ACASADY Illustration & Design: October 2017

Monday, October 30, 2017

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 30: Different Body Types

Alison Moyet has the absolute deadliest pipes. Love this lady and her piercing eyes.

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 29: Aircraft

Dirigiblespotting.

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 28: More Landscapes

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 27: Trains

Woo, woo.

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 26: Narratives

Not much of a narrative, but there it is.

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 25: Curly Hair

It's important to have priorities. Why is it that nobody ever talks about George's glorious perm???

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 24: Kids

Martin Paul Kenny Dalglish Moone.

"The Church is no place for imaginary friends."

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 23: Vehicles

I couldn't give a shit about cars. But they sure do get me places; so thanks, cars!

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 22: Seniors

Sam Waterston has a face meant for artists.

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 21: Instruments

INKTOBER 2017: 31 Subjects, Day 20: More People of Color

Quick study of Derv Gordon from The Equals. MORE PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE EQUALS!!

XTSea

Well, this is the piece that broke the camel's eyes! I knew it would take me a comparatively longer time to render one of my pantheon bands, especially one with four members. But I found myself sidelined in the middle of this one with INCAPACITATING eye strain. Like, floating floor, bruised eyeballs, head in a vice. That's never happened to me before, and it is a bitch! So here we are three months later, with reading glasses, and a new resolve. (Alas, my eyeballs still hurt a bit, but I guess I'll get there eventually.)

SO...

Drums and Wires was my first real dive into XTC. I was very into a heaping handful of material from White Music and the big obvious (awesome) ones like "Dear God" and "Making Plans For Nigel" prior to that. Any self-respecting budding punk/post-punk/new wave fan should be. But Drums and Wires was my definitive entry point. Along with Depeche Mode's Construction Time Again, it became a deeply defining marker in time for me the winter I discovered it. Both albums are icy, urgent, and a bit distant. And in the case of Drums and Wires, also passionate and nervous. There's an imperfect intricacy to that record that really resonated with me. In the beginning, XTC were not one of my gold-plated treasures like The Beatles, The Clash, and DEVO. But they've been slowly, patiently ascending the ranks as the years have gone by and my old favourites have sort of settled in and made space. And in that way, they're sort of like my first grown-up band? After Drums and Wires, they drew me closer with Black Sea. Then at twenty-one I sat down with English Settlement. And it became another extremely vivid wintertime marker. (Andy's "Melt the Guns" yelps and whines were a bit confounding to my Jena. ♥) It's a complicated, daydreamy, heartrending beauty. I love it for the same reasons I love Revolver and Rubber Soul. It's a lush, innovative turning point in the band's career, but it's not too slick or indulgent. Anyway, then I was a goner.

What is it that I love about XTC? They're not traditionally cool. They're intelligent, humble, and funny. Their melodies are graceful but not too graceful. They're crisp and fresh, no matter how many times I relisten. They're heroes, dammit!!

Bonus points for their respect for women! In the seventies/eighties, no less!! ("Isn't it a shame you kicked that girl? Isn't it a shame she kicked you back, jackass." Ahhh.)

Bonus bonus points for the "No Language in Our Lungs" scene in the "The Diary" episode of Freaks and Geeks. (Can we all agree the Bill-centric episodes are the best ones?)