Illustraton Throwback Thursday #8

Clicky to Embiggen…

I did the illustration above in 1997 for a syndicated radio show called “Backtrax USA”, which played retro music from the 1980’s. I don’t like doing logos but in this case the logo was provided and my task was to add caricatures of some iconic 80’s rock stars and the shows host Kid Kelly. This was one of my earliest digital color illustrations, I think. I shortly thereafter abandoned the “airbrush” tool in PhotoShop and started using regular brushes with pressure-sensitive opacity settings to get a more watercolor-like look.

The original agreement was for use on promotional items like mousepads and T-shirts, but just a few months later the original client contacted me to purchase full copyrights to the image. I was happy to do that, and I have seen the illustration on a CD jewel case cover for “The Best of Backtrax USA” album and on the web including Backtrax USA’s official facebook page.