New Markettes, New Artstix =

Just a couple of warm up caricatures before my gig tonight. These are from memory of a couple of people I saw in Dublin earlier. As much a colour and line variation experiment as anything else. Plus I got a brand new box of Dixon Markettes delivered yesterday and a nice big box of prismacolor Artstix !

Leonardo Dicaprio - Acrylic on Board

Based this on the sketch below, C&C on welcome

Leonardo Dicaprio

I went to see Inception last night and was very impressed ! Here is a 30 minute sketch of Leo. I may paint this one. Post a comment and let me know what you think.

The Big Lebowski

Big News

Well, the decision has been made, and as of this Friday, Matt Ryder Caricature is a full time business. It has been a hard decision but I feel now is the time, and what better place than Ireland. I have been toying with the idea of full time for a long time, and have been doing it as a second career for way too long, So...... lets give it everything I have got, and come out smiling :-)

Wedding caricature

I am pleased to say I have had a busy couple of weeks caricaturing, and here is the latest wedding commission hot off the drawing table.

Today I spent a few hours at a kids summer camp, teaching the basics of caricaturing and cartooning, it was great fun, and the kids loved it !

New Self Caricature

I will be using this for all my new promotional stuff, hope you like it :)

Latest Wedding caricature commission

This is my most recent commission and the first image scanned on my brand new A3 scanner ! If you would like a caricature for your wedding, or a caicaturist at your wedding, anywhere in Ireland just drop me a call or email and I will give you a quote, go on, what are you waiting for !

New website

Finally, I have an official website. Check it out and let me know what you think !
http://www.mattrydercaricature.com

Tilda Swinton

Watercolour on paper

Birthday gift commission

Here is a birthday gift commission that I just finished up and delivered.
I tried to experiment a little with the colour, and was quite pleased with how the results turned out.
If you would like to commission a caricature for any occasion, be it a birthday, wedding, anniversary, confirmation or whatever else, just drop me an email or give me a call !

Harry and Fireman Sam

Here is a caricature of Harry and Fireman Sam which I gave him for his birthday. Pleased to say he liked it, and apparently it is now hanging above his bed.

This was done in watercolour.

Settled in Dublin, bring on the gigs !

It's been a long time since my last post, so apologies, but I have been a busy busy boy ! We have settled into the Dublin way of life now, and are happy in our choices so far !

So now I'm all sorted, have my bearings, all my art equipment is here from Dubai (Thankyou DSA Shipping), I have a car, and I am excited about drawing again, I am open to new gigs and commissions.

I am available for Weddings, corporate days, kids parties, anniversaries, bbq's, or whatever else you like, and anywhere in Ireland. I'm also accepting new commissions, these make a great gift for any occasion wether it be a wedding present, a birthday gift, a leaving present or anything else ! These can be done in watercolor, acrylic or block color. So, give me a bell, or drop me an email and we will work it out !

Here are a few samples of recent commissions and live work, some of these have been posted already, but I am reposting here as examples....

Wood Allen and Kim jong il

I did these 2 sketches at "Sketch 7#" in the Jam Jar Dubai. It was a cool night with loads of live art making by some very talented individuals. These sketches took around 30 minutes each

Sir Winston Churchill

A great man, and one of the most important men in History

Bloomingdales opening - Dubai Mall

Rather swanky affair, here is a couple of shots from the event

Leaving, on a jet plane

Well, the time has come, I am leaving Dubai.

I am moving with my beautiful fiance to slightly colder climes, and are Dublin bound at the middle of February.

I am lucky to have had 5 wonderful years in Dubai, but we both felt it was time to return to reality, and see how we get on making a fresh start in Ireland.

Dubai has been given a bad rep by the worlds media, but you know what, it's not so bad. Yes, it has it's socialites, yes, it has it's falsities, yes, it has it's blanketed media, yes, it is a giant playground in the middle of the desert, and believe me, it is a place of many double standards. But when it's good, my my, it's good. We have many things now, that just would not have been available to us if we had not made that decision to come here, and not to mention the life experiences and cultural eye openers we have been fortunate enough to experience.

For me, I have caricatured for some of the most influential people in the Middle East, some of the most read magazines in the UAE, some of the largest companies in the world, and in some of the most amazing venues I have ever seen. I have been interviewed and caricatured live on TV, had articles in several papers, and caricatured for the royal family, so all around, not so bad.

I really became a caricaturist while I lived here, which without the support of the ISCA and my friends in the caricature community around the world, would have been impossible. I am moving from a country with only 2 or 3 caricaturists (including myself), to Ireland, where some of the worlds best are based. I look forward to turning email friendships into face to face ones, and I look forward to having a real artist community to become involved with.

I have met some fantastic people, and some dear friends, who I will miss greatly.

I will be in Dubai for 2 more weeks, so if you are reading this, and would like a caricature, or for me to attend your event, give me a call, and lets see if we can fit it in before I leave.

So, what lays ahead for us is an exciting prospect, and more will be detailed about this in time to come, but as for caricature, I am at a crossroads. Stick around, and see what happens.

Harry and Fiona - pencil portrait

Just trying out something new. May paint this... not sure yet !

New commission

Here is a commission I did for a client who wanted a leaving present for their chairman -

Kids party caricaturin'

I spent a fun afternoon caricaturing at an xfactor themed kids birthday party today. Really cool bunch of kids, who had a great time seeing themselves as caricatures ! I love my job :)