What do you think?
100 Posters / 134 Squirrels: A Decade of Hot Dogs, Large Mammals, and Independent Rock: The Handcrafted Art of Jay Ryan
"Not only a gorgeous catalog of the artist's many memorable posters, but a history of sorts of the Chicago underground rock scene in the last 15 years."
-- Chicago Sun-Times
“Ryan takes a distinctly rootsy, charmingly old-school approach to design at his Bird Machine print shop . . . Homespun never looked better.”
-- ReadyMade
“Whimsically breathing a refreshing innocence against the ‘grab you by the eyeballs and squeeze’ icon exploitation of Coop, Frank Kozik and The Pizz, Ryan’s quiet sketch style and his hand-pulled Easter egg blues and canary yellows make for a softer, more subconscious concert poster experience.”
-- The Pulse
“Jay Ryan’s decade of rock-postering has produced some superb and arresting work . . . I cannot think of a better visual advertisement for underground rock: posters that are wild, articulate, and well made; posters with both a heart and a brain.”
-- PopMatters
“Jay Ryan has been churning out some of the most consistent and engaging poster art anywhere for years . . . This is a well-put together, coffee table-style book that looks great in every respect but without the usual coffee table art book price tag.”
-- The New Scheme
An updated greatest hits collection of Jay Ryan's first decade of compelling posters, framed by essays from luminaries in the music and design worlds.
Jay Ryan has been making screen-printed concert posters in Chicago since 1995. Known for his hand-drawn type, humorous animal subjects, and muted color selections, he has worked for thousands of rock bands, as well as clients like Patagonia clothing, Converse shoes, Burton Snowboards, and the BBC. His second book, Animals and Objects In and Out of Water, was published in 2009 by Akashic Books. He lives in Chicago.
-- Chicago Sun-Times
“Ryan takes a distinctly rootsy, charmingly old-school approach to design at his Bird Machine print shop . . . Homespun never looked better.”
-- ReadyMade
“Whimsically breathing a refreshing innocence against the ‘grab you by the eyeballs and squeeze’ icon exploitation of Coop, Frank Kozik and The Pizz, Ryan’s quiet sketch style and his hand-pulled Easter egg blues and canary yellows make for a softer, more subconscious concert poster experience.”
-- The Pulse
“Jay Ryan’s decade of rock-postering has produced some superb and arresting work . . . I cannot think of a better visual advertisement for underground rock: posters that are wild, articulate, and well made; posters with both a heart and a brain.”
-- PopMatters
“Jay Ryan has been churning out some of the most consistent and engaging poster art anywhere for years . . . This is a well-put together, coffee table-style book that looks great in every respect but without the usual coffee table art book price tag.”
-- The New Scheme
An updated greatest hits collection of Jay Ryan's first decade of compelling posters, framed by essays from luminaries in the music and design worlds.
Jay Ryan has been making screen-printed concert posters in Chicago since 1995. Known for his hand-drawn type, humorous animal subjects, and muted color selections, he has worked for thousands of rock bands, as well as clients like Patagonia clothing, Converse shoes, Burton Snowboards, and the BBC. His second book, Animals and Objects In and Out of Water, was published in 2009 by Akashic Books. He lives in Chicago.
120 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2005
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 15, 2007
Jay Ryan is a pretty sweet dude. He's friendly, plays some great bass guitar (along with another bass player) in a fun instrumental Chicago rock band by name of Dianogh (pronounced "DYAH-NO-GOO"), and screens some of the raddest posters on the planet. I'd definitely recommend checking out his work (and the work of his friends) through The Bird Machine [http://www.thebirdmachine.com]. This is his first book, and could easily command any coffee table, toilet reading area, or bookshelf you place it upon.
It makes me wish I had lots of extra cash lying around that I could absolutely justify spending on buying his posters, framing his posters, and hanging his posters. My three-month-old daughter has two in her bedroom. They alternate with the seasons.
It makes me wish I had lots of extra cash lying around that I could absolutely justify spending on buying his posters, framing his posters, and hanging his posters. My three-month-old daughter has two in her bedroom. They alternate with the seasons.
August 5, 2007
I've been casually following the screen printed gig posters of Jay Ryan since about 1999. I've even swiped a few off club and record-store walls. So I was pleasantly surprised to find this book while browsing the comic shop.
It is hard to review a book that is comprised mostly of pictures and I guess that is really my only problem with this book. I'd just really like to hear Jay talk more about his process. I know screen printing is pretty straight forward, but everybody has a different way of doing things and that is what I want to know about. The introductions at the front of the book are fairly straightforward and the the interview with Jay at the end, while nice, in not very illuminating. It feels like two friends talking about subjects they already know, therefore the reader is left feeling out of the loop.
In case it seems like I'm being too negative, I want to stress how much I love looking at this book. The posters are incredible and just having them collected here is good enough for me.
If you want to see some of Jay Ryan's posters, he has a huge gallery at thebirdmachine.com
It is hard to review a book that is comprised mostly of pictures and I guess that is really my only problem with this book. I'd just really like to hear Jay talk more about his process. I know screen printing is pretty straight forward, but everybody has a different way of doing things and that is what I want to know about. The introductions at the front of the book are fairly straightforward and the the interview with Jay at the end, while nice, in not very illuminating. It feels like two friends talking about subjects they already know, therefore the reader is left feeling out of the loop.
In case it seems like I'm being too negative, I want to stress how much I love looking at this book. The posters are incredible and just having them collected here is good enough for me.
If you want to see some of Jay Ryan's posters, he has a huge gallery at thebirdmachine.com
December 22, 2015
I'd never heard of Jay Ryan before reading this book, but now I'm a huge fan. His posters are cute without being cutesy, which is a tough balance, and his color palate is pretty amazing. I liked the introductory essays and interview as well -- particularly for a neophyte like me, they really put everything in context. A lovely book.
January 8, 2008
GET THIS BOOK!
If you live in Chicago and you don't know who Jay Ryan or The Bird Machine is-- CHECK IT OUT ASAP!
He's one of my favorite artists and kids he used to teach at Columbia (he may still).
If you live in Chicago and you don't know who Jay Ryan or The Bird Machine is-- CHECK IT OUT ASAP!
He's one of my favorite artists and kids he used to teach at Columbia (he may still).
January 17, 2008
I love Jay Ryan's art -- we have several of his posters around the house. This is a nice collection and overview of his work and displays his great talent. If you love graphic art, check out The Bird Machine.
February 10, 2008
when i first started seeing Jay Ryan's posters at Reckless in Chicago they looked like someone just dropped of a sketch and moved on. I loved it and still do. This book is affordable and filled with the cutest damned animals you ever did see.
January 19, 2009
A collection of works by my favorite poster artist. Gorgeous stuff. Also, he's a nice guy who always attends the Flatstock show during SXSW. So glad he finally responded to my (and others) requests to publish a book.
September 22, 2012
Jay Ryan is an invaluable member of Chicago's indie art scene. His creepy squirrels and rough pencil lines are imitated by many, but matched by none. Check out this retrospect for some high-quality stimulation!
August 8, 2007
Jay Ryan's art is my favorite.
August 9, 2007
technically, i didn't read this book. i just looked at the pics. but isn't that the meat of the thing? gorgeous! if only i could draw half this good.
January 5, 2008
can it get any better than jay ryan? i think not..
December 5, 2010
Love the illustration and the way he uses color. Awesome characters which he uses in band posters.
June 27, 2016
Love his work. This book chronicles the growth of an influential designer as his work evolved.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews