That being said, I don't think I've ever been able to draw an "authentic band photo."
I'm gonna use Put'emup, Put'emup from Generation Why Bother here as an example, because later on in this journal I'm gonna be yakkin' some more about that dumb story. (And I apologize but it also kinda ended up being a thing about development and crap. O_o)
For starters, let me just say that GWB has been a thing in my head since around 2011. That's when I started doodling concept art and fleshing out the basics, before anything was set in stone. Also, back then, the band had an exclamation point at the end of their name. I'm trash, and I'm sorry. This was the first time I drew the band altogether, even if they're just floating heads, and it's so off-model I want to cry every time I look at it.
[Tina Belcher groaning noise]
(Have I mentioned that I'm currently watching Bob's Burgers at a terrifyingly rapid rate? ...Well, I am.)
The next one isn’t really a “band photo” attempt but it was right after I finished writing the actual story. I was still fooling around with a few things in their designs, but most of it was set in stone. (Mick has two lip studs and yet I always forget to draw them. Always.)
And then there’s this thing. Andy (the moron with the pompadour) looks completely soulless/brain dead, and Chance doesn’t look much better. The only part I think I like about this is Anthony (the one on the right). This looked way more band-y in my head. I’ll probably redo it someday. XD
This one isn’t really a “band photo” either. It’s more of a reference sheet that I never thought would become outdated when I made it last November…aaaaand yet it’s pretty outdated. The colors are just dull and too light but all the height info is still true.
I think this one’s kinda cool, especially since it came out the way I imagined it in my head, and since I don’t do traditional art as much anymore (which is weird since I used to do it a lot more). But it still doesn’t look like the kinda thing you’d see on a promotional flyer, but I can live with that. (Everything about that story is exaggerated anyway so I just tell myself that I was aiming for cartoonishness. That’s…that’s what I tell myself at night.)
Believe it or not, this one was inspired by a Scooby Doo placemat I saw in a grocery store one time. Er, the colors/lineart style at least. I dunno how I feel about it even though it’s a few months old.
Aaaaand this is the most recent one that I literally just finished less than two hours ago. It wasn’t what I was aiming for at all and the perspective is skewed, but in some lights it might pass. Whenever I draw PEU, PEU I keep in mind all the pop-punk bands that inspired their creation, but they’re hardly the grim and serious dudes that glare into a camera and constantly take themselves seriously. That’s why I kinda like this one. XD
(Fun fact: when I write Put’emup, Put’emup songs or hear them in my head, I always picture ‘em sounding somewhere between A Day to Remember minus the breakdowns, The Wonder Years, The Hives, and The Reverend Horton Heat. (Also, I’m aware that the last two bands don’t seem to make sense when compared with the other two.))
-------
So, what the heck is “Earth to Me” and why did I say I’d be yakkin’ about something related to Generation Why Bother later on in this journal?
Well, alrighty – I already mentioned it on the GWB Tumblr but I figured I might as well put it here too: a sequel is in the works, and as of right now it’s called Earth to Me. :D
I am absolutely terrible at letting sleeping dogs lie, but I think I always sort of intended to continue the story, even when I was outlining the first one. There was too much left hanging in the air that I wanted to write so badly, and I know that’s probably a horrible thing. I’m always thinkin’ about ways to carry things on again.
About halfway through writing the first chapter, I realized that I haven’t written a sequel since I originally wrote the whole Renny Boy series, and that was five years ago, so…I’m really rusty at this kind of stuff. I’m scared it’s not gonna live up to the first one, and I put off writing it for a long time just because it was so scattebrained that I wanted to organize it a little bit more. I don’t even have all the kinks worked out yet, though I know everything that’s going to happen. I’m hoping to just edit the crap out of it when I’m done and make it all fairly strong instead of it having decent chapters and horribly weak ones.
I won’t be posting it until it’s done being written and edited, so it’ll be a while. I’m about 27,000 words in right now and I’ve barely scratched the surface, but I just wanted to tell any Mibbian who wanted to know. :D
I'll post a "sneak peek" at some point, along with drawings of a few new characters! :o
Have a great night! :)