Ryan Cochran

Ryan Cochran grew up in Long Beach drawing constantly, but art was only one part of the world he was taking in. Art was mixed into everything around him. Growing up around Southern California skate, surf, auto, old animation and music culture, the visual language was louder, extremely expressive and impossible to ignore. From a young age, Ryan was drawn to making art and started filling sketchbooks with whatever was getting his attention. Some of his earliest serious instruction came from artists around him, including family friend and Disney artist Joe Yakovetic, who exposed Ryan to illustration, character work, murals and the practical side of making art for a living.

By the time he reached Cal State Long Beach, that loose education had been joined by years of more traditional drawing and painting. Studying graphic design gave him another way into image-making and eventually a career that moved through illustration, design and creative direction.

The love for illustration and painting never fell out of the picture. Over the years, that has meant work for brands, commissions, gallery shows, collectors and larger commercial projects, all part of the same practice and often woven into the commercial work. I like that illustration can live anywhere: on packaging, apparel, a wall, in a campaign, or framed in somebody’s house. I’m drawn to work with character, strong shape, bold color and a little edge.

Check out Ryan Cochran’s website for more information, scheduling projects, or viewing selected range of work at https://ryancochran.com/