Give three cheers (or more!) illustrator Ian Dingman is here!
(Okay, so I guess I wouldn’t really want someone saying I wasn’t cryptic & enigmatic anymore, but you know how we writers like to twist words to sell our journalistic tell-all article, er, wait, I don’t work for Vogue. Anyway, my title didn’t come out of nowhere, you can find out what I mean in a tag-team Currently Obsessed post coming to you tomorrow.)
Hopefully by now you’ve perused my favorite Ian Dingman pieces, realized he is the man behind the new cover for Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket, and are now ready to enjoy an entertaining interview with the art-star himself.
Just imagine Ian (who looks exactly like Ben Folds) and me sitting down at a nice cafe in Chicago eating chorizo and drinking Coca-Cola. I have a Moleskin reporter-style notebook and a UniBall pen and Ian is obviously carrying Rapidograph pens and some notebook which is actually exuding coolness in visible, describable colors (but I won’t describe them, because you wouldn’t believe me anyway).
I ask incredible, thought-provoking questions that cause Ian to divulge his coolness in such a way that now I can use watercolors with such mastery that, like Ian, I’m asked to create a DVD cover for a Wes Anderson film.
Alright. So that didn’t happen. It was actually an email interview. But he does look a little like Ben Folds. And he does exude coolness, even over email. (PS He reads Stickers & Donuts! My heart melts!)
And now, the interview (there are MORE WONDERFUL IMAGES, so scroll on, my friend!):
1. Your life story. In a paragraph. Location. Education. Family. Crappy jobs.
I grew up in northwestern Illinois (Orion), went to college in the heart of Illinois (Illinois State University), and currently live in northeastern Illinois (Chicago). I have one brother and one sister, neither involved in the art. At one point we all lived about as far away from each other as possible within the United States (Portland, OR, Miami, FL, and New York, NY), but now we’re all relatively close again in the Midwest.
Until I finally got to the point of doing what I’ve always wanted to do, every job has been lame. Of course, the worst of the bunch came during high school. That said, I suppose vacuuming the “greens” at a mini golf course wins out.
I often incorporate the moon into my work as well, always thinking, “I haven’t drawn a moon in awhile,” when in actuality, I probably just did two or three pieces beforehand.
2. How would you describe the visual aspects of your artwork to someone who hasn’t seen it? How would you describe common themes in your work to, say, an English major?
Visually, I think my work tackles simple subjects and presents them in a mix of objectivity and subjectivity. My ink lines are usually precise. My watercolor is a little more on the awkward side. I try and let the medium run its own course (bleeding, striations, etc.) which I think produces a nice semi-controlled effect.
I believe my “stock” biography states my work has themes of humor, melancholy and season. I suppose these are all still valid, but more and more I think my work is centered around nostalgia and romantic ideals. I often incorporate the moon into my work as well, always thinking, “I haven’t drawn a moon in awhile,” when in actuality, I probably just did two or three pieces beforehand.
3. What are your favorite art supplies?
The essentials: Arches hot-pressed watercolor paper. Arches watercolor brushes. Rapidograph pens. Technical pencils. Dr. Ph. Martin’s concentrated water color. The fun stuff: Electric eraser. Cotton balls. Rolled paper. Vintage pencil sharpener. Crayons.
The first piece I ever had in the NY Times is probably my favorite commercial piece. It’s a relatively small drawing of a man floating on a lime in an imperfect block of blue water.
4. What’s your favorite piece of commercial work you’ve done, and your favorite piece of non-commercial work?
The first piece I ever had in the NY Times is probably my favorite commercial piece. It’s a relatively small drawing of a man floating on a lime in an imperfect block of blue water. (Maria’s Note: See first image in collage above.) I like it because I think it set a precedent or benchmark of how I wanted my style to look, so I’m always looking back to it as a reminder.
My favorite non-commercial piece I’ve done is probably a self-portrait that I completed in a day’s time. (Maria’s Note: See top right image above.) Again, it captured what I want my work to look like, so I sometimes find myself studying it. The work I’m always happiest with seem to be the pieces that I crank out without overthinking and overanalyzing.
5. If you were another version of yourself, and you could buy one piece of your own work that’s currently on your “Art for Sale” page, what would it be?
That’s hard… I suppose it would be the small drawing of a vintage medium format camera. (Maria’s Note: See top row, middle image in the collage above.) It’s pretty hard to screw up a drawing of such a pretty little machine.
6. What are you creatively inspired by?
Painters David Hockney and Luc Tuymans, and also photographer Uta Barth. I’ve always felt a connection to Hockney’s work whether it presents itself in my pieces or not. His compositions have always interested me as well as his color palette. Tuymans and Barth are influential in a more subliminal way. The atmospheres they create are genuinely moving, and I try to capture that in my work.
Things to look forward to [in the Criterion Collection release of Bottle Rocket]: on-screen menu pages galore, my awkward hand-drawn version of Futura, and among other things I’m leaving out, a 24-page booklet that might interest even the most casual Wes Anderson fans.
7. How did you get to do the cover art for Bottle Rocket’s Criterion Collection? Will we see your work just on the cover, or is it on the booklet, too? (Also, do you have a favorite Wes Anderson movie?)
I received a message from Criterion outlining the “Bottle Rocket” project and asking if I was interested. Of course I was interested as well as excited. I had seen the movie a long time ago and have always been a fan of Wes’ movies as well as Eric’s artwork. He unfortunately was unavailable for the project.
The assignment turned out to be a massive undertaking that was slowly crafted over eight months. Wes was involved in every aspect of the project and nothing made it to final art without Wes’ approval. Things to look forward to: on-screen menu pages galore, my awkward hand-drawn version of Futura, and among other things I’m leaving out, a 24-page booklet that might interest even the most casual Wes Anderson fans. Favorite Wes Anderson movie? Rushmore, hands down.
8. What do you have on your walls at home?
I’ve got prints by Evah Fan, Justin Gabbard, Luke Ramsey and Amanda McCorkle. A fantastic collage by Rod Homer. A couple of Edgar Allen Poe postcards that are framed. My centerpiece is a print by an unknown artist (thrift store!) of two pink flamingos at night beneath a starry sky.
Above: An an entirely made up image of what is probably not actually on Ian Dingman’s wall. See below for image credits. (more…)
The Odeon by Ian Dingman, 6×9, $35 with shipping
This is post ONE of THREE featuring illustrator Ian Dingman. TODAY I will introduce him as an artist & show you why I like (love) his work.
TOMORROW I’ll feature an exclusive & fabulous interview with lots of pretty pictures (he will tell us wonderful things about the new Criterion Collection release of Bottle Rocket and reveal the secret to his success. Okay, maybe not the second part.).
THE NEXT DAY Ian will tell us his current obsessions. I am super-excited-thrilled about this series of posts so I really hope you enjoy them!
Ian Dingman illustrates for the likes of The New York Times, Real Simple magazine, WES ANDERSON, and people like us (you and me!), who just want an Ian Dingman print on our walls (who wouldn’t?!).
I admit I’m a little stuck on the whole cover-of-Bottle Rocket thing. We know that Wes Anderson has impeccable taste, so his choice of Ian Dingman for a cover artist for a special edition of the filmmaker’s first-ever feature film certainly has meaning. Ian’s style expresses a lot of the same themes as Anderson’s movies: sadness, humor, awkwardness. But all of it, even the awkward parts, are beautiful, cartoonish, detailed.
Just one wonderful thing about Ian’s work is that it’s super affordable. You can own his ORIGINAL ARTWORK for less than $100. Or, if you are kind of poor, you can lie in wait until Ian does another print for Tiny Showcase (previous prints there have been a mere $20). (He will be doing something for Tiny Showcase! He wouldn’t reveal what, but I hope it’s a Learning Print!)
“Getting Late, Early” for Tiny Showcase
If you can’t wait for Tiny Showcase, and you are sort of poor, you can buy the first print I featured on this page for only $30. ($35 with shipping. I know this because, in my total indecisiveness and parsimoniousness, I’ve clicked on the “buy” button several times.) If you are REALLY, REALLY poor you can steal someone’s New York Times. You are bound to find an Ian Dingman reproduction somewhere in there.
For now, you can admire some of my favorite Ian Dingman works here:
Left: Look at that grass! Just look at it!
Right: This drawing actually gives me the fuzzy feeling I would have if I drove by this building on the street and, noticing its purple-ness (in a fall sunset, perhaps), pulled over to just look for a minute. Then, of course, I’d try to take a picture and wouldn’t capture the feeling at all, but Ian has.
Deloitte Review “Healthcare Revisions”
Art Director: Matt Lennert
It’s so amusing to look at all of the details in the picture above. I love that when Ian’s work is funny, often the people in the work themselves are straight-faced, unaware of the ridiculousness that surrounds them. (Another Wes Anderson similarity!)
Right image: Miscellaneous Wardrobe From
The 2002 Film Secretary, No. 1,
2008, ink and watercolor on paper,9.5 x 9″, $180
Left: You know how I love cupcakes.
Right: Can we talk about how funny the title is? Yeah, I know.
Remember how I said the people in Ian’s work don’t always notice the humorous situations they are a part of? Well, sometimes inanimate objects in his work give you this same feeling. Like, it’s just a shoe. Standing there. In all seriousness. But it’s funny.
For Social Gatherings Only
2006, ink and watercolor on paper, 8.375 x 5.125″
Like the Doctor’s Office drawing, this image is full of details. Maybe it’s the fiction-writer in me, but I love a drawing with details (and great titles).
So, as you can imagine, I recommend a perusal of Ian Dingman’s web-page. You can purchase work or just look. Or, if you want, you can touch it. But you might smudge your computer screen.
TOMORROW: INTERVIEW WITH IAN! NEXT DAY: CURRENTLY OBESSED WITH IAN!
I am a huge movie-lover, with a particular affinity for Wes Anderson. His first movie Bottle Rocket, is based on a short black-and-white film he created with friends and not-yet-stars Owen and Luke Wilson.
Finally, after more than than ten years of patient waiting, Bottle Rocket is coming out in Criterion Collection.
One reason Wes Anderson Criterion Collection pieces are SO COOL is because they feature original artwork by cool people, like his brother Eric Anderson or illustrator Ian Dingman (the later, in this case). In fact, I discovered Bottle Rocket’s new edition because Dingman’s art was featured last week on Tiny Showcase (sorry, all sold out! though there are other prints available on his own web-site).
Besides the awesomely illustrated cover, this DVD will include other fabulous bonuses such as the original black and white short, eleven deleted scenes, a “making of” documentary, a booklet that hopefully includes more Ian Dingman artwork, and more!
It’ll be available on November 25, 2008 at various locations, including amazon ($36). If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I highly recommend at netflix-ing! If you’re skeptical, watch the trailer after the jump! (more…)
Yasmine, illustrator & owner of the blog A Print a Day (see previous post for more info), has, thus far, had an incredibly interesting life. Here’s the short version. (more…)
Read about Yasmine’s life here!
Read about her inspirations here!
If you’ve been reading Stickers & Donuts, you know I’ve got a thing for A Print A Day, a blog by a fantastic west coast illustrator named Yasmine. Yasmine posts prints (patterns & drawings, mostly created on the computer) daily-ish (you know how it is with blogging).
I get so excited and jealous every time I see that she’s posted (look at how different the prints can be!), which is why I was even MORE excited when she kindly agreed to sit down with me (um, over email) for an interview! (more…)
This week on the Storque’s News from the Craft + Style Blogosphere, A Print-a-Day’s terrariums were mentioned (Stickers & Donuts was mentioned last week concerning our Renegade Craft Fair Prints post!).
Anyway, back to terrariums. Aren’t these cute? I also love A Print-a-Day’s downloads section. I’m definitely going to be coming back for more!
Yay for public projects, revealing secrets, hearts pouring over, and letting everyone expose their inner-artist! 1000 Journals is a kind of Public Art Project reminiscent of the ever-popular Postsecret (in the anonymous-traveling-art sense). Here’s what happened: a(n obviously creative) man let 100 empty journals loose on bars, cafes, friends, and family. They were sent out in the world to be filled with words and art for whoever found them — instructions called for the journal to be passed on and then returned to the man who started them. (more…)
