Born in Liverpool and now living in leafy Cheshire with his wife and daughter, Ian both an illustrator and educator, gets up at five every day to meditate, exercise and draw before the rest of the world wakes up. He’s obsessed with creative processes and productivity and loves to research the creative methodologies of artists and designers past and present.
Ian says he grew up in the ‘protect and survive’ era of British history, during the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, loves post-apocalyptic films like The Road, Omega Man and 28 Days Later and electronic music such as Aphex Twin, Belbury Poly, Moon Wiring Club and Orbital. He is also a member of Subterranean Britannica, a group that explores underground urban structures.
Training
Ian received a first in Illustration from Kingston University before going on to do an MA in Communication Design at Manchester Metropolitan University. He is also a lecturer on the B.A. Hons Illustration Degree programme at Stockport College.Approach
Confessing to a love of order and neatness, Ian is nevertheless drawn to distressed and messed up textures. The result is a tension between strong compositions and design elements, and the chaos of his mark making, old bits of paper, textures and patterns. Handmade ink and print marks are catalogued and ready for use as are a range of beautiful limited colour palettes.Style
Ian’s work is all about lovely colour combinations, strong composition, considered shapes and thoughtful concepts.