Evil Twin Brother-Thomas Dolby

I suppose I owe you an apology. It's been ages since I've updated here. I'd like to report that on April 6th, I saw Thomas Dolby in concert in Minneapolis, MN at the Cedar Cultural Center. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to meet him, but it was still an amazing night that I will not soon forget.

I will get around to posting proper photos I took, but right now I would like to post for you a photomanip I just finished.

It's from the wonderful song "Evil Twin Brother" from the 2011 album "A Map of the Floating City".

I am pretty happy with it. I'm not 100 percent about the text so I might mess with that some more, but I like it. In my original vision for this (it came to me at work, while I was sitting there at the cash register, bored out of my wits) I had wanted to include the color red, but I like it the way it is with the simplicity of just black and white. Plus, if you've seen my other art you know my affinity for using a lot of bright colors, so it's a nice change, and a challenge, to work with fewer colors.

Therapy/Growth: Thomas Dolby.

Well, I feel like I should apologize for the utter lack of regular posting. A few months ago I wanted to shoot for a post a week... I'll be lucky if you guys get a post a month.
I don't know. Between work and just life in general, I haven't been feeling all that artistic. I've been having lots of artist's block with a few sparse moments of reprieve.

My project of creating art for all the Thomas Dolby songs is still active, so don't worry about that. It's just that lately, I have been in the middle of a musical merry go round that consists of Duran Duran, Thomas Dolby, A-ha, and Icehouse. I don't know if it's just because I'm getting older, but I don't seem to settle on just one obsession at a time (I hesitate to call it that because what I'm in now pales in comparison to some of my old obsessions). I've always had the habit of cycling through different obsessions; finding new ones, coming back to some, leaving some behind for a while, then coming back round to an old one but it seems the timeframe in which this happens has sped up a bit.

Even to the point where I simultaneously have three or four obsessions going on at the same time, which gets very confusing. XD
Anyway, the art. If you've been around me long enough you'll be used to the fact that I'm long winded... In any case, I apologize.

This newest piece of art includes a lyric which was taken from a demo that was included on the 2009 remastered re-release of "The Golden Age of Wireless", the Thomas Dolby album which also includes that infamous song... something about being blinded by science. Whatever.

I am fairly happy with the result, but I would like to try redoing this piece on a larger piece of sketchbook paper, and with maybe a little more attention to anatomy. I had the thought of making the dress look more like space, with stars and little planets and whatnot, but that idea might be best suited for the redo, if I ever get around do it.

That might be something to do in periods of art block. Finding old pieces I think I can do better and taking a crack at redoing them.

Anyway, I hate to say this, but I should probably log off and finish getting ready for work. I don't work until 11:15 but we have to leave a bit early, on account of the snow.

Love is a loaded pistol- Thomas Dolby.

I had this drawing done and half colored/inked, and it sat that way in my sketchbook for a couple months. I recently picked up some new crayola markers, some copic outlining markers, and whatnot, so I decided to finish it up and get it posted.

It was inspired by the song "Love is a Loaded Pistol" from Thomas Dolby's newest release, 'A Map of the Floating City'.

The song is about Billie Holiday, and I have a great mental image for that that I'm not entirely sure I have the ability to draw, but in addition to that, I get a wonderful art deco, 1920s sort of vibe from the song. That's what I decided to illustrate here.

If you're only here for that art, you can run off and do other things now, but if you're interested in my personal life at all, you're welcome to keep reading.

Getting new art supplies is great, and it may seem a bit irresponsible of me, to go off buying things like that when I don't have much money and when my job could potentially be at risk, but after the new year, I'm cracking down.

I've said things of that nature before, but New Years will be a nice excuse to start off fresh.

First off, I won't buy soda anymore. I tried and failed to stop that around Thanksgiving, but I think this time around it will be more successful. This time a year ago, I started keeping a food journal and tried to make better food choices. I don't food journal anymore, but I'm 40 pounds lighter than I was at this point last year.

Secondly, I'm going to get very tight where finances are concerned. The company I work for is going to be shutting down 100-120 stores nationwide. It could take as long as a couple months for the list of closing locations to be released, and then of course more time as everything in the store is put on clearance and sold. 

This would be... just shitty, to put it bluntly. I started working there in August of this year. Before that, I had considerable trouble finding a job. It would be just perfect to the store to close down and put me right back where I was before, putting out application after application with no luck. To cover my butt, I'm keeping an eye on job listings, but they're about as dismal and bleak as they were when I lucked out and landed my current cashier job.

No matter how that financial situation goes, I am going to make absolutely sure that I get to a concert on Thomas Dolby's spring tour. He can still sing really well, and I love his newest album. I'm also not sure how many more chances I'll get to see him play live.

2011 was a year of change for me, in regards to the weight loss and getting a job, but I'm going to work to make 2012 a better year than 2011.

Celebrate me home-Kenny Loggins.

This Christmas, with a couple pictures, I got back to my acid trippy, rainbow colored roots. For my last holiday piece of the year, I wanted to go a more subtle direction.
If you haven't heard this beautiful, subtle song, I suggest you listen to it right now.

I hesitate to call it a Christmas song, because it really isn't overly Christmasy. I actually listen to this song year round because I think it's so beautiful.

Anyway, it's time I quit rambling and get to the art.

I know you've seen the piano keys in wings idea, but I wanted to include a reference to music, and including staff lines and notes in this drawing wasn't working out.

Now, I'm not usually going to post art that isn't music inspired here, but since it's Christmas eve, I thought I would include the other Christmas drawings I did this year.

I wanted to draw a poinsettia, but as I said, I also wanted to get back to the time consuming, rainbow, acid trippy art I used to do a lot more of. Lately I've been moving in a direction of making something surreal, but keeping it fairly simple. I like that concept, but I also miss making things like this.

This was my other holiday piece. I was inspired by some funky wrapping paper we used this year, as far as the tree's shape, so don't give me too much credit for that aspect of it.

Well, that's probably about it for the holiday themed art. We usually open our presents the morning of Christmas eve, but dad worked at the radio station. So. This year, we're going to go out to eat for supper, and then come back and open presents. 

I hope everyone has a happy whatever you celebrate. If you're going out shopping, I beg you to please be patient with your cashier. Speaking as a cashier and having such experience, I can tell you they will appreciate it.

Speaking of shopping, if you're so inclined, you can have a gander at a list I put together of things you shouldn't do during holiday shopping season.

How to not be a complete dick during holiday shopping season.

Again, have a great whatever holiday you celebrate, and have a happy new year while you're at it. :)

Flying North-Thomas Dolby.

Since I seem to be sailing on Thomas Dolby seas in terms of what I've been listening to as of late, I present to you my latest entry. My interpretation of the Thomas Dolby song "Flying North", on his 'The Golden Age of Wireless' album.

The lyric it was inspired by is the first line of the song:

"metal bird dip wing of fire". 

I know he was talking about an airplane in the song, but I have an interesting way of interpreting things.

Plus, I've had this robotic bird idea knocking around in my head for a while. I like the juxtaposition of drawing something natural but putting a mechanical spin on it.

17 Hills.

Long time, no see! Sorry about that. Between working and having some general art block, it's been a little bit since I've posted. I'll try to keep that from happening in the future, but I can't guarantee anything.

Anyway, for my latest entry, I'd like to present to you a drawing based on the song "17 Hills", which is on Thomas Dolby's new album 'A Map of the Floating City'. It's not currently on youtube, but if you have Spotify, you can listen to it for free. Which I hightly recommend. AMotFC is a fantastic album. I've scarcely listened to anything else since I got it.

Forgive the less than stellar quality of this photograph, which I had to take with my digital camera. I tried scanning the drawing, but since it's so big, it took three scans, and I was having a lot of trouble getting the three different pieces to join together properly. I decided taking a quick photo of it would do for now. When I have more time to spend I might try scanning it again.

I heard from the official forum that Thomas is going to be touring the US in the spring of 2012, and I am going to try very, very hard to get to one of those shows. Depending on the size of the venue I get to (and you can bet your arse I'll be at one of the shows), I want to try to meet him and possibly get his autograph. Of all the drawings I've done so far that have been inspired by his work, I'm probably the most proud of this one, and I want to bring it with me in the hopes that I can get him to autograph it for me. 

This is planet earth...

I have for you all a new piece of Duran Duran art. It began as a "failed" sketch in my sketchbook. At the time it wasn't what I was going for so I left it partially finished.

Due to the fact that I still don't have a working car (or a driver's license, for that matter), there were a few instances where I had to be dropped off at work over two hours early, so I had lots of time to kill.
One of those times, I had my sketchbook with me, and while flipping through it looking for sketches to finish I ran across this one and instantly had a Duran Duran brainwave.