Cartoonist

Capturing Life’s Essence: Personalized Handcrafted Cartoon Portraits

Welcome,

I’m Ian David Marsden, an illustrator and cartoonist who’s passionate about immortalizing life’s moments in a way that speaks beyond just the digital world. Let me take you on a journey into the realm of personalised hand-drawn cartoon portraits—a place where memories are carefully etched with unparalleled care and artistry.

Crafting Your Unique Tale

What sets these portraits apart is the level of customization they offer. It’s about capturing the essence of individuals, the soul of a band, or the heart of a family. For instance, a blues band desired to have each band member’s distinctive head portrayed with their instruments, all of them cruising in a classic VW van. Families often want their pets to be part of the picture, their house in the background, enterprises might want their company logo lovingly hand-drawn on the holiday card featuring their team portrait. When I say customization, I mean anything is possible—it’s your story, after all.

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Drawn by Human Hand – Created by Natural Intelligence

Is the technological singularity just around the corner?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity

This is not an anti-AI post. It’s remarkable to see how far artificial intelligence (AI) has come, to the point where it can now compete with human abilities. I stare in marvel (and horror) at the current generation of AI generated images.

made by human hand - made with natural intelligence - illustrated logo - free to use, royalty free,

Maybe the above logo will become the art equivalent of the BIO labels at grocery stores

I am not someone who shies away from new tools or techniques, nor am I a technophobe. As someone who has been an avid fan and user of computers since childhood, I have experienced the evolution of technology firsthand. It always seemed inevitable that this day would arrive at some point, I think what is most surprising is how rapidly it is suddenly advancing. It is difficult for us to understand, because the human brain is not wired for exponential growth. We simply can not understand and imagine it.

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Homage to Aline Kominsky-Crumb

Homage to Aline Kominsky-Crumb

1st May to 21st November 2023
Galerie Vidourle Prix, Sauve (30)
4 rue des bourgades
+33 (0) 4 66 88 76 33
galerievidourleprix.com

I’m honored to be participating in an exhibition in homage to Aline Kominsky-Crumb (1948 – 2022) at Galerie Vidourle Prix in Sauve. The noted underground and feminist comic artist and wife of Robert Crumb, who sadly passed away after a brief illness in 2022. The exhibition will feature a retrospective of her art, as well as new and unseen artwork by over 20 artists, including myself and also Robert Crumb and their daughter Sophie Crumb. The exhibition runs from May 1st until November 21st.

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Cartoon Nebelspalter – Wenn Bastien Girod zweimal klingelt

Illustrator und Cartoonist Ian David Marsden – Illustrations Blog

Ich freue mich sehr, hier meine jüngste Illustration im Nebelspalter Nummer 4/2023 mit euch teilen zu können.

Der Cartoon ist als “Tor des Monats” in Begleitung zu einem Text von Ralph Weibel entstanden, und bildet eines der neuesten Abenteuer des Schweizer grünen Politikers Bastien Girod ab.
“Cartoon Nebelspalter – Wenn Bastien Girod zweimal klingelt”

Die Szene ist in einer luxuriösen Wohnung angesiedelt, wo eine schnelldenkende Dame ihre Haustiere kurzerhand in Menschenkleidung in Szene gesetzt hat, um es so aussehen zu lassen, als ob sie viele Mitbewohner hätte. Girod, als Karikatur hoffentlich erkennbar, macht gerade einen Überraschungsbesuch, um seinen Vorschlag zur Umsiedlung von alleinstehenden Menschen, die in großen Wohnflächen leben, zu diskutieren. Wie Sie sich vorstellen können, wird die “viele Bewohner”-Illusion bei Girod nicht unbedingt ankommen.

Link: Gallerie mit vielen weiteren Cartoons

Link zum Artikel: Printausgabe Nebelspalter

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Illustrated Workflow of Graph Database Modeling – Explainer Video

In this illustrated explainer video, I was tasked by the client to follow the steps of graph database development from the architect to the database admin to the developers. 

With appealing illustrations that unfold before your eyes, this explainer video showcases the step-by-step process of how each team member contributes and collaborates to create a successful graph database. The animations and illustrations by created by me (artist Ian David Marsden) effectively communicate intricate procedures by utilizing character designs that personify different professions, along with vibrant graphic symbols. This approach results in a clear and visually appealing presentation.

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Custom illustrations and animations by artist Ian David Marsden.

 Contact Ian for a free consultation to discuss your project.
ian@marsdenillustration.com

 #illustration #explainervideo #softwaredevelopment #teamcollaboration #databaseadministration #businessillustration #customillustrations #startups #advertising #marketing #illustrator #illustration #cartoonist #graphdatabase

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How to Effectively Use Mascots and Comic Art to Convey Your Message – Marsden Illustration

Mascots and comic art are powerful marketing tools that businesses of all sizes and types can use to effectively communicate their message to audiences of all ages and completely transcend language barriers.

The Power of Comic Strips

Comic strips can communicate concepts and ideas to audiences of all ages and completely transcend languages. They can be used to give friendly reminders, offer tips, and provide educational material. For example, Coca-Cola assigned me to create wordless comic strips to remind people to recycle cans which were printed directly on the cans. These strips can also be used for internal purposes such as employee training and skill development, corporate training and executive briefings, or to enhance presentations and PowerPoint slides. They are also a wonderful media for e-learning or educational material.

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Gianni Infantino – Tor des Monats

Gianni Infantino – Tor des Monats

Gianni Infantino – FIFA President – Tor des Monats, Nebelspalter

Karikatur von FIFA Präsident Gianni Infantino für den Nebelspalter “Tor des Monats”


Stell Dir vor, es ist Fussball-WM und keiner will hin.
In Qatar gibt es Gratis-Tickets und Glühwein zu Feuerwerkskerzen auf dem Adventskranz.
Zum Artikel “Infantino freut sich auf die infantilste WM” von Hans Abplanalp
Karikatur von Cartoonist Ian David Marsden für Nebelspalter Nr. 11 2022

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Dräger – Break the Chain of Infection

Comic drawing of a lady wondering what kind of stains are in her kitchen chocolate ketchup or others


A series of 4 videos and posters created for Dräger on the topic “Break the chain of infection”
The comic strips have no text so they are language independent and can be used internationally. The same goes for the video series.

The four different areas covered are: Infection prevention and control, increase Patient Safety,
Infection Prevention by Design and Improved Workflow

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Friars Club NYC – Animated Website Intro

Short intro animation created specifically for the Friars Club, New York City.

Several monk friar characters were created for animated GIFs and icons for the website
including Jackie Gleason playing pool and this little friar for the animation.

All artwork was created in Adobe Illustrator as vector art and then animated in Adobe Flash.

Client: Friars Club, Date: 2008, Artist: Ian David Marsden – www.marsdenillustration.com

Caricatures of Friars Club Officials opening red curtain – Animated Cartoon GIF
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Cover Illustration – Nebelspalter Magazine May 2022

Commissioned cover illustration in a fun, colourful, cartoon style on the topic of „public transportation“

Appeared in Nebelspalter Magazine, May 2022

Nebelspalter Titelblatt Mai 2022 “Stossverkehr” von Ian David Marsden

The Nebelspalter is a Swiss satirical magazine. It was founded in 1875 by Jean Nötzli of Zurich as an “illustrated humorous political weekly.” The magazine was modelled on British magazine Punch. When Punch ceased publication in 2002, Nebelspalter became the oldest continually published humour magazine in the world.

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Animated Holiday Card with Company Logo

A really fun project was this animated Holday Greeting card to be sent to the customers of my commissioning client.

The briefing required a nice, hand-drawn cozy looking winter scene. We opted for an inviting winter chalet in the woods surrounded by snow covered trees and featuring the AN2V logo.

The drawing is rendered as a timelapse video. Watch the drawing unfold, a lovely winter forest scene, a chalet with warm light spilling out onto the snow, and then the company logo is drawn, illuminated by the warm glow. A gorgeous, warm and elegant holiday card solution.

The video was also delivered as an animated GIF so that it could be used and viewed in e-mails directly on all devices.

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Fun Animated and Illustrated Greeting Cards

Below a YouTube video presentation of 10 animated greeting cards for various occasions. I had the pleasure of inventing and designing this series of animated greeting cards for client 1&1 Mail & Media GmbH for GMX, Web.de, Mail.com Germany via the agency dieKLEINERT.de

The topics that were presented to me in the briefing were: Happy Birthday, I’m Sorry, Thank You, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Get Well Soon, Happy New Year and Thank You!

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