Bim Bam Boom: WIP

I was asked to draw the cover art for an upcoming ska comp featuring cover versions of songs by the band Bim Skala Bim. If all goes well Sarah will be doing the colors. According to Dan Vitale, Bim's lead singer, it's been 21 years since we did any art for one of their projects. 

This will probably be our last hurrah for this kind of thing so even though my schedule (and my drawing hand) is a mess I agreed to do it. 

It's going slow, like everything these days. I'm resting and icing my hand more often and having trouble holding things. I'll be doctor-bound after I finihs this and start on some comics pages that are running late. And a freebie for WFMU. Bad time to have said yes to a lot of stuff, especially with commissions still sitting (six left, three WIP, one of those being redrawn after an almost-finished ink job crashed and burned). The layout above will be changed in the final form, the label guy was worried it read "Bam Bim Boom" rather than "Bim Bam Boom" and while I myself see it that way, enough people have read it the wrong way and so the text will be laid in diagonally from top left to bottom right. It's fine by me, I just need to get stuff done right now. I'm drawing everything separately and it will be assembled as opposed to everything being drawn as meant to appear. Unfortunately the bristol board I bought is a bastard for penciling, erasing anything leaves bruises, I wanted to work as cleanly as possible to ease the digital cleanup and the paper is shit for the col-erase red and bliue pencil, not to mention even the lightest pencil marks. I have to do an art supply order asap. 

Using a lot of tracing paper on this one, always a sure sign of drawing anxiety and tightening up too much. Can't help it. The inks are he slowest part. I'm screwing up a lot and covering stuff in correction ink and reworking. Little bit of shaky hand syndrome here and there. and just need to pull back on details and textures that crab my hand up faster. It's hard to break old habits, and I am stubborn on some things. I like details and textures. It's been pretty frustrating. I can't draw with my wristbrace on, unfortunately. I can type with it on, although I've had to correct at least a dozen typos. Lead fingers. When I work on the drawing, if I drop a pencil or anything I say, "Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up" in a dead, "ironic" monotone. Then I pick it up. Slowwwwly.  

It'll get done. Everything will get done eventually. Hopefully it will come out all right in the end. I just want it to look nice if it's going to be the last time I do this sort of thing. I have to try not to put extra pressue on myself, but I've been very down on my drawing lately and depressed about my arm.  people have it worse, I am well aware. 

21 years! Everyone sing along, "Rudy's out of physical therapy..."