Ian Rawling
You’ll be forgiven for drooling a little when you look at the
work of Sheffield-based artist Ian Rawling. His portfolio is a
menu filled with ice cream cones, fondant fancies, cheese
on toast and – in the case of Sunny Side Up – a fried egg
that positively sizzles. As well as being good enough to eat,
there is also something quite nostalgic about his choice of
subject matter. “I like to paint familiar subjects that people
may have a connection with, and which evoke certain
memories,” he agrees. “A melting ice cream may remind
someone of a sunny, summer holiday or a messy tomato
ketchup bottle of boisterous family dinners as a child.”
Ian’s treatment of these much-loved subjects is also key
to his success. What seems from a distance to be a rather
simple design is actually a carefully modulated surface full
of choice details. “With Sunny Side Up I paid particular
attention to the bubbles and slightly burnt edges of the
egg as I found this gave the subject a bit of a personality.
I much prefer objects which are imperfect or show signs
of wear and tear.”
The Norfolk-born artist begins each new work with an
outline drawing in pastel pencil, before switching to soft
pastels to establish tones lightly. As the colours develop,
he manipulates the loose colour with his fingers and uses
either a tortillon, cotton buds or pastel pencils to add
tighter details in a subtle, cross-hatching method.
Ian learnt his craft in rather unusual circumstances.
To help pay his way through a design degree at Sheffield
Hallam University, he made chalk, charcoal and pastel
drawings on pavements, relying upon donations from
passersby. “It really helped teach me how to concentrate
and work under pressure as there was always someone
watching you work or commenting as the drawing
progressed,” he recalls. “It was also where I first realised
that I loved creating work in a more realistic style.”
After graduating, he also spent a number of years
working as a greetings card illustrator, which broadened
his artistic skills and also taught him a lot about creating
effective compositions. “With a greetings card, the first
thing it needs to do is attract attention and draw the
viewer in, something I aim for in all my pictures, especially
Sunny Side Up which is difficult to miss with its huge
yellow yoke.”
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