Meet the artist
I’m Ian Rivers, and as a freelance artist, inspiration is my keyword. I make pieces of art that are inspired by what interests me, such as music, pop culture, and other works of art, as well as the way people interact with each other.
I’m from the small Hudson Valley town of Cold Spring, NY. As a little kid, I loved to draw things that interest me simply using paper and markers. I also loved coming up with new ways of making art. I started my core art classes at Buffalo State University, followed by SUNY Dutchess in Poughkeepsie, and then SUNY Purchase in Westchester county. The way these lessons were taught helped me learn the ways other people create and develop my own artistic method.
My own personal artworks make me feel satisfied sometimes, and other times it leads me into confusion, but overall I just draw whatever makes me feel good. The amount of artwork I create and share also makes me feel excitement and nervousness about whether or not I get more likes and followers on Instagram. The goal of my art is to spread inspiration worldwide, mostly over the United States, to make people feel empowered to express themselves.
Inspirationalism
I also have my own art style called “inspirationalism,” which is a style that inspires other people to understand my artistry. A lot of people like me make art that works to understand themselves and the world around them.
In my art style, I use color in a variety of new ways, for example, I mix two or more colors to make a new one, and I also add them to a new gradient. Then I pair these colors together in a unique way.
Another thing I use in my art style is stylizing my characters. This style is kind of like caricature, but in a way that doesn’t exaggerate whoever I draw. So therefore, I draw the character based on their description and my observation for reference.
Other than stylizing characters, I also stylize different patterns, mostly the ones I find online. I make the artwork different from the what the original artist does by changing the color and making different colored variants of the pattern, while also utilizing the digital artifacts within the pattern.
Distorted Doug
Meet my original character, Distorted Doug. He’s a slimy yellow alien life form from a distinct alien world who has been transported to Earth and turned into an influencer. As the most used character in my inspirations, he’s got a unique personality and a form of curiosity that makes him understand human culture. I originally created him a side character for a sci-fi project that’s been on hold for a long time, and also based him on amorphous slime. As of January 2023, however, I gave him his own Instagram account to kick off a new year. I want him to feel inspired by whatever other people do in terms of pop culture, while also experiencing new trends and getting in touch with human celebrities, and sometimes animals. Even though he’s small, he has big dreams ahead of him, and inspirations similar to me.