David Weir ey, what a ledge!
I did this illustration of 'The Weir-Wolf' recently for an article in Amelia's Magazine on the Paralympics, and you can read the full article here.
When I first sat down to think about how I'd draw out this bloody amazing athlete, I knew I wanted to give it a really edgy feel with loads of movement and passion. I began sketching him out in a racing pose (cheesy medal shots don't seem quite fitting somehow) and liked this pose; basically shows him at his peak, doing what he does best. But I wanted a bit more, and the nickname 'The Weir-Wolf' was just so brilliant I wanted to built it in somehow. I literally can't think of a better nickname for an athlete like David Weir, a seemingly normal man most of the time who transforms into this powerhouse of energy and focus as soon as he's on the track (obviously he doesn't go around howling at the full moon, or maybe he does, who knows...). ANYWAY, I'm babbling.
I knew I didn't simply want a wolf sat over the top of the figure, I wanted them interlinked, as one. So after a few experiments the result above began to emerge, and I loved the way you can see just part of the wolfs face and that one fearsome eye. I admit, the red splash in the wolfs eye was more of an accidental find but I loved the slightly blood-thirsty feel it added to the overall image, and I think it really offsets the red in David's team strip. COOL.
I was dead chuffed with the final piece, and was happy to see it up on Amelia's Magazine. And then, naturally, I posted it on my Facebook page and my Twitter. I 'tweeted' it to David himself (I'm not terribly good at this whole Twit malarkey so I hope that's the right terminology) and also to Amelia's Mag, and then I promptly forgot about it. By the evening I suddenly realised I had some great reactions to the illustration from people on Twitter, which was very unexpected and bloody awesome.
Very often you're pushing so hard but you feel no one is looking at your stuff and that they don't give a hoot, this art/illustration nonsense can be really very demoralizing and lonely at times. So getting people saying, 'Hey, actually, I think that's good and I am going to take the time to tell you so' is just such a great feeling. So thanks to you guys, it's a fab boost!
One reaction I got from a chap on Twitter said 'That is a fantastic piece of art work! Beautiful, dynamic & aggressive all in one.' I could kiss this chap, as that is pretty much exactly want I want to create - work that is visually interesting and attractive, yet full of energy and power and ferociousness.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
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