i Procreate
Ian Bateson, art director, designer and graphic artist
i Procreate Whilst in England during the summer of 2012, I was introduced to the Brushes app used by David Hockney in an exhibition of his work of Seasons in London where he projected field studies on mounted iPhones in a blackened room in addition to his large canvases. In August 2012, I exchanged my 3.2 mega pixel point and shoot with a new iPad featuring the retina screen, probably the most flexible tool I have ever owned. It can take stunning photo’s, produce videos, run apps that allow you to learn, draw and paint, all connected seamlessly to an icloud or drop box account for storing material. Like my previous book (my views of Vancouver), photo’s are often a starting point in the creation of my digital art—dead flowers, museum artifacts, visited locations and people I know— all become inspiration for my efforts. During the past twelve months I have produced at least forty two pieces, not all worthy of showing in this publication, but many I’ve found carry expressive mood in conveying feelings, a sense of wonder and with personal friends, humour for a moment remembered. Unlike the previous book—my views of Vancouver—I haven’t restricted my endeavors by rules of form or format. In fact many of the two dimensional pieces you will see in this publication are planned to be converted into three dimensional art forms. I hope you enjoy my work and as always look forward to feedback and comments. Not sure what 2014 will hold, but I’m sure it will continue to be interesting v
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
August 2012/Discovering Procreate The first weeks of experimenting with the Procreate app allowed me to become familiar with the many features it offered such as: canvas sizes, import of images, brushes, palette, layers, effects and saving of files to either an iCloud or Drop Box account. The picture on the next page “Vancouver Futures” was created using many of the brush types that came as a default when the app was first purchased. Like Photoshop, Procreate allows one to work in layers and once the initial drawing was complete I imported a real photo of the sky and water diffusing it into the actual painting to give added depth to the piece. These early works where primarily drawings, such as the smaller painting at right “Dad May12”—an exercise after witnessing the death of my father on that date—with little in the way of photo manipulations that would later play an increasing role in my work v
Dad May12—August 2012
Vancouver Futures—August 2012
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
Papillion—August 2012. Recently sold as a submission in the 2013 North Vancouver Anonymous show in North Vancouver
Movement, a free form experiment using the many default brushes that come with the Procreate app —August 2012
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
2012-13/Portraits There are a number of ways to use photo’s in Procreate, take a direct face shot through the app, use a scan or import from shots saved on a Drop Box account. I have had the luxury of painting in oils, acrylic and many other mediums to convey visual ideas and story telling, but this is an amazing capability through Procreate to add graphic, painterly qualities to the most simple images taken on my iPad. Explore possibilities and move an object beyond merely a photo to a form of art and graphic expression. v
Self Portrait #1—January 2013.
Mum at Breakfast—September 2012
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
Self Portrait #2—August 2013
Portrait of a friend, Alex Waterhouse-Hayward 窶年ovember 2013.
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
Self Portrait #3—August 2013
Self Portrait #4—September 2013
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
2012-13/Death This series of death skulls started from a trip in September to Alaska, specifically the Fairbanks Museum and an amazing tour of the Denali Park. Also included in this grouping are inspirations from the death of flowers, plants and insects. v
American Lion—October 2013.
Skull—October 2013
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
American Wolf—August 2013
Seal Skull—August 2013
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
Bison—October 2013
Wasp窶年ovember 2013
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
Dissection—September 2013
Precious —September 2013.
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
2012-13/The unnatural order Taking the natural and turning it into something completely at odds with itself. This series plays with the environment around me and eventually conjures an abstract expression of itself. v
Ilkely Moor Ba Tat—June 2013.
Floral Univers—September 2013
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
Micro Universe—September 2013
Northern Sky, Denali, Alaska—October 2013.
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
Golden Tree—September 2013
Hosta2—June 2013. Recently sold as a submission in the 2013 North Vancouver Anonymous show in North Vancouver.
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
Alternate Universe—July 2013
Fall Colour—October 2013.
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
2012-13/Time travel Since my Fathers death, in May 2012, I have been privileged to travel to some wonderful parts of the world. This series provides a glimpse into those places and my interpretive Procreate pieces produced so far. v
Venice1—July 2013.
Skipton Man, UK—June 2013
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
Back to the wall, Venice—July 2013
Fall Colour, Venice—July 2013
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
Milnthorpe, UK—July 2013
Copyright Ian Bateson 2013
About
the
Artist
Education
Influences
1970 - 1974 Lancaster College Of Art. Graduated with Honours, Illustration and Graphic Design, MSIAD.
During his extensive travels, lan has had the privilege to visit 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 late 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 childrens books and 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. Now Ian enjoys using the skills he gained over 27 years, to pursue and apply his thoughts and imagination through his personal interpretive digital art. Ideas and sketches are routinely expressed through sketch books and pencil, but final work is expressed through the use of digital tools and output either as giclees or hi-end, limited edition laser prints.
The art of typography is also a 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 and turning it into an expression of questioning or perhaps anger or maybe a moment of reflection on the environment. v
i Procreate Ian Bateson, art director, designer and graphic artist t. 604 984 9283 c.604 809 8409 ibateson@baseline-graphics.com www.ianbateson.wix.com/ianbateson