Today Ian Naylor is based in the town where he grew up, but his early career in technical illustration took him to London ... and the arcane delights of Soho's Dean Street. He’s an artist with a passion for detail, mechanics and structure, creating functional and informative works of art as well as more figurative pieces for the advertising world.
He's fascinated by lighthouses, ships and the sea, a perfect escape is to the Crinnan Canal on the Scottish West Coast, it’s a magical place ... then way out west and the outer isles, like approaching the rim of the World ! He also enjoys working with his hands and in a world before illustration, trained briefly as a cabinetmaker. He still makes furniture when time permits, taking an experimental approach to design, structure and materials. Also a keen model maker and in his well equipped workshop, constructs static wooden ships for display and has even been known to indulge in ceramics, making lighthouses, strangely enough !
Training
Ian studied Technical Illustration at Blackpool Art College in the early 80s and his career began straight afterwards. In those days it was all pencils, inks and airbrushing but he embraced digital in 1992.Approach
A project begins with a discussion about what the illustration is setting out to achieve, sketching out a basic composition, then constructing the finished image in 3D on the computer. Though he began as a technical illustrator, today his work comprises everything from complex cutaways to product renderings and magazine covers featuring 3D text and amazingly realistic computer generated scenery.Style
Realism, accuracy and technical competence are all hallmarks of Ian’s work, from cities and stadia to trains and ships, pistons, prog rock covers and Daleks.