To Ian art is a necessary outlet...A must. He's gravitated back to graphite and charcoal pencil drawing his entire life. Whether as a final piece or a sketch for color work, a beautiful, soft pencil in his hand feels natural. He finds it important, however to juggle mediums, both to stay versatile as well as to employ more range in his arsenal to tackle each different subject. Be it oils, acrylics, pencil, or a simple ballpoint pen, each has its worth and unique effect. Though Ian often works from my imagination, he's equally inspired by representational art and working from life.
In sketching, Ian always keeps a light touch dancing across the page to get a rough idea down; "the bones." Only then can darker marks help to reveal the details of what I'm drawing. This is true both for imaginative illustration as well as from life, for drawing as well as painting. He tends to jump between mediums. The challenge keeps him on his toes thus feeling fresh. He always does at least 1 study for larger painting projects. First a charcoal or graphite sketch familiarizing himself with the structure, values. Then he'll paint a small color study to make sure the values and hues are where I like them. Regardless of whether his piece is from imagination or life, each medium always reveals unforeseen beauty. Ian absolutely love how this process unfolds. Ian was born an Artist.