Ryan Carpentier illustration & cartoons

Mr Clean

2011-11-29T17:24:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgving!

2011-11-24T18:06:00.001-08:00

Snack Time

2011-11-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

Not sure why alligators get labeled as vicious carnivores, as this picture surely shows otherwise...

New cartoon!

2011-05-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

This was the new 'Alien and Dog' cartoon posted over at www.alienanddog.blogspot.com. The cartoon stars Kevin the Dog and Geel the alien- check it out!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

Don't get too spooked today!

Visit Alien and Dog for a halloween themed cartoon!

A look in the sketchbook...

2010-10-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty common looking page in a sketchbook of mine. Many times these doodles will lead to something appearing in my cartoon Alien and Dog.

Eyeballs Running Amok

2010-10-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Robodog sketches

2010-10-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

This guy appears in my sketches often....not sure what I'm gonna do with him.

More craziness...

2010-10-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

Some cave dwelling creatures for today. Been trying to work on making better backgrounds as of late.

Sewer Guy

2010-10-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

A new post for a rarely updated blog- one of these days I'll whip this blog into shape, I'm tellin' ya....

Something for today...

2010-07-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

...my sketches of little cute beings usually end up being rather sinister, as evidenced by the bones below him....

The King

2010-06-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

In my last Alien and Dog cartoon, I got to draw Lebron James. Now I'm not a Lebron James fan by any means, but I thought I did pretty good drawing him- so I thought I'd post him over here on this blog too!

Yes, another robot....

2010-06-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

My hand just always wants to draw robots for some reason.

Hoping this blog can pick up a little more now that I have moved and gotten settled in. Alien and Dog is going great as usual, but I always a little more trouble keeping this blog in good shape.... :(

Hey hey hey

2010-06-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hey, been a while since I've posted a little somethin somethin on this blog. Here's a guy I like to call 'Pigface'. Not sure what his deal is.

ZOMBIE!

2010-05-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big zombie guy, but here's one out of my sketchbook nonetheless. And apparently he's a fan of Weezer, as he's wearing a Weezer shirt. Scary, huh? :-)

Lil fishy

2010-05-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

This was the little fish guy that was drawn next to the grub from the last post in my sketchbook...

Keep Fishin'...

2010-05-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

A replacement scanner is on its way! I've been using a friends in the meantime....
Just yanked a lil random something something from the sketchbook today....

AAAAAAA!

2010-05-02T22:10:00.001-07:00

My scanner isn't working.....I gotta figure out what's up with it so I can get some more work posted.....

The Manatee

2010-04-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

Going through a old sketchbook, I found a quick drawing of a manatee aka the 'sea cow'. I remembered I had done a report on the large mammals back in elementary school and they have stuck with me since. They are such peaceful, herbivorous creatures....and so big! I remembered they had been largely hunted in the past and still poached today. They were also mangled by boats quite frequently. Curious, I quickly did some research- and the problems still exist today, although definitely not as severe.

I felt like experimenting a little and came up with the dual image that contrasts the manatee's peaceful existence with their ongoing struggles.

Peanuts (not the famous cartoon strip)

2010-04-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hmmmmm, I'm sure many one liner gags could be applied to this weird little drawing....and they're probably better left off unsaid.

Whoa, a human!

2010-04-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

I need to keep drawing humans too- don't want to get rusty on them. So I drew up people today in the sketchbook- this is one of a Hollywood type bimbo lady- apparently I have some sort of a fixation with grotesque subjects... :)

Alien Monk

2010-04-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

A character I developed that could possibly be used in my cartoon Alien and Dog. I envision him as a wise and all knowing sort of character that could be used in certain situations where words of advice could be utilized...

Lil Robo

2010-04-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

I draw a lot of robots. They just look cool.

The Fly

2010-04-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

I rather like this little drawing I pulled outta the sketchbook.....I might try to find a way to get this fly character into some other work whether it's a series of pieces or maybe even a whole story devoted to him- we'll see what happens.

What do we have here?

2010-04-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

Looks like a cross between a pig and a turtle......a pirtle?? A turtig?? One of the two....

Today's work

2010-04-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

"Marine Monster II"

Another piece in my 'Marine Monster' series....

More creatures...

2010-04-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

"Firestarter"

Continuing with creating monsters/creatures/weird things.....

Underwater scene

2010-04-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

"Marine Monster"

Lately I've applying color in Photoshop but I feel I need to get the watercolor paints out again soon.

Also changed the blog title from 'the cartoon life' to 'Ryan Carpentier illustrations & cartoons'.

Portraits

2010-04-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

Tiger Woods # 1

Tiger Woods # 2

Character sketches

2010-04-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some character sketches I did for a new character to appear on Alien and Dog. He is a adversary for the two characters in the cartoon that will appear from time to time. I wanted a timid and unthreatening looking bad guy to enhance the humorous aspects of situations that would arise. He started out in a sketch I did in the last 'cartoon life' post and I decided to pull the character from there and bring it into my cartoon.

The character- General Zlorr- appears in this week's cartoon.

Randomness

2010-03-31T23:22:00.000-07:00

"Extraction"

New Series

2010-03-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

This is a series of pieces I completed entitled 'Eclipse.' I'm continuing to implement my science fiction interests into my illustrations these days, and look forward to creating many more series of work along these lines....

'Eclipse' # 1

'Eclipse' # 2

'Eclipse' # 3

Well, I made the blog look better (I think). The title image is just a random page taken out of a sketchbook. For some reason I was drawn to it- I enjoy the energy and implied lines that can only come with a quick, mindless sketch. I really want to get this blog going, so expect more images/series/sketches.....and of course, Alien and Dog is still trucking with lots of new pieces to be found there!

Howdy

2010-02-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

Hello, I never update over here at all it seems. I update my Alien and Dog cartoon blog (http://alienanddog.blogspot.com ) a lot, but I think I'm going to try and update this some more. Maybe post sketches and ramble about things...

I've been doing mostly cartoon work these days it seems. Have not been as aggressive with sending out work and trying to get some paid projects to work on. Still sick of being in cold Wisconsin. My job that I keep to pay the bills isn't going so hot and am thinking about maybe going back to school? We'll see.

But in the meantime, I still am always drawing and trying to promote myself in little ways here and there. Although times can get a lil tough, life (and The Cartoon Life) is still so good. :)

Keep on keeping on....

2009-12-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

The logo I did for the 'Frenzied Baker' line of gluten free baking mixes. It will be available locally starting in the new year with the hopes of reaching larger markets after 6 months or so. And hopefully available for online purchase as well.

This is the image I did for a school district t-shirt. The kids will be involved in a program called 'Battle of the Books', and so of course you need a t-shirt for that. I was worried my character didn't quite come across as a 'book' enough, but they seemed pleased with the image!

Soooo....I need to try and get me some more gigs. In the meantime, keep checkin out Alien and Dog- I've been doing it a few months now, and I can see myself working with these characters for a long time. I'm still workin out a few kinks with it- making sure I draw the characters consistent each time...coming up with names for the characters (I'm thinking too much about it....etc etc....but it always takes some time to hammer that stuff out (look at old Garfield cartoons compared to what they look like today...or the Simpsons...etc). I've been getting great response to Alien and Dog, which makes me oh so very happy!!

Life Update

2009-11-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

I had to take about a week off from drawing- I am nursing a wrist injury and been wearing a brace all week over my hand. I AM GOING CRAZY. I wish I could draw with my left hand dammit :)

Stuff: my Alien and Dog cartoon is going great so far in the first month since its birth. Getting a few followers here and there on that blog, and the ideas and drawings are flowing out of me great. Got a whole sketchbook filled up with Alien and Dog stuff so far and I am just loving the characters and the situations they are getting into.

The Funny Cartoon is now promoting Alien and Dog- a cool hobby website that posts cartoonist's work. Check it out and vote for me!

http://www.thefunnycartoon.com/funny-cartoon/

Designing a logo for a line of bake mixes (gluten free). I think there's going to be a lot bigger market for gluten free products nowadays, as celiac disease and food allergies seem to becoming more common (from what I have heard anyhow). He has taught some food classes and people seem to be wanting his products. It should be a fun logo to design as the creator himself is pretty eccentric - so a perfect fit!

I was briefly involved in potentially national campaign for health awareness to certain baterias- they seemed interested in my character designs (which involved 'good guy cleaners' and 'bad guy viruses and bacteria) - but they apparently wanted a different direction as contact ceased on their part - their loss, I got some cool drawings out of it.

That's about it- much more Alien and Dog to come- and c'mon wrist, get better now!!

2009-10-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated this puppy in quite a while... though Ive been busy drawing and stuff....had a couple of gigs that didnt pan out....BUT I am going full force on my new cartoon, called 'Alien and Dog'. I'm creating a blog that will be entirely devoted to that which I will be updating much more frequently. Check it out- www.alienanddog.blogspot.com

T Shirt Design

2009-06-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a t-shirt design for the Unity Schools Eagles summer reading club...

New Piece

2009-06-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

Something I did the last couple of days. I got the idea a long time ago. I would remember walking around campus and it seemed like everyone was so distant - everyone on their cell phones or ipod and not acknowledging the existence of anyone else around...so yeah, it kind of inspired this illustration of a teen just in his own world with the technology this generation has.

Other stuff- designing a t shirt for the school my mom works at for some kind of book club.

More to come soon- it's finally a nice day out so I'm gonna go lay in the sun!! \m/

Booyah

2009-05-27T14:21:00.001-07:00

I have the Internet now!

Moving sucks

2009-05-19T21:26:00.001-07:00

Yeah Ive been moving so things have been hectic. Haven't had a stable internet connection. A lot of my art stuff is all packed up in who knows what box. Looking forward to getting settled and unpacked and getting more art work going.

I did draw a sweet Star Trek pic, although I'm going to redraw it better and post that guy up here. I saw the new movie 3 times (nerd alert, nerd alert) so it was on my mind just a little bit I guess! Go see the movie, it kicks all kinds of ass (even if you're not a nerd).

Fun and stuff

2009-04-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic I drew of me and Sarah. She's thinking about Tony Parker cuz she's got a thing for him and I'm thinking of her big TV she has (good for watching basketball games on!) Oh, and that's my dog Penny in there too!

Postcards pt 2

2009-04-15T11:04:00.001-07:00

Here's the front of the postcard. Looks like my website homepage, wanted some continuity there for the first batch anyhow. The back looks cool too, but for some reason that image won't upload hhmmm.

The turkey's children book has been kind of at a stand still lately. Not a lot of contact between me and her lately. It's been tough. May have to put it on the backburner for awhile to focus on other work? I dunno. I've got a headful of ideas going on in my head that I'm eager to work on. Maybe it was biting off more than I can chew at the moment. I really want to get a few small assignments/ projects- I think that will help my confidence and motivation. Going to be looking for stuff on employment websites, like Etsy and iHireCommericalArt, etc...

2009-04-09T17:22:00.001-07:00

Sent some postcards out. Some places, like Writer's Digest, PC Magazine, Comsmopolitan, Cardmaker's, and East Bay Monthly. Probably won't hear from anything, but persistance has been known to pay off before. Gotta send more out! And it's just good to get stuff out there, someone's bound to look at it!

Bye Bye Volume One

2009-04-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

My time with Volume One has come to pass- I had a great time working with them for the year and half or so but they've got a new illustrator/intern. They may still want a lil something or another in the future but the steady gig is dunbar. It was a good opportunity and others should definately get a chance at it- and it's cool my fellow illustration classmate Ian Kloster will be taking the spot (check out his blog). He does great work and his style will work with the magazine. I was starting to get the impression that they were maybe tiring of my cartoony style all the time...so onto other things!

The turkey children's book continues along slowly but surely. Donna is really getting the story in good shape and I've been getting some drawings done. It will be a long process for sure.....we'll see what happens.

Other things....really looking forward to the new Star Trek movie in May. New Green Day and 311 coming this month for tunes, kick ass. Oh, was digging through some old cartoons and stumbled upon this one and thought I'd share it. I don't know why but it always makes me laugh. Slightly inappropriate, but yeah. I could see it in Playboy magazine or something.

2009-03-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I like to just whip up quick little doodles while working in between larger projects. Maybe I'll scan some sketchbook stuff in....my sketchbooks can get pretty wild, I love having them around.

I had a lot of fun at the Bucks/Celtics game- even though my boys lost. They're pretty banged up right now but I'm thinking they should be ready come playoffs.

Just found this cool new band a few minutes ago (well, new to me) - Vampire Weekend. Very very good, I recommend them to everyone.

2009-03-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

Been slacking a little bit lately. Might have a little something to do with a special lady I've been getting to know and spending a lot of time with! It's good to have fun but I definately need to get my ass back in gear. My Volume One piece this week was done very fast and I should have spent more time on it. I also need to start digging into this children's book I'm working on more........SO- GET MOVING RYAN!

Ooooo Celtics beat up on the Cavs the other night- without KG. I got Celtics/Bucks tickets in Milwaukee next week, and I'm getting stoked!

2009-02-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

Whoopsies, been a lil while since I hit this thing up. Time flies. Lately been collaborating with a nice lady who has a children's story written and wants me to illustrate it for her, in hopes of getting a publishing deal. The story is solid so we're seeing where it goes. Its about a pet turkey, a couple sketches above.

Kinda liked my Volume One piece this week, I took a more graphic approach to this for some reason I'm not sure why. http://volumeone.org/magazine/articles/390/Slippery_Sidewalks_Make_Me_Cross.html

2009-01-26T19:50:00.000-08:00

Sent some emails out today to some magazines, book publishers, a record label, and an artist rep. Hopefully I'll get some responses. A lot of places want physical material sent in to them and they don't want emails, so I need to get some actual tearsheets and samples ready to mail out.

In other news, I need to get out of Wisconsin.

2009-01-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

My website went through a revamp and it's up now, check it out! New material and a new look (much thanks to the special person who helped me out big time). I'll soon be sending material and contacting companies and what not- time to try and get some more gigs.

Boston beat Orlando last night. Wasn't able to watch it but it sounded like a good game of hoops. Dwight Howard ain't no Superman, Paul Pierce is!

2009-01-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Now we wait and see what happens!

2009-01-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

The big day is coming up. A little illustration I did that's basically saying Bush's days are coming to an end.

2009-01-16T21:08:00.000-08:00

This will hopefully be serving as another area for me to post and spread my artwork and cartoons. I also have my website www.ryancarpentier.com, which will be getting new material and a new look later in the week (if all goes well, website stuff is hard). Other images of mine can be found at www.volumeone.org in the Opening Letters section. Volume One is an excellent culture and entertainment magazine for the area, so check it out.

I like to shoot the shit too, so I'll probably randomly spout off on here as well.