Life/Debacle Australia tour

Digital - 420x297mm - 2017

I think June 2017, the guys from Hardcore Victim asked me to draw LiFe’s Australia tour poster artwork, for their 2018 visit. This would be my third flyer for Japanese punk band LiFe, and I was stoked to be able to do artwork for them again, and also concerned that maybe I was becoming pigeon holed as only being capable of drawing artwork for LiFe haha.

I came up with the concept and did some quick photoshopping of what I wanted to do during a lunch break at work. I ripped off the composition from a Mad Max 2 poster, and ripped off the halberd dude form the B-Side of Amebix – Winter. Then I put my own little flair into the artwork. LiFe was touring with Debacle, and Debacle have artwork with the V8 Interceptor so the influence of the Mad Max theme seemed fitting.

Although the idea was solidified in June, I didn’t get around to drawing the artwork until October due to working, moving house and then travelling. As soon as I returned to Australia, I started drawing the artwork. My second time jumping straight into drawing artwork involving LiFe after returning from a long ass party adventure overseas.

I rushed through the drawing trying to get it done as quickly as possible. I think it was the first time I did a symmetrical photoshop drawing for band artwork, which basically means I drew one half, then duplicated and flipped the artwork (as if that wasn’t obvious). I’ve previously done symmetrical drawings on paper and doing the second half is incredibly boring\time consuming.

I also traced the basic outline of the truck from the Mad Max 2 poster, so please don’t go thinking I am in any way capable of drawing vehicles that well. Looking back, I would have liked to see what the truck would have turned out like had I not traced the structure. I sometimes trace for artwork but generally don’t like to. Not because I think it’s cheating or anything like that. But because I discover a drawing by through drawing it, if that makes sense. It’s way more fun to try and draw and see where it goes, what surprises\happy accidents happen, than to trace over something.

I don’t have any amusing stories about seeing LiFe in Australia. It was really nice seeing my friends from another country, and seeing them play is always a joy.
Nori and Abe did ask me to draw artwork for the 2018 Kawakami Forever show which was all kinds of special.

Oh! I did miss spell ‘infinite’! I left out the second ‘i’ And no one noticed except for LiFe’s drummer Kenta! That was all kinds of embarrassing for me.
Thank you Kenta! I love you!

Also Buddy is driving the truck.