Dad’s Chair

Stephen Hanson – Dad’s Chair

Background

I’ve always had a passion for art and knew from a young age that I wanted to pursue a career as an artist. My early inspirations included artists like Arthur Rackham, Brian Froud, Alan Lee, and Chuck Close. I was particularly drawn to fantasy and realism and admired the imagination and sense of realism they infused into their work.

After graduating from Batley Art College with a distinction in graphic design and illustration, my first job was with a greeting card company. However, my true passion lay in films, especially those with special effects like Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad movies. These films greatly influenced me and opened my eyes to the possibilities of a career in the film industry. I actively sought knowledge about the filmmaking process and the artists responsible for creating the magic.

Illustration and Corporate Work

I dedicated all my spare time to building my portfolio, and after a couple of years, I began working at Cosgrove Hall Productions in Manchester. Over a span of four years, I served as a visual development artist on projects such as The BFG, Dangermouse, and Count Duckula. Subsequently, I had the privilege of contributing to films like Balto, The Corpse Bride, Despicable Me, Flushed Away, Arthur Christmas, and Adventures with Pirates. In addition to these experiences, I also collaborated on various TV commercials and provided illustrations for several children’s books. I even ventured into writing and illustrating with projects like Froobie Pink and the Night Noises.

A few years ago, an art gallery in Bristol invited me to showcase some of my personal work, and the event was a resounding success. More importantly, it illuminated the possibilities within the realm of fine art publishing. My wife, Lisa, and I established a company with the primary goal of introducing my digital paintings to art galleries and maintaining control over both my artistic choices and the highest quality of our final prints.

While I still have a deep affection for the animation and book industries and occasionally take on freelance work, the world of fine art offers a liberating platform for my personal work that I find truly exhilarating.

Go back to: Stephen Hanson

Stephen Hanson – Dad’s Chair

Watch Stephen Hanson’ visit to Limited 2 Art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXclBoDqsew

What is a Giclée Print? – pronounced ‘zhee-klay’

So, a giclée print is a high quality fine art reproduction. Archival pigment inks are sprayed on to an archival fine art paper or canvas.
Because of this, Jack Duganne coined the term ‘Giclée’, since it’s a French word meaning ‘a spray or a squirt of liquid’. The term ‘giclée print’ is used to describe the giclée printing process. Accordingly, images are created from the high-resolution digital capture of original artwork. Then they are printed using archival quality inks onto archival fine art substrates. Hence, canvas and fine art papers are used to achieve giclée prints with exceptional stability and lightfastness.