newjackcole
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Starbound Overpass
🕑 Added 2023-07-19 00:13:28 +0000 UTCCompanion piece with "Starbound Freeway"
I despise freeways and the alienating impact of automobile culture. I hate the way it makes navigating across cities on foot difficult to impossible, and the way it influences architecture to be spread out and wasteful of land. However I am surrounded by them, they are a major feature of my life and environment, and so my intent with these two pictures (and broadly with the series of images centered around Portland which I'm steadily finishing the colors on) was to try and think of a different perspective I could imagine freeways taking, that wasn't something bloodsoaked like my kneejerk reaction might be.
I inked this picture a couple years ago, and at the time I was looking a lot of pictures of mid-century architecture, and was also inspired by and trying to incorporating odd bits of nostalgic aesthetics, like sparkling quality holographic pokemon cards have. However I've since moved on from that phase so I no longer knew quite how I was going to color this piece. Using rainbows and stars is pretty easy on a blue background, the light emitting elements naturally skew warm and standout and are satisfying to look at. This picture, on top of tungsten lighting scheme made that difficult. I have been working this picture for a couple days now and I do not think I like it, and I'm just posting it and moving on. I was really hoping it would turn out to be at the quality of of some of my best pieces, but I just don't feel it, and I can't tell if it's because I've been looking at it for too long, or because it basically came out as kitsch.
The inking was influenced a great deal by Daisuke Igarashi, particularly in the starpattern.
I'm happy with how the inks turned out, but I think the inks were so heavy that it made coloring difficult because of how much the two competed with one another.
I'm still happy with the occult symbols and graffiti and stickers on the freeway signs though. I wanted things to be as if a freeway got accidentally dropped down a layer into the psychic substrata and all sorts of uncanny things just burst out of it. So to that end I'm still happy with it.
I like to do a big public post every month, and originally this was going to be it for next month, and I was hoping to make it into a print and finally launch a printshop, but I just don't know if I like it or not, so all that's on hold again and here it is now and I'll figure out something for later!
Comments
Oh wow!!!
Thank you!
I think in times of doubt it is good to show a piece to others to see what they think of it, and I can say that while I understand the difficulties you've had with it, I think you have still done a remarkable job of making one of the more brutal and bleak features of modern cities seem magical and inviting. I don't think it's kitsch. I think it is very unique and interesting, and in no shortage of the whimsy and character that all your other illustrations radiate.
