From my Advanced Illustration class. Assignment to do a portrait. Of anyone. I've been encouraged, lately, to work on noses and eyes--areas where I tend to get lazy--so I decided to do a portrait of someone who had especially interesting variations on those particular features.
Couldn't decide whether I'd prefer to focus on those facial features, or work with Yorke's animated stage performances. I decided to compromise on that account.
The background is a representation of the sounds of Yorke's music, near as I can interpret. Dark, sweeping, delicate...The black swashes is meant to signify the epic guitar sounds that characterize Radiohead's earlier work, while the colored squares are the filtering in digital and delicate piano sounds of the band's later work, as well as Yorke's solo side experimentations.
...I get very angry (
Irate, really.) when I hear people complaining of the changes in the band's sound over time. How dare one suggest that an artist not be allowed to evolve in their craft? I find that so horrifying and insulting...I put a lot of emotion into this piece, because of that theme.
"If I could be who you wanted...all the time."
The anticlimax ending of "Fake Plastic Trees"...arguably the band's greatest song. This line seems to sum up Yorke's work as a whole, those themes of alienation, uncertainty, fear, rejection, yearning...
Something for the critics to keep in mind. People grow. Art grows.
Detail One!
Detail Two!
Studies! (Or, how to build a rock star...)
(c) J. E. Seames 2007
Comments
jefflover Says:
Very deep description, reminds me a lot of the graphix from GHII, love it!
elle Says:
The artist/band is unknown to me, but this piece is AWESOME to me. AHHH. I love the mood.
Minstrel Ayreon Says:
You definitely seem to have been inspired by the art for I Might Be Wrong...interesting!
Tumult Says:
Oh man I dunno where to start. ;____; This whole image is lovely! The tans and washed out blues just work together beautifully. I love the neat, solid lines on the close up of him, and all the grundgy little details.. the background picture of him is cool too.. you pull off the most amazing poses.
benjamin breeg Says:
i love this. I'm like that. hate it when bands change. but it depends HOW they change. like one of my sisters favourite bands Sunk Loto was really good. she loved them and went to all of their gigs. But then they went from rock, to a really heavy metal state and she don't like heavy metal. you get what i mean? its disappointing when a band you really love changes for the worst. anyway, a little off topic, but the picture kicks ass
Yammo Says:
Nice gloomy picture!
I pretty much never listen to their music, surprisingly
Rikki Merie Says:
Hah it really does resemble Thom Yorke....xD I love the way you made his nose with the zigzag lines. The dark colors really make the portrait of him stand out with the colorful skintones. This is also compiled nicely with the singing yorke in the back . :} And I too am I radiohead fan
. Nice work Jo. ^^
Backwards Twin 2 Says:
Thom's never looked better!
Or More crazy
ZiggyBuggy Says:
This is stunning, JoJo. Absoloutely gripping.
Depth Charge Says:
The only Radiohead song I know is "Creep" (And I love it, dearly.)
The way you use colors to set a specific mood or tone is really incredible. I love the contrast between the portrait and the singing pose.
Awesome work! You had better get an A++ and a smiley-face sticker for this one! >:C