Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Ryan Marella

WDWNT on December 31, 2012

To have your custom work spotlighted, please send an email to DestinationVinylmation@gmail.com
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Destination Vinylmation: This time around we are featuring you Barnabas Collins figure (Johnny Depp’s character in the new movie Dark Shadows) and also Michone from The Walking Dead.
Ryan Marella: Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins from DARK SHADOWS  was fun to create, I’ve worked on some other customs of  Johnny Depp movie characters before, I’ve had some practice on his face which made it easier. Faces are a challenge, getting the right expression can be difficult,but once you’ve started, it’s hard not to finish.DSCN7692 is from the WALKING DEAD,her name is Michone accompanied by two armless walking dead who are supposed to be her boyfriend and friend, in the show she has them in chains and she walks around with them to hide her scent from other walking dead.

DV: Is there a greater challenge when painting the faces of real people as opposed to cartoon characters?
RM: Creating cartoon characters is easier because they have  a simple look about them, not too much detail. Now creating real people requires the expressions and look for that character they portray, some people are harder than others.

DV: You can view more of Ryan’s work at his website: www.ryactiv.sketchlab7.com

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Ryan Marella

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

To have your custom work spotlighted, please send an email to DestinationVinylmation@gmail.com
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Destination Vinylmation: Today, we would like to feature your Avengers customs. You seem to have assembled the whole team here. Why don’t you run down the list and point out a detail from each you are most proud of.
Ryan Marella: Creating the Avengers was a lot of fun. I started work on  Captain America first, then I made the HULK, Iron-Man, Thor, Black Widow, Nick Fury and finally Hawkeye. I’m most proud of how all their faces turned out, that really makes a difference when trying to create movie characters. I actually researched each actors faces to see their expressions.

DV: Which one was the hardest to create?
RM: The hardest ones to create would have to be Thor & Black Widow. Getting the right look on their hair and faces took some time.
DV: Do you have a favorite? Both in the comics and as a custom?
RM: My favorite would have to be Black Widow from the customs and Iron Man in the comics.

DV: You also created a 9″ Spiderman and 3″ Peter Parker combo. There is a ton of detail here, but I especially notice the city scape in the eyes and ears. How long did it take to paint this one?
RM: There is a lot of detail I put into both these customs. Inspiration is one thing that drives me to create these amazing customs. I worked all night and all morning on the 9″ Spider-Man which took me 15 hours to finish. I finished the next day and then after I started work on the 3″ Peter Parker in Spidey suit, which I finished within 5 hours time. The cityscape on the eyes came from the Image I was using, I was just going to paint it all white at first, but later changed my mind and used the cityscape to give the effect of glare on his eyes.I also put it on the ears to show that look as if was swinging through the city.

DV: Visit Ryan’s website at www.ryactiv.sketchlab7.com.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Ryan Marella

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

To have your custom work spotlighted, please send an email to DestinationVinylmation@gmail.com
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Destination Vinylmation: In this article, we will focus on some of your Disney character customs. The Evil Queen is amazing!!! The face is spot-on with the calm yet evil looking expression. But for me, the poison apple steaming in the cauldron is the best part. What do you like best about the front of this one?
Ryan Marella: I had to create some thing different from the ordinary vinyl that we usually see, so I began sketching out ideas and the Idea of having scenes from the movie on the front and back of a vinyl would look amazing. I watched the movie and Googled images of the Evil Queen and it turned out just the way I planned it. My favorite part about the front would have to be the face of the Evil Queen, getting that expression was a fun challenge.

DV: The back is like a whole new vinyl. It’s the Old Hag. You have a knack for painting faces, and this one seems difficult, but I also heard hands are difficult for artists to get just right. Which half of this vinyl was more difficult?
RM: The back was a little easier and I would have to say that hands are a little harder for me than faces.

DV: Lastly we come to Maleficent. You pack so much detail into your creations, how much pre-planning goes into your designs?
RM: Maleficent is one of my favorite pieces that I’ve worked on, I took my time on this one. Pre-planning for this one only took a couple of hours, but sketching on the vinyl  took some time. I do a lot more sketching on the actual vinyl than on paper, it helps to see how it looks on the canvas your working on.

I’ve seen other Maleficent customs but I never see  Diablo the raven  incorporated into the vinyl. I wanted to create a Maleficent custom that would be unique and different from other artists.

DV: I have seen a ton of Maleficent dragons now, and I love the way you painted yours onto the mold like a scene instead of trying to fill the entire canvas with the dragon. Tell us about your favorite parts of this one.
RM: My favorite part of the Maleficent custom would have to be  the Dragon on the back, I put so much time and detail, creating smoke on the background,smoke on the nose and fire in front of the dragon and just the over all look. This particular custom took me 2 days to finish. I was very pleased with what I made. With a little inspiration and some time anything is possible.

DV: To see more of Ryan’s work visit his website: www.ryactiv.sketchlab7.com

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Ryan Marella

WDWNT on July 10, 2012

 

Destination Vinylmation: The Brave 9″ is just remarkable. It looks almost like a chalk painting to me. The shading is beautiful. Can you talk to us about the creation process on this piece?

Ryan Marella: Creating the Brave 9″ custom starts with some research into the character  pics, then a  simple sketch of the character.I was surprised that it took me only one sketch to get the correct expression on Merida .I usually sketch a character out 3 to 4 times before getting the right expression.From the sketch It’s all about painting the right colors and the right  shade.

DV: That is one of the most beautifully draw Meridas I have seen. How long does it take you to get a character down? Have you sketched her a few times before putting her down onto the vinyl canvas?

RM: Achieving the correct textures is all about  trial and error, you have to test all types of brushes on a practice canvas just to see how it translates on to it.It may take some time,but it’s fun to see how each different texture brings life to your art.

DV: The Masters of the Universe triple set is just plain cool. How did you decide to do this set?

RM: I’ve been meaning to create a He-Man set, then in  a forum I go to see many amazing artist post customs, some one asked  if any one has created a he-man custom before……that’s when I decided that  it’s time to create He-Man and the Masters of the Universe customs.

DV: Are any of these available for purchase?

RM: The Brave custom is still for sale, please contact me if you’re interested. The He-Man set in the pic shown has already been sold, but I can always create another,my customs are available for purchase. Please contact me via email jerai022@yahoo.com and visit www.ryactiv.sketchlab7.com.