Artist of the week: Ryan Little

How would you describe the art that you create?

I like to make colourful pieces that are easy to look at, but I also like to make black and white or just very dull art that kind of hurts your brain to look at. I have been trying to find a gentle balance between the two. I mostly draw whatever I find entertaining now and write off most everything else.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

David O’Reilly and Vernon Chapman are a big influence on my work, they generally make surrealistic short films. I also like David Shrigley, Robert Crumb, Asaf Hanuka, Shaun Tan to name a few illustrators. I have always found music to be of more importance creatively than visual art, and have gravitated more to listening to and discovering new music than discovering new visual pieces. The Brian Jonestown Massacre, the Growlers and Black Lips are three bands that heavily sway what kind of work I will be making

Why did you choose illustration?

I chose illustration because it seemed like the only viable way to make a living (part of one at least) doing drawings. Any kind of drawings. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a child, and to be able to do it in any facet is really exciting to me. Illustration seems to have lots of little rivers for me to float down from.