Thursday, April 15, 2010

Artist Wanted

Some time back I put out feelers for an artist and had a few responses. This was over a two years ago and when the concept was explained every single artist backed away. Now I wasn't wanting to reveal what this drawing, actually two drawings, were for. One drawing was of a close up of a back patch I came up with and the other was of a lone biker pictured from behind with his arms down beside him standing with his legs apart so you could see between them. In his hands, a pistol in one and a chain in the other. Through his legs is a man laying crumpled on the ground. Just to the right is a hint of motorcycle.
The artists were with me on the biker picture no problem, it was the back patch that made them draw back in fear and run for the hills. Still to this day I can't get anyone to do the patch. And lordy the looks I get from people even talking about it. Some of them give me the look like I'm crazy and turn away in disgust.

Probably it's not so much as the patch drawing but more what it's statement is and stands for that makes them turn white and wonder what I wanted it for. Thing is, I wanted to keep the reason then secret so when it was revealed it would have a big draw whether good or bad for publicity. These drawings were both for the novel I was working on about the history of a club in the late sixties and early seventies. The story is sort of like an interview of members. I didn't want to let the cat outta the bag because I wanted it to be like , in a way, done the way of the Spinal tap movie.
Why? Because in nineteen eighty something or other Spinal Tap was on the tube from a video I'd rented when my brother came home from work. We shared an apartment together and he walks in while I'm watching then is captivated, stands there a few minutes then sits down after grabbing a beer and a chicken leg. After about ten minutes he asks who the band is and I tell him Spinal Tap. He is drawn in hook line and sinker. At the end I have to fess up to him it is a fictitious band but some of the stuff is related to an actual band (Anvil I think it was). He was just blown away because it was done so well he really thought it was a real band. That is why I was not telling why I needed the Patch drawing, I hoped for the same impact from unsuspecting readers. I had plans to make a mock website complete with posing Patch wearing bikers from behind to conceal their identities and with little quotes from some of them about the club life.
The drawings were to be on the cover but also as inspiration for me while I write. Needless to say, I lost a lot of it when my computer crashed but luckily I did find where I had printed out a deal of it and found many of my notes. So I guess you could say this will be my second draft which -- sometimes works out to be better.

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