Eric G. Ryan
groovehappy@hotmail.com
https://www.theartofericryan.com/
https://www.artstation.com/ericryan
https://www.instagram.com/theartofericryan/
*For PWP page, please request password

SUMMARY

As an artist with over 21 years of experience in the entertainment industry, I want to introduce design originality, speed and craftsmanship. I can accomplish just about any task with a high level of quality, under pressure and with a quick turnaround time. I work just as well independently as I do with others, while retaining a good sense of diplomacy, sensibleness and humility. I learn new methods and techniques quickly and look forward to taking on new tools that will increase company efficiency and quality. I love to find state-of-the-art methods to help me improve my craft. I find myself always reading and studying techniques of great artists, old and new. Making great art with a clever sense of storytelling is my motivation.

SKILLS & SPECIALTIES

Photoshop
Mudbox
Unreal 3
3D Studio Max
Word
Zbrush
Camtasia
Proprietary effects software
Unity - some minor proficiency
Digital Painting
3D Concept Sculpting
2D Character Design
2D Environment Design
2D Prop Design
Unreal Effects
Texturing
Storyboarding
Oil Painting
Watercolor/Gouache
Traditional Sculpting
Midjourney
Leonardo.Ai

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Trailer Park Group (Art Machine), Hollywood, CA Apr 2022 – Apr 2024
Head of Illustration
Many films, TV and game projects for clients like Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, Marvel, etc.
Responsible for overseeing the whole Illustration Dept. and creating high quality illustrations, storyboards and animatics for entertainment marketing and pre-production for high-profile clients.
Worked closely with Art Directors and Creative Directors to guide Illustration Team and meet tight deadlines on a high frequency basis
Worked on various Illustration types (e.g., Payoffs, Teasers, Montages, Character pieces, Concept pieces, etc.) for many high-profile projects
Responsible for Illustration team building/recruiting, organizing outsourcing resources, creating guideline documentation and helping to streamline our sketch process across departments
Worked with account teams to bring clarity to the sketch process to enable more effective monetization

Fox Next/ Scopely Games, Mobile, Playa Vista, CA Mar 2019 – Apr 2022
Lead 2D Artist
Marvel Strike Force (iOS, Android), Avatar (iOS, Android)
Responsible for overseeing all of the Concept Art and 2D Dept. and creating all of the marketing renders, concept art and any 2D in-game assets
Worked closely with Art Director to establish direction and vision of the game, and was responsible for a significant portion of the art direction and visual style of the final assets
Assisted in hiring new artists, collaborating with outsourcing teams and creating documentation for style guides,
Worked with the Game Design, Production, and 3D teams to solidify an efficient production process while under tight deadlines

Warner Bros. Games, Mobile, San Francisco, CA Jan 2016 – Mar 2019
Senior Concept Artist
DC Legends (iOS, Android), Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (iOS, Android), Westworld (Android)
Responsible for overseeing all of the Concept Art Dept. and creating and maintaining the visuals for the characters and environments in the games
Worked closely with Art Director to establish direction and vision of the game
Assisted in hiring and creating art for the style guide

Activision-Treyarch, Santa Monica, CA Oct 2014 – Sept 2015
Senior Concept Artist (Temporary Contract)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (PS4, XboxOne, PS3, Xbox360, OC)
Designed some important single player story-driven characters as well as helped to develop some multiplayer characters and props for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Designed almost all of the characters for the Zombies mode
Collaborated closely with the Creative Director, Art Director, Concept Artists, and Character Artists to fine tune the designs and details of cutting-edge, highly realistic characters

Turbine, Boston, MA May 2014 – Oct 2014
Senior Concept Artist (Remote Contract)
DC universe (PS4, XboxOne, PS3, PC), Infinite Crisis (PC)
Developed, re-imagined and expanded upon existing characters in the DC universe (and its various multiverses) and created marketing illustrations for Infinite Crisis

mOcean Studios, Burbank, CA April 2014
Freelance Production Designer
Helped develop creatures for an announcement trailer for a new TV series

Legacy FX, Burbank, CA March 2014 – April 2014
Freelance Production Designer
The Veil (Film), 2 Commercials
Visually developed some of the creatures in a live-action horror film called The Veil (2015), as well as development of various creatures for commercials for clients like Budweiser and General Electric
Worked directly with a co-owner to develop these characters for 3 commercials and a movie

Sony Computer Entertainment of America, Santa Monica, CA Sept 2010 – Feb 2014
Senior Concept Artist
God of War: Ascension (PS3), Unannounced Sci-Fi Title, God of War (2018) pre-production
Fully realized characters, creatures, environments, marketing illustrations and cinematic shots for God of War: Ascension and an Unannounced Sci-Fi Title
Created thumbnails, studies, dramatic key art and any additional illustrations that fully realized what the character or environment would be
Assisted the team and AD in hiring new talent

Cinovation Studios, Burbank, CA March 2010 – April 2010
Freelance Production Designer
Men in Black 3 (Film)
Co-created the main villain and various creatures in the live-action Sci-Fi film sequel, Men in Black 3
Worked with renowned VFX artist and owner Rick Baker to develop the look and behavior of several of the characters in the pre-visualization process

Sony Pictures Animation, Culver City, CA March 2008 – May 2008
Freelance Production Designer
Development of many of the main characters and creatures in a feature animation film pitch
Helped to develop the style of the characters and world through the vision of the director and Lead Production Designer

Zoic Studios, Culver City, CA April 2008, March 2009
Freelance Production Designer
The Middleman (TV), Additional Media/Commercials
Visually develop a creature for The Middleman series
Helped to enhance an existing monster through color correction, detail additions and lighting
Worked with the studio to develop a character and animation for the PlayStation Network client

Liquid Entertainment, Pasadena, CA June 2003 – Sept 2010
Associate Art Director (06/2009 – 09/2010)
Thor: God of Thunder (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS)
Worked side-by-side with the Art Director to provide vision for the Art Department as a whole, while the AD oversaw tech art
Supervised and provided constructive feedback for the Art team in a hands-on approach with paint-overs, reference gathering and detailed concepts
Highly instrumental in developing and solidifying the art production pipeline
Assisted in hiring and building the team

Lead Character Artist (08/2006 – 06/2009)
Rise of the Argonauts (PS3, XBox 360, PC)
Coordinated with the Art Director to guide the visual creation process of the characters and environments of the world
Supervised a team of concept artists and character modelers, and coordinated with the Lead Environment Artist to complete all of the art assets for the game

3D Artist/ Concept Artist (06/2003 – 07/2006)
The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring (PC), Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard (PC)
Conceptualized characters, creatures, buildings, and environments
Visually developed 4 shipped titles and 9 pitches
Responsible for all of the effects on 3 games, and worked as an auxiliary modeling and texturing artist

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Art Center, Pasadena, CA 2019 – present
Character 2, Character Design Adjunct Professor
Designed curriculum catering to students ready to apply for industry jobs by creating portfolio-ready projects.
Showcased how to apply fundamentals of design and rendering to unique and realistically constructed creatures for advanced projects

Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, Van Nuys, CA 2004 and 2015
Character Design Instructor

CGMWmasterclasses.com, CA 2011 – 2014
Character Design Instructor

Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Hollywood, CA 2012 – 2013
Character Design Instructor

Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, San Bernardino, CA 2005 – 2006
Character Design Instructor
Worked with students to visually develop characters from a given story.
Guided students through the entire design process, from extracting important story driven elements vital to capturing the essence of the character to rendering a fully realized, final color image of that character

PUBLISHED ART

Art of God of War: Ascension, (2013)
Advanced Photoshop, Issue 67
Blue Canvas, Issue 5
Imagine FX, Issue 40 with accompanying tutorial video
Ballistic Publishing, D’Artiste Concept Art 8/06, Cover Image
PC Gamer 10/04, Cover Image
Game Informer 09’
Playboy – Illustration for female video game character article, 12/08

FREELANCE ILLUSTRATIONS
(2003- Present)

Gearbox
Cyclops Vapor
Tyler West Studios
Zoic Studios
Blizzard Entertainment
mOcean Studios
Art Institute of California- Orange County
Sonic-cow.com
Cryptozoic
Blue Canvas
Varner Studios Inc.
Midnight Studios

EDUCATION

Art Institute of California - Orange County, Santa Ana, CA
Completed 2 years in the major of Media Arts and Animation

University of California, Berkeley, CA
Bachelor of Arts in Molecular and Cell Biology, emphasis in Neurobiology

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

Various downloadable Tutorials and Classes
Concept Design Academy
New Masters Academy
Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts
Mold3D
Gnomon School of Visual Effects
CG Masters Academy