Writer, Musician, Consumer of Nerd Culture.
Never done much coloring on my illustrations, 'cause, well, I'm color blind and never feel like I know what I'm looking at when I'm done. "Why is that person's face green?" I'd regularly be asked in Graphic Design classes.
"Because it's not. Not to me at least," would be my reply as I ran off crying.
But I figured I'd take a stab at playing with Illustrator's coloring capabilities on a couple of my recent superhero doodles.
Drawing from photos and turning the people into superheroes--I guess that's the name of my current art project (I'll come up with something better later). And here's attempt #2 in the series.
One of my last days as a senior, bumming around the library, avoiding studying or essay writing or whatever it is you're expected to do those last few moments of being a kid, I found a 1970's Menomonee Falls High School yearbook. Inside, I discovered a photo of what must've been a killer funk combo performing in the cafeteria.
Something about this hit my sentimentality button just right--seeing a long-lost band documented in this decades old artifact, playing in a space where, over the past three years, many of my own bands had played, photos of which were also captured for yearbooks--yearbooks that maybe some future-kid, decked out in his holo-vid sunglasses and space-age tie-dye t-shirt would find and likewise appreciate--I began to feel a sort of nostalgia for something that hadn't actually even ended yet.
So I took that old yearbook and photocopied the picture. I planned to do something with it one day (maybe a poster, maybe a sketch, maybe a screen print). So I shoved it in a book so it wouldn't be torn or folded. And I forgot about it.
Yesterday, while rummaging through my bookshelf, that photocopy slipped out from between the pages of the drawing book I had placed it in when I was 18 for safe keeping.
So here it is--15 years since I graduated and around 40 years since the photo was taken--my version of a band with a lot of brass (in more ways than one) depicted as members of the Justice League ('cause why not?).
(Left to Right) on brass -- Green Lantern John Stewart; Animal Man; Vibe; Black Lightning; Bronze Tiger; on guitar and vocals -- Steel
Kinda wishing I made a note of what the band was called or the name of the members or what year the photo was taken...
Hopefully there's more to come. I have an awful lot of Kodak photo folders in my basement just waiting for the superhero treatment!
