Ryan Waterhouse is an incredible artist

Baremin81 · 08-24-2020, 04:54 PM

Yes. It’s true. Ryan Waterhouse, the guy most people know for the infamous monkey sketches in Indiana Jones Heritage, is a hugely talented artist.

Along with the seemingly infinite amount of monkey sketches packed into cases of Heritage and the equally revered (and high volume) skull sketches in the KOTCS Indy set, Ryan also drew for LOTR, some early Star Wars sets and some other stuff like Halo too. Now, art is subjective, that’s what makes it so interesting and fun for so many collectors, but I think it’s fairly safe to say that no one ever punched the air in excitement when they pulled one of Ryan’s monkeys.

A Waterhouse Monkey (not mine)

Anyway, a friend of mine tracked Ryan down last year and got chatting and it turned out Ryan, long retired from the sketch card game, still had some artist returns from all those years ago. And they were jaw dropping. So after some back and forth an agreement was reached for the sketch cards.

So I wanted to create a post to show the sketch card community Ryan’s unique style and phenomenal talent.

Here’s 3 of the Indy sketches I was lucky enough to secure...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

jdandns · 08-24-2020, 05:07 PM

The bottom three cards suck.
All that ink and there's not a single screaming monkey to be found among them.
Sometimes, less is more.

Baremin81 · 08-24-2020, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdandns

The bottom three cards suck.
All that ink and there's not a single screaming monkey to be found among them.
Sometimes, less is more.

Hahaha.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

mjohnatgt · 08-24-2020, 05:12 PM

Gorgeous. 2.5x3.5 pieces of art.

Does that make it more disappointing that he mailed it in on monkeys and skulls?

jdandns · 08-24-2020, 05:47 PM

Certainly, APs tend to be more detailed, and reasonably so, since most contributing artists to sets of that era made most of their pay from sales of those artists returns. But yeah, these examples are surely among the widest variances of quality to be found between an artist's pack issued cards and their returns.

I actually got 10 of the same artist's notorious "Smoking Galdalfs" from a single 8 box case(!) of Lord Of The Rings cards back when. As with Indy here, I later saw Waterhouse's APs for that LOTR set, and they were likewise gorgeous...which made the sting of having been stuck with those Gandalfs worse, knowing what this artist was capable of.

TimBuckTwo · 08-24-2020, 06:16 PM

Imagine how loud and proud he would have been hailed if he did that for the actual set back in the day. Or even just 50 like that.

HiltonL · 08-24-2020, 07:40 PM

Yeah, nobody likes sketches that were mailed in like the monkeys, the skulls, and the whips; especially so if we know the artist has talent but doesn't use any of it. Waterhouse will always have that monkey taint following him around

PapaStu · 08-24-2020, 07:59 PM

Holy smokes, you actually found him?!?

Do you (or your friend) still have that contact info for Ryan? I was wondering about his work on the 2007 Topps Halo sketch card series and if he remembers much about his work on that set. I think he was one of 2 or 3 of the artists that I wasn't able to reach and get a reply back from.

dd316 · 08-25-2020, 09:25 AM

He can certainly draw, but opted for the quick buck and churned out mountains of garbage.

arek · 08-25-2020, 10:19 AM

I wonder how many APs he got for doing 3000 sketches?

jdhaugh11 · 08-25-2020, 11:03 AM

Word on the street is that you can turn in 100 monkey sketches in for 1 of the above 3 great sketches! LOL

mjohnatgt · 08-25-2020, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdhaugh11

Word on the street is that you can turn in 100 monkey sketches in for 1 of the above 3 great sketches! LOL

Sponsored by 1991 Wild Card Collegiate set?

daviswr7 · 08-25-2020, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdhaugh11

Word on the street is that you can turn in 100 monkey sketches in for 1 of the above 3 great sketches! LOL

Oh I would so love that...

Cujobyte · 08-25-2020, 04:48 PM

You all should be blaming Topps too. They probably gave him 1000 sketch cards to do in 3 days.

jdandns · 08-25-2020, 06:45 PM

That may have happened with one of the sets he infamously worked on, but the idea it happened on both seems a bit of a stretch.

aggie4ever · 08-25-2020, 09:02 PM

While it would have been awesome if he had done those types of cards instead of monkeys, if he had, then Topps would have found someone else to do a bunch of low quality fast sketches. They needed him to do as many as he did in order to get the case count up. If not him, they would have recruited someone else.

stewbacca · 08-25-2020, 09:26 PM

The Waterhouse monkey..... ahh-- still better than my Jessica Hickman Death Star.... literally just 2 circles.. in pencil no less.

jdandns · 08-25-2020, 09:38 PM

I see your Death Star and raise you Witchblade.

Sexy!
(kinda...)

MisterX · 08-26-2020, 01:57 AM

I’m really not sure if those Waterhouse AP cards make me more or less annoyed about the whole screaming monkey/melting face debacle in Indy Heritage.

I’d seen a couple of his superior LOTR cards a few years back, so know the good work he is capable of, and collectors and dealers are not entitled to masterpieces when artists were contracted to do ‘sketch’ cards, however what he gave collectors was unmitigated garbage of an obscene amount.

IMO Topps need to shoulder equal blame for such poor quality product, but there is such disparity between the quality of what Waterhouse produced, and what he is capable of, that to me he’s a hack, and I’m not sure I’d want his decent cards in my collection, as good as they are.

Is he still an artist these days? I do wonder if he doesn’t already know the score on these topics when he is impossible to reach out to in this day and age.

08-24-2020, 04:54 PM	#1
Baremin81 Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: UK Posts: 912	Ryan Waterhouse is an incredible artist Yes. It’s true. Ryan Waterhouse, the guy most people know for the infamous monkey sketches in Indiana Jones Heritage, is a hugely talented artist. Along with the seemingly infinite amount of monkey sketches packed into cases of Heritage and the equally revered (and high volume) skull sketches in the KOTCS Indy set, Ryan also drew for LOTR, some early Star Wars sets and some other stuff like Halo too. Now, art is subjective, that’s what makes it so interesting and fun for so many collectors, but I think it’s fairly safe to say that no one ever punched the air in excitement when they pulled one of Ryan’s monkeys. A Waterhouse Monkey (not mine) Anyway, a friend of mine tracked Ryan down last year and got chatting and it turned out Ryan, long retired from the sketch card game, still had some artist returns from all those years ago. And they were jaw dropping. So after some back and forth an agreement was reached for the sketch cards. So I wanted to create a post to show the sketch card community Ryan’s unique style and phenomenal talent. Here’s 3 of the Indy sketches I was lucky enough to secure... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Last edited by Baremin81; 08-24-2020 at 04:58 PM.

08-24-2020, 05:07 PM	#2
jdandns Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Southern California Posts: 23,232	The bottom three cards suck. All that ink and there's not a single screaming monkey to be found among them. Sometimes, less is more. __________________ 1. Play your cards right 2. Don't start fights 3. Think deep

08-24-2020, 05:47 PM	#5
jdandns Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Southern California Posts: 23,232	Certainly, APs tend to be more detailed, and reasonably so, since most contributing artists to sets of that era made most of their pay from sales of those artists returns. But yeah, these examples are surely among the widest variances of quality to be found between an artist's pack issued cards and their returns. I actually got 10 of the same artist's notorious "Smoking Galdalfs" from a single 8 box case(!) of Lord Of The Rings cards back when. As with Indy here, I later saw Waterhouse's APs for that LOTR set, and they were likewise gorgeous...which made the sting of having been stuck with those Gandalfs worse, knowing what this artist was capable of. __________________ 1. Play your cards right 2. Don't start fights 3. Think deep

08-24-2020, 07:40 PM	#7
HiltonL Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Sammamish, WA Posts: 2,443 Labman68 HiltonL	Yeah, nobody likes sketches that were mailed in like the monkeys, the skulls, and the whips; especially so if we know the artist has talent but doesn't use any of it. Waterhouse will always have that monkey taint following him around Last edited by HiltonL; 08-24-2020 at 07:41 PM. Reason: .

08-24-2020, 07:59 PM	#8
PapaStu Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: NorCal Posts: 329 paparoach PapaStu	Holy smokes, you actually found him?!? Do you (or your friend) still have that contact info for Ryan? I was wondering about his work on the 2007 Topps Halo sketch card series and if he remembers much about his work on that set. I think he was one of 2 or 3 of the artists that I wasn't able to reach and get a reply back from. __________________ On the hunt for the following 2019 A&G Mike Oz #157 cards: Base & Mini 1/1 glossy, cyan & magenta printing plates. PM me if you've got them/know where they are!

08-24-2020, 05:12 PM	#4
mjohnatgt Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Niceville, FL Posts: 14,635 mjohnatgt mjohnatgt	Gorgeous. 2.5x3.5 pieces of art. Does that make it more disappointing that he mailed it in on monkeys and skulls?

08-24-2020, 06:16 PM	#6
TimBuckTwo Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 10,101	Imagine how loud and proud he would have been hailed if he did that for the actual set back in the day. Or even just 50 like that.

08-25-2020, 09:25 AM	#9
dd316 Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: NJ Posts: 9,933 dd316	He can certainly draw, but opted for the quick buck and churned out mountains of garbage. __________________ www.MostWantedTradingCards.com

08-25-2020, 10:19 AM	#10
arek Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 1,974	I wonder how many APs he got for doing 3000 sketches?

08-25-2020, 11:03 AM	#11
jdhaugh11 Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 9,973 jdhaugh11 Jdhaugh11	Word on the street is that you can turn in 100 monkey sketches in for 1 of the above 3 great sketches! LOL

08-25-2020, 04:48 PM	#14
Cujobyte Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: New Mexico Posts: 6,651 Cujobyte29	You all should be blaming Topps too. They probably gave him 1000 sketch cards to do in 3 days.

08-25-2020, 06:45 PM	#15
jdandns Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Southern California Posts: 23,232	That may have happened with one of the sets he infamously worked on, but the idea it happened on both seems a bit of a stretch. __________________ 1. Play your cards right 2. Don't start fights 3. Think deep

08-25-2020, 09:02 PM	#16
aggie4ever Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 6,786 aggie4ever	While it would have been awesome if he had done those types of cards instead of monkeys, if he had, then Topps would have found someone else to do a bunch of low quality fast sketches. They needed him to do as many as he did in order to get the case count up. If not him, they would have recruited someone else.

08-25-2020, 09:26 PM	#17
stewbacca Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Shelbyville, KY Posts: 274 stewie	The Waterhouse monkey..... ahh-- still better than my Jessica Hickman Death Star.... literally just 2 circles.. in pencil no less.

08-25-2020, 09:38 PM	#18
jdandns Member Join Date: May 2015 Location: Southern California Posts: 23,232	I see your Death Star and raise you Witchblade. Sexy! (kinda...) __________________ 1. Play your cards right 2. Don't start fights 3. Think deep

08-26-2020, 01:57 AM	#19
MisterX Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: U.K. Posts: 116	I’m really not sure if those Waterhouse AP cards make me more or less annoyed about the whole screaming monkey/melting face debacle in Indy Heritage. I’d seen a couple of his superior LOTR cards a few years back, so know the good work he is capable of, and collectors and dealers are not entitled to masterpieces when artists were contracted to do ‘sketch’ cards, however what he gave collectors was unmitigated garbage of an obscene amount. IMO Topps need to shoulder equal blame for such poor quality product, but there is such disparity between the quality of what Waterhouse produced, and what he is capable of, that to me he’s a hack, and I’m not sure I’d want his decent cards in my collection, as good as they are. Is he still an artist these days? I do wonder if he doesn’t already know the score on these topics when he is impossible to reach out to in this day and age.