TOM WILLS PRODUCTIONS: No. 141: On Fire

Saturday, January 14, 2012

No. 141: On Fire

Edward Van Halen is "On Fire: by Tom Wills, February 2012.

Click on each picture to enlarge.

This image of Edward Van Halen is one of the few that I intended from the start to be a painting. My concept was for him to be on fire, a nod to “On Fire,” the last song from the first album back in 1978. That was 11^th grade for me, and that first Van Halen record baked a lot of us – thwarting our maturity for the 34 years that followed.

Ed has what guitar aficionados call "Brown Tone." It's hard to replicate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6z-nxAYhGw

So, a painting. “On Fire.”

Except, it’s not a painting. It’s a colored drawing.

But it’s not a pencil sketch. It’s pen and ink.

Granted, I penciled in the outline and shading, and then went over the lines with drawing pens and black ink.

I also used a black ball point pen, a really cheap one, for some shading.

"Do it 'til you're black and blue."

Next, I erased the shading and painted over the faint shadows that remained. The paint? A kiddie Crayola set, $3 at Walgreens.

A little White-Out was used on the right hand. Hey, I’m an amateur.

"Don't draw the line .."

It’s a drawing for a painting of a drawing.

My fear was that he’d turn out a comic book superhero, given the color scheme. Perhaps he did, anyway.

I did the flame colors first, starting with the head, and then the body.

Guitar, pants and shoes followed.

The most time-consuming part of the process was the color wash for the background: Blue, black, purple and green. All mixed together in Dixie cups.

I drew details over the whole thing when the paint had dried. The hair and face got overhauled.

So, it’s a drawing for a painting of a drawing. Talk about mixed media.

Ed Head.

Van Halen is back in 2012 for a new album and tour. The 34-year immaturity cycle is ramping up again, as it seems to do every five or six years. I’m hoping Eddie is still on fire, and that he and David Lee Roth go out loud and large. I can’t wait to be 17 again, even if the boys in the band and I are now in our 50s.