STEPHEN HANSON
(Photography by Taome Hanson https://taomekai.myportfolio.com
I have always loved art and knew from an early age that I wanted to become an artist. I’m inspired by so many different artists but back then it was the likes of Arthur Rackham, Brian Froud, Alan Lee, Chuck Close and Frank Frazetta. I was particularly drawn to fantasy and realism and loved the imagination and sense of realism they brought to their work.
I left Batley Art College with a distinction in graphic design and illustration and the first job I took was with a greeting card company. Films however were my passion, particularly ones with special effects like Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad movies. They were a huge influence on me and opened my eyes to the possibility of careers in films. I learned everything I could about how they were made and about the artists behind the magic.
I spent all my spare time developing my portfolio and after a couple of years started work at Cosgrove Hall Productions in Manchester. For four years I worked as a visual development artist on projects such as The BFG, Dangermouse and Count Duckula. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to work on films such as Balto, The Corpse Bride, Despicable Me and Flushed Away, Arthur Christmas and Adventures with Pirates. In addition to this, I have worked on various TV commercials and illustrated several children’s books including Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven and Kes Gray’s Nelly the Monster Sitter as well as writing and illustrating Froobie Pink and the Night Noises.
I still love the world of animation and am currently working as production designer on an animation movie in Mumbai as well as character designer for a video podcast for a company in Los Angeles. However, the fine art world offers up a freedom for my personal work which I find really exciting.
Digital Art
As a freelance artist, it is important to adapt and move with the times. When I first began painting, my chosen medium was a mixture of gouache, pencil crayon and airbrush and a little later it was ink and watercolour.
Many years ago, I found myself working as a designer in the video games industry where traditional drawn animation was being replaced by computer technology. It was here that I was introduced to digital painting (although I prefer the term Tradigital) and I have continued to use this technique ever since.
By using a Wacom tablet and stylus pen with a software programme called Corel Painter, I bring traditional drawing and painting techniques to a digital medium. Marks are made in exactly the same way that I would draw or paint with traditional materials however they appear as pixels instead of pigment. I am proud to be recognised as an official featured artist for Corel Painter.
My paintings always begin with weeks spent planning ideas in ink and watercolour in my sketchbooks before finally committing to the final painting. The paintings take weeks, sometimes months to complete before sending them to print. Seeing them in their final physical print form is exciting but the icing on the cake is seeing them framed and exhibited. When the paintings move people enough to purchase them I never fail to feel honoured. This is a constant reminder to me to put all I have into my work.
The recent uprising of Artificial Intelligence and its threat to human creativity prompted me to write a book. "The Entity I Could Not Fathom: An Exploration Into Artificial Intelligence For The Creative Mind" is a personal reaction and my philosophy on the importance of preserving human creativity for future generations.
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