In this solo art video, Ryan Maloney narrates a commission from his friend Dan Meyer, who asked him to draw two Cincinnati Bearcats legends: Jizzle James (son of former NFL star Edgerrin James) and former basketball player Melvin Levitt, nicknamed “Helicopter.” Ryan explains his research process—watching a YouTube clip of Jizzle running laps, recalling high‑school sketches of Edgerrin, and remembering Levitt’s dunk‑over‑a‑golf‑cart moment—to capture each subject’s energy. He outlines his digital workflow using an iPad Pro, Procreate, an Apple Pencil, and a Sketchboard Pro, while listening to coffee‑fuelled Spotify playlists. Throughout the drawing, he wrestles with making the faces look accurate, realizing he’s pushing too much photorealism for a commission that calls for a fun, cartoon vibe. Ryan shares broader creative philosophy: let go of tight control, embrace flow, and treat art as a playful act. He offers a “pro tip” that a piece feels finished when you share it and get audience feedback, noting that perfectionism often masks completion. The video ends with encouragement to act on burning ideas and keep creating for fun, regardless of age or dress code.
Chapters
Cincinnati, Ohio, home to the orange and black stripes and the location of one of the greatest '90s movies ever made. But we're not drawing Joe Burrow or Joe Goosen because Cincy is also Bearcat country. Today we're drawing a request from the number one Cincinnati Bearcats culture builder, Dan. Dan produces toys and products for YouTubers like Mariah Elizabeth, Skibidi Toilet. Am I saying that right? Skibidi. Got a good friend by the name of Dan Meyer. Dan has a passion for making things happen. So when he messaged to ask if I could draw two Bearcat legends, of course I said Yes. We're gonna do it today. When you think of a cool NFL running back, there is one name that would make the top 3 of everyone's list. Edgerrin James. When Dan asked me to draw Jizzle James, I said, "No. No, it can't be." Oh yes, it is. Jizzle James, Edgerrin James' son. The first video I watched to research Jizzle James was a YouTube video of him running laps around people in the Florida heat. Like a football player on the basketball court. This drawing needs to have the energy that Edgerrin ran with, but the jazz Jizzle has. I used to sketch Edgerrin James in my notebooks in high school. I was more of a Mike Allstadt type. I wish. Jizzle can run, he can shoot, he can dunk, but mostly known for his shot. When I shared this draft of Jizzle with Dan, Dan was at the game. He said Jizzle had 17 in the first half. Second half of this drawing, this is when I start to second-guess myself. I start to think that the facial features don't look enough like Jizzle, and I start to redo a of things. My biggest nightmare is that someone would look at this and say, that looks nothing like Jizzle. I will not let those words be said. The tools: iPad Pro and a Sketchboard Pro using Procreate with an Apple Pencil. Add in some coffee and some Spotify, and that is the recipe for flow. Jizzle done, Helicopter next. Helicopter was his nickname. Melvin Levitt once jumped over a golf cart in a dunk contest. How could I not draw that golf carton. I was thinking these drawings would stir up some nostalgic NBA Jam vibes. He's on fire and I'm on fire. I'm having that same issue with the facial features. I can't get these right. I realize that the problem is I'm trying to draw these too photorealistically. I find when you're creating something, if you hold on so squeezingly tight, you cannot let the flow and the fun happen. You need to let go and just create. Like, let this be a cartoon. Dan wanted these cartoon vibes. I love to draw cartoons. The thing Dan and I share in common is doing things for fun. We like creating, making things, seeing things that light people up. Golf is cool, but have you ever come up with an idea and made it happen and then you give it to someone? Ooh, you have not lived. It is fun. Are you gonna be drawing something? Creativity is not just for kids, and when you grow up, you don't have to stop creating things because there's a dress code. Thank you. I'm getting way too sappy. Let's fly this drawing home. If you saw my first sauce video, you know my drawing process: ideas, sketch, lines, colors, shadows, highlights, details, or something like that. It kind of changes every video. This structure reduces thinking and increases flow. One of the other difficult parts of creating is feeling like something is finished. I've never felt that feeling. Every work of art that I ever create just sort of sits either under my couch or on my walls or in my Procreate files or on my MacBook Pro. Pro tip: to feel like something is finished, share it with someone. Get the reaction. A lot of times people will tell you that it's done and you're crazy for continuing to work on it. One time I made an animatic for a music video and I sent it to the marketing manager and she said, "Oh, okay, project's done. Let's, uh, let's wrap it up. Just send me the final files." I was like, "No, I didn't even animate the video yet." So things are a lot more finished than you actually think they are. It's really up to the audience. It's the sharing that will help you feel like things are finished. So when you do that pro tip, you might see the magic words: pretty dope. Doing things without a plan solely because you have a burning idea that won't leave you alone— those are the things that you need to act on. When you do act on those things, you'll be flying high, sort of like a helicopter.
