Sam Ricks

Up and Away!

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it's time to move on again. I've officially taken my new site live. Visit samricks.com for all kinds of awesomeness. My new blog will be at samricks.com/blog.

Here's the new RSS feed to subscribe to my blog: http://samricks.com/feed/

See you soon!

Explorer Dudes With Dog

2012-01-16T17:58:00.004-05:00

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

(Nope, the image has nothing to do with the holiday, in case you wondered.)

Waiting for the train

2012-01-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

I drew these a couple of months ago while waiting for the train. I especially like the spindly legs one.

And my site's coming along nicely. Just a few more days . . .

Countdown to destiny!

2012-01-06T23:49:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. Just thought I'd let you know that I'm going to be launching a new website soon—a website wherein my blog and portfolio will be inseparably bound as one. Together they will rule the galaxy! Mua ha ha!

Yeah, I'm pretty excited about that.

Also, if you're interested in reading a really cool book with excellent illustrations, I finally got my hands on Ramayana: Divine Loophole by Sanjay Patel. Amazing.

See what I mean?

I'll keep you posted on the website details.

Family Photo

2011-12-06T15:10:00.001-05:00

I think this sketch was inspired by one of my visits to Awkward Family Photos.

New Testament Project Site

2011-12-05T15:24:00.001-05:00

The first videos of the New Testament project I've been working on are out. Check them out here!

New Testament Sketches 11

2011-12-02T19:02:00.001-05:00

I decided I was getting tired of posting these so slowly. Here are some more pics from set. Enjoy!

New Testament Sketches 10

2011-11-22T11:35:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I sketched the extras when I wasn't in the shot.

New Testament Sketches 9

2011-11-21T19:10:00.001-05:00

Matt, the fearless DP takes a quick look through the lense of his camera.

New Testament Sketches 8

2011-11-16T14:14:00.001-05:00

James was our resident scriptorian. If anyone had a question about how something happened in the scriptures, he was the go-to guy. He's also an accomplished illustrator. Here's a link to his iStock illustration portfolio.

New Testament Sketches 7

2011-11-15T23:41:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite sketches from set. Jason the Assistant Director. He later corrected me on the sunflower seeds; it was actually gum he was always chewing. All the other details are entirely accurate.

Apart from being a cool guy, Jason was also known for his signature, "Rolling rolling, quiet please!" to shush the cast and crew.

A Break from NT Project: Walking

2011-11-14T13:33:00.001-05:00

Whenever I hit a creative roadblock, I go for a walk. It helps shake loose the thoughts that have been caking themselves onto the sides of my brain. Here are some thoughts from today's jaunt. Sorry if you can't read the chicken scratch.

New Testament Sketches 6

2011-11-11T16:31:00.001-05:00

Gemma Correll

2011-11-10T17:32:00.001-05:00

Gemma Correll's work makes me smile. And this image is spot on.

New Testament Sketches 5

2011-11-09T11:16:00.001-05:00

Dave, who played Caiaphas, probably has the best voice of anyone since Christopher Lee. He also had a really cool – and very imposing – costume. Oh, and in his day job, Dave is an architect.

New Testament Sketches 4

2011-11-05T12:56:00.002-04:00

Sleeping on set is entirely normal, and it sometimes happens in the oddest places. This is one of the actors napping on a very hard staircase.

New Testament Sketch 3

2011-11-04T13:52:00.003-04:00

Ben: widely regarded as possessing the best beard ever. Not only did his beard look like actual head hair, but it flowed like Charlton Heston only dreamed.

New Testament Sketch 2

2011-11-03T13:32:00.002-04:00

Here's a quick image of Alex, the ever-helpful, prepared, and really nice Production Assistant Extraordinaire!

New Testament Film Sketches 1

2011-10-31T14:38:00.000-04:00

From early August until the end of September, I worked on a New Testament film for the LDS Church. If you've ever worked on a film, you know there's lots of downtime between shots. To make use of this time, I sketched the people and set pieces around me. For the next few days, I'll be posting my drawings from the set, perhaps with a little descriptive text.

If you're unfamiliar with the project, here are a few videos to get you up to speed:

The sketch below is where we shot The Pool of Bethesda sequence. The area also doubled for several other locations. In mid-September, the clouds often looked like they were going to pound us with rain, but that rarely happened. It always seemed to rain during lunch breaks or at night, so our shooting went on uninterrupted!

And here's a pic from the set.

Can you tell which bearded guy is me?

If you want to see the gallery of official photographs from the set (what's been released so far), take a look at this link.

Random Sketch: Man in Car

2011-10-25T13:22:00.001-04:00

Cross Country Kid

2011-10-24T19:35:00.002-04:00

I still think there needs to be a good movie about high school cross country. It would either be a comedy or a tragedy. Or both.

Janitor

2011-10-20T13:16:00.001-04:00

Batman

2011-10-17T12:07:00.003-04:00

Search Your Feelings

2011-10-13T13:08:00.000-04:00

This article validates everything I've ever said about the Star Wars saga. Thanks, Wired. I can now like you on facebook.

Rain

2011-10-12T12:41:00.001-04:00

A Cat

2011-10-11T18:37:00.001-04:00

I'm Back

2011-10-10T12:55:00.000-04:00

Done with shooting. (More details about that soon.)

And although it's a bit late, here's a quick doodle of Mr. Jobs. Thanks for the Mac, Steve.

Hiatus

2011-07-22T09:58:00.003-04:00

After a long, protracted, unannounced blogging hiatus, I've decided to go on a long, protracted, announced blogging hiatus. Some of you may know that I'm going to be shooting a film in the next few months. I'm also trying to focus on actually getting a children's book published. In addition to that, I'm working my tail off at The Art Institute of SLC to get the graphic design program where it needs to be. And I have a ton of freelance stuff going on. So basically, blogging has become a distraction, and for now I need to focus my attentions elsewhere.

See you in a few months!

Sketches

2011-07-19T09:00:00.002-04:00

A few sketches of people I saw at a recent concert. Yeah, I draw people during concerts. It's probably not proper etiquette, but at least I don't leave my cell phone on.

Pig and Cat

2011-07-18T09:00:00.002-04:00

Recently finished a project for ilearn4free.org. Here's the cover from a short 5-page little book I did for them. Kinda fun. More info to come.

Icarus

2011-07-15T16:18:00.000-04:00

Cars 2

2011-07-08T23:34:00.003-04:00

A few weeks in, this Washington Post article sums up my own feelings about Pixar's latest. It ain't 'zactly Shakespeare, but it does what it intends.

Oh, and yes I'm alive. Just been really busy.

Wendy McNaughton

2011-06-03T16:18:00.000-04:00

Wendy McNaughton's documentary illustration series is awesome*. I especially like the documentary she writes about the San Fransisco Public Library. Take a look here.

Libraries are the best, by the way.

* Quick disclaimer: some of her other documentaries have language you might not want to read.

Graphic Novel Project

2011-06-02T14:20:00.002-04:00

Kristin Royer and I are working on a graphic novel! Below are a few images, without any of the accompanying word bubbles. If you want to see the big versions of these images, go to Kristin's site dedicated to pitching the project.

Kristin wanted me to desaturate the colors for the beginning of the story, and once we move into the more magical part of the tale, she wanted things to get more vibrant. I went for a very sketchy, loose drawing style that I think works well.

Hope you like!

Random Sketch Presented Without Commentary: Bug

2011-05-30T13:38:00.000-04:00

Pixar Awesomeness

2011-05-26T00:30:00.004-04:00

I stumbled upon this lovely image today while doing some research for a project. It's from a post in Vanity Fair, but I found it on Pixar Talk. I love that all the characters are accurately scaled – and, they're completely in character.

Which one's your favorite?

Random Sketch Presented Without Commentary: Running Sunbather

2011-05-25T12:32:00.001-04:00

Random Sketch Presented Without Commentary: Samurai

2011-05-24T00:50:00.000-04:00

Thriving Family Illustration

2011-05-19T12:22:00.001-04:00

I finished this illustration for Thriving Family magazine a few months ago. Now that the issue is out, I can finally post the image.

This article is about welcoming adopted children into blended families. The art director wanted vibrant colors and wanted to show a family with diverse ethnicities. Hope you like! And check out the magazine; it has some great articles.

Underwater Girl Test

2011-05-06T17:30:00.001-04:00

Just a little sneak peek of something I've been working on . . .

The Quiet Book

2011-05-05T09:00:00.012-04:00

The Quiet Book explores the kinds of silence children experience each day. Its writing, design, and illustrations are elegant and appropriately understated. Also, Renata Liwska, I want to be like you.

Go read this. It'll make you smile.

Cycling

2011-05-04T09:00:00.001-04:00

I know this sorta looks like it's supposed to be a story, but it's not. I sketched these in my Moleskine then colored them in Photoshop.

And I used to wreck my bike all the time. I think most of my bodily scars (and maybe my mental ones) come from biffing it while cycling.

What My Sketchbook Usually Looks Like

2011-05-03T09:00:00.002-04:00

This is pretty much what most of my sketchbooks look like. An explosion of randomness. But hey, that's what you've come to expect from me, I suppose.

Princess Doodle

2011-05-02T09:00:00.001-04:00

I love this doodle. She's such a cool little character. The way you see her here is about 3 times the actual size of the drawing.

A Good Design Book

2011-04-30T09:00:00.003-04:00

This is currently one of my favorite design books*. Michael Bierut's a great writer and a lot of fun to read. The design of his book is pretty cool, too. I do feel sort of proud, though, because I found a few typographical errors in 79 Short Essays. In a book by Michael Bierut! I know. I'm awesome.

On another note, I feel like this post will probably alienate all of my readership, since I usually write about illustration. But I couldn't help it.

* I'm sorry if you thought that link would take you to a list of my favorite design books. I'm still working on compiling that one.

I Don't Know What This Is

2011-04-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

You probably read the title of this post thinking, "Yeah, this is going to be good." Well, you'll be disappointed on that front.

I can't help thinking that the little doodle in the middle of the second row looks like a pig snout.

Beethoven

2011-04-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

I sketched this little guy from memory. Sadly, I had to go off my memory of other people's paintings, because I don't remember much from that time when me and Beethoven hung out.

Doodly Doodads

2011-04-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Some sketchbook madness from a little less than a year ago. I like the little Peruvian dude on the bottom.

Cross Country Kids

2011-04-26T09:00:00.031-04:00

Here are a some kids from my high school cross country team*. If you were on the team, you may be able to identify a few people, but since I sketched from memory and sketched in pen, I didn't exactly achieve historical accuracy.

Along the lines of cross country:

One of these days, someone will make a good movie about the skinny kids
Maybe it will even be a musical
That would be cool
It will never happen
And no, Glee doesn't count
Actually, I've never seen Glee, so I'm writing in complete ignorance
Does Glee ever talk about the cross country runners?
'Cause if it doesn't, someone's missing out on a really great opportunity

*A couple of the people in this image were on other teams. Boots and Randy.

Another Hedgehog

2011-04-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

In the days before Sonic the Hedgehog, there was Hans. He was sad sometimes, but he also had cool plaid shorts and arms that looked like noodles. At least that's how my brain sketched him a while back.

Unfinished Beach Sketch

2011-04-22T18:44:00.003-04:00

Well guys, it's been a while. But I have been creating. Lots going on right now, including

an impending move
a new position at The Art Institute, where I teach
a new Moleskine sketchbook that I'm aching to fill with all sorts of stuff
a new bunch of posts coming up

Stay tuned. It should be a fun ride in the next few days/weeks. And as summer approaches, please be sure to wear sunscreen.

Killer Bees

2011-04-08T17:53:00.001-04:00

I drew these a few months ago while my students were working. The class' conversation had somehow turned to killer bees. I love the ones with the bones through their noses.

Now What?

2011-04-01T14:38:00.000-04:00

I made this after I finished grad school. I'm not sure why I never posted it.

Trees

2011-03-31T20:36:00.002-04:00

I made these two years ago for a company that wanted a polygonal tree logo. (Really.) Sadly, the client decided not to use my work. (Actually, I think the mark they decided on is more appropriate; all type.) But this afternoon while looking through my archives, I found the image, put a cool texture (which I made*) on the trees, and now I present them to you!

* (I love parentheses. And asterisks.)

Plan 59

2011-03-30T13:10:00.000-04:00

While doing some visual research for an illustration, I ran across this great site called Plan59. It's an online museum and gift shop of mid-century American illustration. What a gem! Beware: Looking through all the images on this site can be a huge time sucker.

Paper Sample Doodles

2011-03-29T23:09:00.002-04:00

Tonight as I stewed over other projects, I noticed some stray paper swatches* at my desk. The swatches looked a bit underdressed, so I embellished them with a few doodles. The squares are each 2" x 2". Random, yes, but kinda fun.

* (Just like paint companies provide swatch books or color chips for their paints, paper companies provide swatch books for their papers.)

Illustration Friday - Cultivate

2011-03-22T19:08:00.000-04:00

Another quick sketch. I thought it would be fun to show a wrinkly grandma watering wrinkly flowers.

Sketches At Random!

2011-03-15T17:56:00.000-04:00

Vector Stuff

2011-03-11T09:00:00.004-05:00

Just messin' around. Giraffes have long tongues.

Random Sketches

2011-03-03T14:30:00.000-05:00

I drew these while watching a movie. For the life of me I can't remember what movie.

Underwater Girl

2011-02-28T16:31:00.000-05:00

I think I have a really really cool idea for this. We'll see what develops . . .

Carpe Cattus

2011-02-25T12:13:00.001-05:00

Nate Williams

2011-02-24T13:35:00.000-05:00

Just discovered this guy's site. It's interesting how I can be completely inspired by someone's style but never use that style in my own work. I can't imagine drawing the way Nate Williams does, but his colors and line work are spot on. Plus, anyone who gets to do illustrations for David Carson deserves some serious kudos.

Boecio, Barber of Greece 4

2011-02-21T09:00:00.002-05:00

Boecio and Hydra

Boecio, Barber of Greece 3

2011-02-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Boecio and Minotaur

Woods Monster

2011-02-17T14:07:00.000-05:00

Just messin' around. I always go back to monsters when I hit a creative block.

Boecio, Barber of Greece 2

2011-02-16T09:00:00.002-05:00

Boecio and Hades

Thought of You, by Ryan Woodward

2011-02-15T12:22:00.001-05:00

I know many of you have already have seen this, but it's such an amazing video that I had to reblog it. The animation, music, and choreography are incredible. And if you want to see more of Ryan's excellent work, check out his homepage and Vimeo site.

Boecio, Barber of Greece 1

2011-02-14T09:00:00.004-05:00

Boecio and Medusa

Monkey

2011-02-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Monkeys make every day more pleasant. Unless they're insane monkeys. This one's not insane.

I hate it when this happens.

2011-02-09T09:00:00.003-05:00

February Friend

2011-02-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

Had a picture published in the February edition of The Friend magazine. Below is the pic. And here's the link to the magazine. (It's a pdf.)

Hairdo Sketches

2011-02-04T13:52:00.000-05:00

A few doodles resulting from the random desire to draw people's hair.

Sketch Pages

2011-01-25T15:36:00.002-05:00

I like the idea of a Mariachi band on unicycles. I think I'll explore that further. :)

Restaurant Sketches

2011-01-17T19:59:00.002-05:00

Here are a few little sketches I did today during a brainstorm. They're all from memory, so I'm pretty sure I didn't get the uniforms just right. Still, I like the energy they have.

This guy's pants look like pajamas.

I love this guy's jaw. I think he's singing.

I'm not really sure what's going on with those plates in her hands.

His hands look terrible. Oh well.

Snowman

2011-01-05T14:32:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I know it's kinda weird. But it's also kinda awethome that the character has a lisp.

Icy Conditions

2011-01-04T20:26:00.012-05:00

I think the humor is off a bit here, but I'll probably go back and make it funnier later. For now, this is whatchya get.

THE END.

Old Man With Owl

2011-01-03T14:16:00.000-05:00

Walking in Winter

2010-12-23T14:32:00.001-05:00

A doodle inspired by a guy I saw at a train station a few days ago.

Dolly

2010-12-21T17:17:00.001-05:00

Snowballs

2010-12-20T21:06:00.003-05:00

I Sort of Feel Like This Today

2010-12-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

John Steinbeck on a Walk

2010-12-15T12:20:00.003-05:00

Okay okay, so Steinbeck had a mustache. Actually, I didn't think of the caption for this until after I drew it.

Firefighter

2010-12-14T15:40:00.003-05:00

Helmet Head Kid

2010-12-10T13:48:00.001-05:00

Helmet Head Kid returns in another spread from my sketchbook. Oh, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader comes out today. Pretty exciting stuff.

Mouse sketches

2010-12-09T19:41:00.002-05:00

(and a knight, cat, and crocodile.)

Bossy

2010-12-07T16:36:00.005-05:00

Ever had a boss like this?

Stuff

2010-12-01T11:09:00.000-05:00

In case you're wondering, I would totally ride a narwhal if given the opportunity. Especially if I had cool armor like that guy.

Pirates and N.C. Wyeth

2010-11-29T12:43:00.002-05:00

Two of these sketches are based on N.C. Wyeth's paintings from Treasure Island. Man, N.C. Wyeth was awesome. And I like my snow spider. He's pretty cool.

Another Spread from the Ol' Sketchbook

2010-11-24T12:58:00.000-05:00

Another page from my watercolor sketchbook. Enjoy!

Designer/Illustrator

2010-11-18T17:45:00.001-05:00

I made this little sketch for a demo in my illustration class yesterday. Something about the guy reminds me of Michael Beirut.

Tolstoy

2010-11-16T18:10:00.009-05:00

Apart from being the man and one of my favorite authors, Leo Tolstoy also had a great face. I sketched him today. Not sure why I haven't ever sketched him before.

There are a few weird things going on with this drawing, but I think I like it still. I drew him from several different reference shots, some of which you'll see if you click on the Tolstoy link above. I was trying to sketch him pretty loosely.

And War and Peace is worth it.

More Sketches

2010-11-15T18:49:00.000-05:00

Another page from my sketchbook. Didn't really finish any of these, but that's alright I guess. Sometimes it's better to leave stuff unpainted, right?

Sketches From A Long Time Ago

2010-11-12T14:01:00.001-05:00

Here's a spread from about a year ago. Kind of an odd mix of stuff: drapery studies, arm studies, vikings, disgruntled businesspeople at parking meters, and who knows what else!

Library Sketches

2010-11-10T11:43:00.000-05:00

Just a few quick sketches I made of people as they walked by me in the Salt Lake Library. The Salt Lake Library is one of my favorite places. Amazing architecture, cool setup, and lots of interesting characters to draw.

Quick Bug

2010-11-09T19:27:00.003-05:00

Quick Illustrator Drawing from Sam Ricks on Vimeo.

I thought I'd try my hand at a super fast screencast. Just messing around. No, there isn't any sound. I may try my hand at doing a tutorial or two in the future, though.

Vector Convict

2010-11-08T12:09:00.001-05:00

I'm not really sure what inspired this one. It's been a while since I did any vector work, so I thought I'd play around with my recently-upgraded Illustrator CS5.

Geeking out: the ability to selectively scale strokes makes the upgrade to CS5 completely worth it. Now, if we could only selectively scale brush strokes, too! (Yeah, I know, you can adjust the thickness by varying your pen pressure, but that's not the same thing.)

Handyman

2010-11-05T14:00:00.001-04:00

A little doodle of a handyman to brighten your day. (I wonder if this is an unconscious product of watching too much Disney Channel.)

Robot Jig

2010-11-04T16:46:00.002-04:00

Thought I'd throw a little black and white sketch into the mix.

Another Book!

2010-11-03T12:43:00.000-04:00

I recently finished up two books for author Donna Hemans. Here are a few illustrations from The Very Sleepy Firefly. You can order this and another book I illustrated, If You Take An Animal Home, from mymimisays.com, and you'll get the book with your child's name in the place of the main character. Kinda cool!