I can remember all of the thought that went into making this page. In fact, I had done something similar for another project at one time. That being said, I figured I could just go back to that project maybe pull some images from it and have a good head start. Wrong! Like most things, best not to shortcut! So, the next ideal step was to start from the beginning and gather reference. Reference after reference after reference after reference! As daunting as it sounds, the cool part about gathering reference is getting to learn so much. In this case, there was geography, history, a little architecture, and a whole lot of rock ‘n’ roll that I was able to fit on a single page Because of it!
Once I had the references that I needed now it became a matter of composition. Oh boy, another hard art word! Some drawings and ideas seem to come easier than others especially the more and more that I do them. With this particular drawing it was kind of an earlier stage moment for me in the “A Bedtime Bear Srory” series. And, although I knew what I wanted and could see it in my head, putting it down on paper is always a whole new story. No pun intended.
With concept done, references handled, composition squared away, it was time to get drawing! Now, the coolest part about this is the spontaneous things that happen once everything is set up. Here, I was not only able to include original concepts but I could also add, where needed, some of those fresh undiscovered ideas. In fact, even to this very day, like many pages in this book, I seem to find something else all of the time!
While many of these ideas and references to rock and roll are mentioned in the book, “Making Of a Bearband,” as I said, I still find ideas that I could have added as well as ideas that just came to my head staring at the page that already exists. So, not to give them all away (because it’s more fun to find them yourself or read about them in the ‘making of‘ book,) but here are a few of my favorite rock and roll references that I was able to put into this one drawing.
Among them, the pentagram flight pattern that the plane looks to have crisscrossed ( very metal!), the “UFO” in space and an homage to The twin towers behind the Statue of Liberty.
Oh yeah, just noticed today, it would have been cool to add a “Hurricane“ in the ocean!