THE BLACK VEIL BRIDES: HOW MUSIC INSPIRED ART

  If I was told a year ago that in 2014, I would have created personalized artwork for The Black Veil Brides and members of their families, I would have said that was absolutely crazy!  Well, 2014 has come and gone and "The Black Veil Brides Collection" is complete and delivered! On December 4th, (my wife Gayle and my wedding Anniversary) my family had the opportunity to meet and present the work to the guys at the House of Blues in Walt Disney World - coincidentally where we were married! Talk about an amazing cap to an incredible year! 

  Enter 2015 and I am currently collaborating with Gayle and management to conceive a collective piece(s) intended for the fans themselves - the ever expanding and tenaciously loyal BVB Army.

Andy with our daughter Juliet! 

Andy had some really great words for the work!

  The first of the collection, that of notoriously mischievous bassist Ashley Purdy, was actually created as a gift to my wife Gayle, with no real plans to take things further.  With her inspiration and our mutual admiration for the band, I decided to continue doing a series of each of the band's members, all with a similar motif to encompass their collective accomplishments but with differing color combinations and distinct attributes that celebrated their individuality.

Andy Biersack's piece was created exclusively for the Biersack's home. At right - Chris Biersack - Papa B - with canvas.

  So how did all of this occur? To begin, this article is not intended as a showcase for my accomplishments but rather to celebrate it's inspiration - the Black Veil Brides themselves first and foremost, their wonderful families and yes, the extended family that is a very devoted and ever-growing fan base. It also serves as a massive thank you to my wife Gayle, for whom our collaboration into this endeavor would have never taken flight. I am so proud that every bit of her love and devotion to the Black Veil Brides breathes through each of these paintings and every one to come. Finally, I hope this may inspire the incredible artists out there illustrating or painting portrait work of BVB (or any subject for that matter), to continue doing what they love to do.

To be honest, only a short while ago I had lost any true passion I had for fine art altogether, mostly abandoning it outside of employment, necessity or profit. As anyone might know, when your talent becomes your work, down time is rarely spent doing what you do for a living. My pursuits instead, centered mainly on writing, to which I poured countless hours of my creative time into. The goal of mine to author one of many stories I formulated and/or collaborated upon became an obsession.  Artwork merely became an attachment to, or the device by which I made a living, with very little sense of progression or achievement as an artist. Meanwhile, I would still do personal portraits, especially for Gayle, of those that truly inspired her. One such portrait was that of Damien Echols of the West Memphis Three. His horrific experience on death row, superseded by sheer will, spirit and love became the cornerstone of her revitalized love for life. Researching songs written for or attributed to the WM3, Gayle discovered Knives and Pens - (which also features a clip from the trial at it's onset).

Completed 24 x 36 portrait of Ashley Purdy

Ash posing with his portrait.

Gayle with Andy Biersack

Having been a long time music aficionado of many genres formulating several personal friendships with bands classic and new, she has constantly been on the forefront of music, never settling into one particular group or era.  And so the Black Veil Brides entered into our lives through her passion for incredible music and an element long lost from an era of rock we grew up with... showmanship and theatrics. Here was the answer (for us) as well as so many others! A contemporary "metal" band playing as hard and heavier than other bands in their genre or earlier, combined with that lost element from the 80's arena rock or glam metal that we both adored.  Not only were these guys hugely talented (and yes, good looking) but they had the balls and ingenuity to create a memorable image. It was clear from day one that BVB was more than just another band in the mix.  While not without their critics (due to selfish and immature cause), the group as well as it's members remained steadfast to their unique creative vision.  Instead of just releasing an album, their third - Wretched and Divine (The Story of the Wild Ones) is a concept album - the music tied together under one storyline accompanied by an elaborate and powerful film - Legion of the Black.  Very few artists have taken on the challenge of creating such a project and even fewer have been successful. Yet Wretched and Devine accompanied by Legion of the Black proves nothing short of revelatory and stands as a truly mature and masterful musical and theatrical composition.

2014 saw the release of the band's fourth album (self titled Black Veil Brides IV) with legendary producer Bob Rock at the helm. The album represents the band's current collective vision, breaking from the storyline aspect of W&D with a darker overall tone and several homages to previous bands in Rock's stable. IV truly showcases the technical talents of BVB's members, focusing more on straightforward power rock and metal. Christian Coma takes percussion to "another level", literally, where Jake Pitts' and Jinxx's guitar tone, harmonizing and duel leads are blistering. Pitt's solo work has reached a new pinnacle. With an overall fatter sound, here Ashley Purdy's baselines are in your face and Andy Biersack's writing and vocals are darker and more aggressive focusing more on personal challenges he faced over the course of the last album.

While all of this may be obvious to the BVB fan reading this article, for those who are not, these guys truly care for their craft and even more so, their fans. In the End (no pun intended) they recognize the inherent relationship where success comes not just from their talent but from the people that truly appreciate it. While those unaware might assume the Black Veil Brides' message is typical of a particular genre, theirs' is that of acceptance, self awareness, empowerment and the challenging of social stereotypes and stigmas. In fact, many fans attribute life changes for the positive to the Black Veil Brides. And, contrary to misconception, their music touches lives both younger and older - at 43 I am living proof!

In progress facial detail work on Jinxx. Reference photo at left. 

Completed 24 x 36 portrait of Jinxx

Jinxx admiring his portrait

I cannot begin to express the gratitude and pride I have in doing these both for the guys themselves as well as their families.  This of course would not have been possible if they were not so accessible to their fan base.  In Jake Pitts' (lead guitarist) case, I asked if he would accept one for his home and he accepted prior to me creating it. I knew I had to do something special, besides the art itself and chose to digitally print the art on actual canvas. When complete, his father Mark was so impressed by a photo of it that he asked that he could receive one for his home in Hawaii as well! 

Completed 24 x 36 portrait of Jake Pitts

Jake with his portrait.

Mark Pitts with his canvas portrait of his son, Jake.

  Having made prior contact with Chris Biersack, father to lead singer Andy and patriarch to the legion of us fans, I asked him if he too would accept one of Andy.  He and Amy graciously accepted promising to frame the piece and display it in their home! Truly an honor I have never received prior! Shortly after receiving the finished canvas, not only did Gayle and I have the pleasure of speaking with Chris personally, Gayle met up with the Biersack family and photos with Andy the night prior to attending the Alternative Press Music Awards in Cleveland! I'm so grateful to Chris, Amy and Andy for spending time with us and formulating an acquaintance that we will truly cherish for years to come!

Completed 24 x 36 portrait of Christian Coma

CC hamming it up with his canvas portrait!

Progress on CC main portrait. Art at left painted side by side of photo

 As for artists out there doing portrait work of the Black Veil Brides or any subject for that matter, just keep doing what you love! With each piece you create you'll get better at your craft. You will demand more of yourself with every creation.  The same occurs at any level, including myself. With each of these pieces, the amount of detail and attention to accuracy has increased twofold, forcing me to go back to update or correct. I am constantly learning and evolving as an artist and will never consider myself above anyone no matter what level of ability they have in any skill!  As previously noted these pieces are hand illustrated and painted using a Wacom pen tablet through Photoshop. While I utilized reference photos for each of these, the rough sketch is done side by side using what I call, the graph technique.

This simply means that I achieve accuracy by way of graphing out specific features though use of a grid. No, I do not trace, if you are wondering, although novice and intermediate artists should find no shame in doing so! Once the basic features are illustrated, I utilize the reference photo side by side to my work at a 1:1 scale, literally hand painting every feature. I do employ special brushes in Photoshop to paint the realistic skin textures and render every strand of hair individually.  For more information and tutorials on my art, feel free to return for subsequent posts regarding how I do what I do! 

Thank you again to ALL for the wonderful words and encouragement.  A special thank you again to Chris Biersack, (who puts up with my lengthy DM's on Twitter), Amy Biersack and Mark Pitts! I truly enjoy our conversations and you've all been nothing short of outstanding to us in all regards.  I certainly hope our friendship continues! A huge thank you (hopefully not the last) to Andy, Ashley, Jinxx, CC and Jake not only for your music but your kind words regarding my work. Finally I want to thank my wife Gayle once more. If not for you, I would probably still be listening to music from the 80's! You truly are the inspiration for this and everything I do and hope I've made you proud!