Fossils Skulls and Bones

fossils skulls and bones meeting the past in the present when

Ian Bateson, art director, designer and graphic artist

contents SKULL #1

SKULL #7

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Ian has worked in Vancouver as a book illustrator, conceptual artist and active graphic designer for 30 years and in 2012 re-activated his conceptual artistic roots using digital tools.

Review samples at: ianbatesonstudio.com Contact Ian at: tel: 604 984 9283 cell: 604 809 8409

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SKULL #14

SKULL #8

SKULL #15

SKULL #9

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SKULL #11 12

SKULL #17 24

SKULL #12 14

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SKULL #10

SKULL #6

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SKULL #5

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All works are Copyright Ian BatesonŠ2014

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fossils skulls and bones

Early May, 2014 provided an opportunity for a visit to New York and the Museum of Natural History, one of the largest collections of ancient animal and humanoid fossils, skulls and bones in North America.

Fossils skulls and bones in this collection represent a time line of life on earth as far back as 1.5 million years to the present. These building blocks of understanding tell the story of life as a path of evolution and these relics fascinate me as testament to periods that are passed and a time we are lucky to have not inhabited. These fossils, skulls and bones – no longer connected by tendons, muscles and tissues – will no longer linger to prey on the likes of you and me except in our imagination and nightmares.

meeting the past

I was fascinated by the size and variety of these past inhabitants of earth and wandered through their presence photographing their anthropological remains with a view of reanimating them into an alternative present day environment.

in the present when

This is my second book – using Procreate – and are whimsical interpretations of these fossils, skulls and bones, positioned within environments I have visited and photographed over the course of two years.

Each of these nineteen spreads will provide you with a view of the original photographs taken and a small description of the process of achieving the final art using my iPad and the Procreate app v

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SKULL #1 2014.05.23 A saber-toothed cat (Smiloden) skull in the American Museum of Natural History, Paul and Irma Milstein Hall, one of many, that stare blankly but still capable of filling you with awe at their sheer size and obvious capabilities to hunt and kill.

The second image is a sample of Banded Iron from Ontario, Canada and dated from 2,736 to 2.687 billion years.

Size of Procreate art: 16.6� x 36�

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Original photography and process

Like Photoshop, Procreate – an app for iPad – allows for multiple layers upon which to build artwork.

Skull #1 comprised of eight layers; one to cutout the background, another to colour correct and cleanup the image and minimal physical painting. I relied more on the blends and opacity tools to build this.

Most of the other pieces in this series required more brush and painting techniques using the extensive selection of preset and customized brushes available through Procreate.

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SKULL #2 2014.05.25

Original photography and process

A dinosaur skull (Stygimoloch spinifer) in the museums Paul and Irma Milstein Hall. One of series of strange fossilized skulls to be seen there.

The second image of a pile of fossilized bones was also taken at this location and the third is a view of the side decks of the US carrier Intrepid taken from the ground in New York.

Size of Procreate art: 16.6” x 36”

Comprising eleven layers, one to cutout the background, another to colour correct and cleanup the images and nine to paint, block, delete and control blends and opacity.

All the brushes in Procreate can be used and applied much like physically painting onto a canvas.

For painting: • Technical pen (cut out) • Flat Brush • Charcoal Block For smudging and pushing: • Charcoal Block • Custom Rull For deleting: • Oceans and Water 7

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SKULL #3 2014.05.27

Original photography and process

A Water Pig skull at the AMNH, New York.

The second image the largest recovered meteorite, fell to earth in a fiery ball “fallen stars” originally part of a much larger asteroid that reached Earth from an original orbit of the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.

Size of Procreate art: 28” x 21”

Comprising eight layers, one to cutout the background, another to colour correct and cleanup the images and nine to paint, block, delete and control blends and opacity.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Grunge Brush • Waveform For smudging and pushing: • Charcoal Block • Custom Rull For deleting: • Oceans and Water

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SKULL #4 2014.05.30

Original photography and process

The (Stenomylus hitchcocki), or narrow toothed camel that roamed western Nebraska 22 million years ago. From the collection at AMNH, New York.

Nine layers, one to cutout the background, another to colour correct and cleanup the images and seven to paint, block, delete and control blends and opacity.

The second image an Archaeopteryx fossil.

For painting:

Size of Procreate art: 28” x 21”

• Technical pen (cutout) • Grunge Brush For smudging and pushing: • Grunge Brush • Custom Rull

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SKULL #5 2014.06.01

Original photography and process

An early blooming poppy in the garden and a close cropped photo of a modern skull taken at the AMNH in May 2014 Size of Procreate art: 36” x 26”

This piece comprises of seven layers, one to cutout the skull from the original photo, another to colour correct and cleanup the images and two, to paint, block, delete and control blends and opacity.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Grunge Brush • Waveform For smudging and pushing: • Charcoal Block • Custom Rull

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SKULL #6 2014.06.03 A (Styracosaurus) skull in the Paul and Irma Milstein Hall, an amazing weight to carry around.

The second image a shot from the May 2014 trip to Ingleton Falls in western Yorkshire.

Size of Procreate art: 26� x 36�

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Original photography and process

This is eight layers, one to cutout the background, another to colour correct and cleanup the image and six to physically paint, smudge and push.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Grunge Brush • Luminance Pulse For smudging and pushing: • Custom Rull

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SKULL #7 2014.06.05

Original photography and process

(Allosaurus) taken at the AMNH in early May 2014 and a shot of a cold late May day in Pen-y-ghent west Yorkshire.

Size of Procreate art: 36”x26”

This piece needed eight layers, and two blends. The paint layers were primarily for applying yellow and red highlights.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Waveform For smudging and pushing: • Grunge • Waveform

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SKULL #8 2014.06.09

Original photography and process

This unlikely group running through Ingleton Falls.

A (Hoplophoneus) a cat like carnivour known as (Nimravid), a meat eating (Amphicyon) relative to the bear and an early plant eating antelope (Ramocerus).

Size of Procreate art: 41” x 20”

Skull #8 required fifteen layers, multiple blends and four painted sections.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutouts) • Waveform • Rull For smudging and pushing: • Heavy Metal

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SKULL #9 2014.06.11

Original photography and process

(Triceratops) wandering through Ingleton Falls west Yorkshire.

Size of Procreate art: 36”x26”

Skull #9 only required four layers, and one blend. The painting and smudging were for the green, red shadows and highlights then merged for additional blending.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Grunge For smudging and pushing: • Charcoal Block • Waveform

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SKULL #10 2014.06.14 (Mastodon) an elephant like mammal of the Miocene to Pleistocene epoch, is flanked

by Ox (Bos gaurus grangeri) wandering through the upper falls of Ingeleton Falls in western Yorkshire.

Size of Procreate art: 36� x 72�

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Original photography and process

This piece required eleven layers, multiple blends and four painted sections. Also utilized are the vertical and horizontal selection tools to create the hard edges.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Heavy Metal Brush • Mad Splashes • Water (modified) For smudging and pushing: • Custom Rull

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SKULL #11 2014.06.16 A (Stegosaurus) with two monkeys (Euprimates) on its back wandering through the Trough of Bowland in Lancashire.

Size of Procreate art: 36” x 72”

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Original photography and process This piece required twelve layers, multiple blends, three painted highlight and shadow layers.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Oceans • Water (modified) For smudging and pushing: • Custom Rull • Grunge

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SKULL #12 2014.06.18

Original photography and process

The Allosaurus – photographed at the AMNH in early May 2014 – takes its prey in a cold late May day in Ingleton Falls west Yorkshire.

Size of Procreate art: 36”x26”

Skull 12 required eight layers, and two blends for this piece. The paint layer was for the deep blue shadows and red highlights.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) For smudging and pushing: • Waveform • Rull

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SKULL #13 2014.06.20

Original photography and process

(Neanderthal) Skeleton interacting with (Modern) Skeletons, photographed at the AMNH in early May 2014 on the west Yorkshire Dales.

Scenic shot of west Yorkshire Dales, late May and the sky in Vancouver, June 2014.

Size of Procreate art: 36”x26”

Twelve layers, and five blends were required for this piece. There are three paint layers plus a highlight and three overlays.

For painting I used:

The Modern Day Skull was reused from Skull #5.

For smudging and pushing:

• Technical pen (cutout) • Grunge • Pulse (modified) • Rull • Bolt

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SKULL #14 2014.06.24 Spirit Bear is as intimidating as when it wandered the woods of North America as far back as 40 million years ago.

Other photo’s used range from the woods of the North Shore and Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver.

Size of Procreate art: 26” x 36”

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Original photography and process

This piece required eight layers, multiple blends and two painted sections.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Bolt • Grunge (modified) For smudging and pushing: • Grunge

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SKULL #15 2014.06.28

Original photography and process

(Bos gaurus grangeri) or Ox skull on a Spring evening in Garstang Lancashire.

Size of Procreate art: 36”x26”

Nine layers, three blends and five painted layers make up this piece.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Rull • Rad • Charcoal Black For smudging and pushing: • Rull • Water Brush

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SKULL #16 2014.06.28 (Euprimate) monkey on the back of an (Archaeopteryx) fossil. Photography taken at the collection of AMNH, New York.

Size of Procreate art: 26” x 36”

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Original photography and process This piece required nine layers, four multiple blends and one painted layer.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Charcoal For smudging and pushing • Grunge

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SKULL #17 2014.07.02

Original photography and process

A (Mastodon) an elephant like mammal and a (Triceratops) wandering through New York.

Size of Procreate art: 36”x 26”

Nine layers, three blends and five painted layers make up this piece.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Rull • Rad • Charcoal Black For smudging and pushing: • Rull • Water Brush

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SKULL #18 2014.07.06

Original photography and process

A (Canis Latrans) a dog wandering through New York. Photographs taken in early May 2014 whilst visiting New York.

Size of Procreate art: 36”x 26”

Eight layers, two blends and two painted layers for this piece.

For painting: • Technical pen (cutout) • Oceans • Rull • Charcoal For smudging and pushing: • Rull • Water Brush

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About Ian Bateson Education

Influences

1970 – 1974 Lancaster College Of Art. Graduated with Honours, Illustration and Graphic Design.

During his extensive travels, lan has visited some of the major world galleries such as; the Hermitage in St Petersburg, the Tate in London, the Lourve in Paris, the National in Washington and Biennale in Venice. Through these collections, from the 18th Century William Turner to Picasso in the 19th Century and Willem de Kooning and the American abstract expressionists in the 20th Century, Ian discovered wonder and amazement when in the presence of such exceptional works of art.

Experience During the 1970’s and early 80’s Ian showed passion and dedication in the field of illustration and graphic design, having built a solid reputation with the publishing industry as an illustrator of children’s books and a designer and illustrator for academic publications. Ian worked with Douglas & McIntyre, UBC Press, Harbour Publishing and various other international houses.

From 1986 to 2012, Ian helped build Baseline Type & Graphics Cooperative into a thriving creative design studio working for major corporations, businesses, government agencies and NGO’s to tell there individual stories through well crafted design and marketing solutions.

Ian uses the skills he gained over 27 years, to apply his thoughts and imagination through personal, interpretive art. Ideas expressed through sketch books and pencil and finalized as digital art, output to either giclees or limited edition laser prints.

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The art of typography is also of keen interest to Ian. Influenced by William Caslon, John Baskerville for their wonderful type designs and Ian Hamilton Finlay, Dom Sylvester Houédard and Edwin Morgan, for their amazing concrete poetry.

Artistic

expression

Ian creates an impression, mood and emotion through use of colour and form. He takes from his immediate environment and reflects a visual metaphor. Something as banal as an electric meter for example will turn into an expression of questioning or perhaps anger or maybe a moment of reflection on the environment. v

2012-13 Skulls

from

Fairbanks Alaska

Book One This series of skulls were created after a trip – September, 2013 – to Alaska, and are from photographs taken at the Fairbanks Museum and also during an amazing five day tour of the Denali Park. They were included in my first ISSUU book of work, completed in 2012-13 using the iPad and the Procreate app.

You can view this book on ISSUU here:

Bear Skull—October 2013

American Lion—October 2013

Seal Skull—August 2013

American Wolf—August 2013

http://issuu.com/icreate/docs/i_procreate

All works are Copyright Ian Bateson©2014

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Ian Bateson, art director, designer and graphic artist tel. 604 984 9283 cell. 604 809 8409 mail. ibateson@baseline-graphics.com www.ianbatesonstudio.com

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