September-November 2015 Week7

As promised, I will elaborate on the subject I touched upon in class, regarding music and drawing.

I don't why exactly but music and drawing has been entwined for such a long time.

It  began in 1982 with the rock band The Stranglers commissioning me to design and illustrate a t-shirt which led to designing t-shirts and merchandise for Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Damned, The Cramps, Echo And The Bunnymen among others, and then later illustrations for music magazines, NME, Melody Maker, Smash Hits, Hot Press, and Record Mirror.

I have always loved music and comics. I never set out to  chase music related work, but it just seemed to happen.

in 2002, I was asked to illustrate a graphic Novel about the life Of Kurt Cobain, written by Barnaby Legg and Jim Macarthy. This led to more music related graphic novels. In 2010 I produced drawing for animation for BBC's I'm In A Rock 'n' Roll Band and  a hand full of of other music related tv series based on rock and pop music.

It's just the way things happened. Kind of like falling on my lap.

I am not complaining.

So when I decided to rise to the challenge of inktober this year, without even thinking about it for more than a couple of seconds, I drew a sketch of Elvis Presley

When Elvis died in1977, it was pronounced that the king of rock 'n' roll was dead. Whether you believe Elvis to be the king of rock 'n' roll is irrelevant. That's how he is remembered by many. I liked Elvis Presley's recordings but I don't think he was the king of anything. Anyhow, I drew Elvis and the idea for the next was to be another Elvis sketch with a demonic twist.

However, instead, I considered all the  casualties of rock 'n' roll excess and that idea inspired me to fill inktober  with 31 Dead musicians.

Rock 'n' roll is DEAD!

 Here are just a handful of those submissions. You can find the entire 31 submissions on the blog.

Keith Richards isn't dead but he probably should be.

I was also just having a bit of fun with this. As tragic as the many casualties there have been to rock 'n' roll excess, I find many of these artists larger than life and sometimes almost cartoon like in their flamboyance, and so I played on that and the rock 'n' roll myths and legends.

In between paid work I sometimes let of steam by listening to music and drawing anything that comes into my head inspired by the music.

Here are some sketches I produced just for my own amusement and the music and videos that inspired them .

1. The Gathering - Leaves

My response

2. Siouxsie and The Banshees - Fireworks

 This isn't a particularly good example of a Banshees video , I was more inspired by the song and Siouxie's live performance

My responce

3.Mazzy Star - Blue Light

My response

Whatever you are inspired by, don't be afraid e to respond and produce something, whatever it is. Creativity inspires creativity. Don'y deny yourself to be part of it.