Ian Stevenson likes to draw on everything and what results is a fusion of funny, weird and down right scary. Studying graphic design at university was his first step and thankfully his course focused on the ideas/fine art aspects of design rather then than computing, nurturing his talent for drawing. After the course he initially worked on his own ideas but then took an opportunity at a design company and worked there for three and a half years. Whilst this professional experience was valuable it didn’t give Ian enough creative scope and he was soon off again focusing on his unique creations. Ian believes his current style came about through spending a lot of time travelling via train, just sitting with a sketchbook, thinking and doodling, “I would finish the journey and look at a half full sketch book and think…what’s going on here. From then on I’ve tried to train it a little bit but mostly it comes out when I’m not trying”. Soon after leaving the design firm Ian meet Chris Knight who soon became a friend and collaborator. Having lots of drawings and struggling with major publishing companies Ian and Chris joined forces to produce his first book ‘Shut Up Man’, which soon sold out. Since then Ian has held several successful shows both here and abroad. Not with intent but Ian’s work now accents the big green issue on everyone’s mind. Recent projects use everyday discarded objects such as fridges and cardboard boxes as the canvas for his dubious characters. His wit and beautifully simplistic drawings have made him one of the most interesting and exciting illustrators working today.

Introduce yourself
I went to Camberwell College of Art(s) between 96-99

Did you do fine art there?
I did graphic design but it was quite fine art based as we didn’t use a lot of computer packages, it was all ideas led. Then I had a little bit of a break where I worked on my own projects and went on to work at a design company for three and a half years.

In your Biog on the website I noticed that maybe the period at the design company wasn’t the most fruitful period for you?
Well the company is as good as it gets if you want to be a designer we created lost of fun stuff like little toys for Sony.

Did you enjoy it?
I enjoyed it but it just gets to the point where it’s a job, you don’t get credited for the things you create.

So it was a feeling of ownership for the pieces?
Well, I just wanted to do things that you can’t do for clients, there’s never going to be a client who asks you for that type of stuff.

So was it valuable in any sense, did it contribute to your abilities?
Yeah, definitely you learn how to get a job done and get it delivered and all the other things that go along with that like presenting and meetings. In the end I just wanted to be able to push things a bit further than relying on clients. It’s been great to stop working and just see what your brain comes up with, when there’s no brief or why don’t I create my own brief.

How did you And Chris begin to collaborate (Chris Knight – Concrete Hermit)
We basically meet through mutual friends and all went for a drink and ended up chatting, I had never done a book and it was a dream to do a book, had a lot of drawings from the ‘Shutup Man’ work and got a no from all the publishers I approached. So speaking to Chris I knew he wanted to do a book and I had the work to do a book so we collaborated, split the production costs and after a few months we had sold them all.

Coming to the opening night was my first introduction to your work and I found it very humorous but in a black way, how do you view the work?
It is supposed to be funny but not in an obvious way, it is supposed to be twisted…laughs.

Leading on from that I was thinking about your sense of humour, do you like more recent ironic stuff like the league of Gentleman and ‘Nighty Night’?
Yes definitely, all that type of stuff I really like. All the more surreal stuff is great.

What else are you up to at the moment?
Working with an animator and a friend, so we have a nice little team. It’s mostly improvised so it’s really fun, we have a loose script but we just go with it.

So is there a time frame on the animation work.
No it’s a long term project and at the moment it’s a bit of a dream, we just need to get some more investment.

Thinking about your work again it’s not something I have ever seen or can tie in with other artists, were you influenced by other graphic artists or novels/comics?
No, I don’t really read comics but I did design some characters when I was working, we used computers and it was all vectors, like it is when you see mobile phone ads.  I tried that and I just wanted to try something else, so created these things and it was like, don’t worry your never going to be on a mobile phone ad – laughs.
Have you got main characters that you keep working with or are they new every time you draw them, I haven’t known your work long enough to see a character repeat in it?
Each time they are different and that would be a nice thing to do - over time to develop a character with a comic strip. It’s still really more about what they say, it’s the personality that comes through them.

Were they drawings about things you have experience or do they come from deep within your brain?
It all started when I was doing a lot of travel on the train and I would just sit with a sketchbook and I would literally draw I wouldn’t be thinking about it at all , I would finish the journey and look at a half full sketch book and think…what’s going on here. From then on I’ve tried to train it a little bit but mostly it comes out when im not trying.

It must be quite freeing to not be constrained by the need to draw an exact character from different angels.
It is but I do want to get to that stage with the animations and draw the characters in different positions.

Do you see yourself diversifying in any other aspect?
I make music as well.

Is that part of this world (Shut Up Man)
Laughs, it does go well but no.

Anything else coming up?
There’s a documentary about my work that will be on Current TV, that’s an independent channel headed by Al Gore, I also did the music for that. It will be aired on Sky.