ordered copies ship 2 weeks before the publication
date and are signed by both authors.
www.other-books.com

(Please excuse my enthusiasm. You need not do anything this
instance. But you should!)