Toyriffic Interview: Ryan Jones

The other day I was contacted by an artist named Ryan Jones. I took one look at Ryan's work, specifically his Comics and Cupcakes series, and I knew he'd make a great subject for another Toyriffic interview.

Ryan has worked on movies ranging from Star Wars Episode III to The Incredibles to Transformers 2, and does everything from childrens book illustrations to abstract painting to realistic portraits.

TR: Tell us a bit about yourself, Ryan:

RJ: My name is Ryan Jones and I'm 28. By day, I bring characters like Transformers to life on the big screen. By night, I paint everything from cupcakes to abstract colors for various clients. I've been a San Francisco resident for 6 years and a Technical Director at Industrial Light and Magic since 2003. I have worked as a digital artist on Star Wars Episode III, The Incredibles, Van Helsing, Jarhead, Poseidon, Indiana Jones 4, Transformers and Transformers 2. Some of my work has also been featured on the covers of Wired Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and Cinefex Magazine.

I graduated from Stanford in 2003 with an Engineering BS in Computer Graphics and a Studio Art Minor. That major was a blend of computer science and animation classes which I was able to create myself within the engineering department.

Outside of work, I do personal and commissioned art for clients in my spare time, all of which can be seen on my website at www.ryanjonesart.com . In 2005, I illustrated a children's book called Too Much Picnic and in 2007 I self published a graphic novel called Uninvited Guest.

TR: How did I get into the movie digital arts field?

RJ: From an early age, probably around the time Jurassic Park came out, I knew that using computers and art to make movies was something I wanted to be a part of. Star Wars was my favorite movie as a kid and the only way my mom could get me to sit still when she'd cut my hair. Naturally, ILM was the place I wanted to be.

In college I had a Technical Director Internship at Pixar and worked on The Incredibles. A year later, I was hired full time at ILM as a technical assistant and gradually worked my way into the Technical Director role. Currently, what I do is a blend between lighting, rendering, compositing, and digital matte painting.

TR: What is it like to work at ILM?

RJ: ILM is a fantastic place to work. Just being able to sit in the theatre every morning and look at the work is enjoyable. The creative talent here is astounding, and being in an environment where some of your supervisors have won academy awards is very unique thing. I love the movies we get to work on and being at the cutting edge of film effects is as good as it gets for me. Also, the Lucas Digital campus is in a great location and overlooks the golden gate bridge.

TR: Who are some of your greatest inspirations?

RJ: Aside from my parents and my brother, some people who have inspired me at various stages in my life are James Jean, Kim Cogan, Moebius, George Lucas, Maynard Dixon, Paul Madonna, Frank Miller, Doug Chiang, Alex Ross, Jack Kirby, Chris Van Allsburg, Futura, Gerhard Richter, Walt Disney, Johnny Cupcakes and Arnold.

TR: Okay, I love them, but I just have to ask: Cupcakes and comics!?

RJ: I love cupcakes and I love comics. One day, the idea just came to me. I've always been fascinated with drawing and painting junk food. Its so colorful and dimensional. For these paintings, I've used mostly cupcakes because of their popularity these days. For the comics, I tried to stick with an old school style and have the scenarios be weird or humorous. Bon Appetit.

TR: You are quite a diverse artist; what is the one subject, style, medium you enjoy working in the most?

RJ: I really like being able to change things up on a consistent basis. I'll do one abstract painting for a client, followed by a more realistic drawing for myself, and then a cupcake painting for fun. Alternating between styles keeps things fresh.

TR: Since you contacted me through Toyriffic, you clearly have an interest in toys. What toylines do you collect, and do you ever use toys as reference in your work, both professionally and personally?

RJ: I ran across Toyriffic searching for pictures of old He-Man toys. I was toying around (haha) with the idea of doing a drawing/painting with some of the characters in out of place scenarios, very similar to a few of the star wars drawings I have done. He-Man and Star Wars were my favorite toy lines growing up and I still have my collections today. Looking at them brings back such nostalgic memories. Its fun trying to incorporate them into my art too, especially when other people can resonate with the characters as much as I do.

Toys also make great reference objects, especially when trying to mimic realistic lighting. Photographing them in a certain lighting environments and then using those as reference photos can be very helpful.

TR: Thanks for the interview, Ryan! We'll be watching the credits for your name to roll by from now on.

Don't forget to check out Ryan's art at RyanJonesArt.com and follow Ryan's blog at RyanJonesArt.Blogspot.com


If anyone else out there does something cool in the field of toys, art, pop culture, comics etc. and is up for an interview, drop me a line!