Adore him or not, Ronnie Radke is THE quintessential rock star through and through and better yet, he makes no excuses about his ills, rests not on his hardships, falls not to his struggles, but is a continuous force of lyrical and melodic energy that never repeats the conventional norms of the categorical musical genre.
Late in 2014, while in the midst of completing my fourth piece for the Black Veil Brides, I thought I might give it a shot and contact Ronnie Radke - the notorious "King of the Music Scene" and front man for Falling In Reverse, proposing the idea of doing a portrait for his home. I was absolutely thrilled to receive his acceptance shortly thereafter. However, it wasn't until early 2015 that I could truly wrap my imagination around what to do for Ron. While I thought it would be perfectly fine to do a piece in the same vein as the BVB work, I was leaning toward something a little more original that would reflect who this truly extraordinary artist is. For those reading this article that know all about Ronnie Radke, his life as well as career, anything I might say here comes as no surprise. In fact I wish not to use this space to recount it as Ronnie himself is an open book. And yet, to put things simply, Ronnie has been through more triumphs and tragedies in his young lifetime than many people put together. Where any one of his past struggles might defeat another, Ron has overcome (or continues to do so) with unmatchable ability, strength, will, determination, loyalty, brutal honesty and best of all a scathing and infectious sense of humor.
While we and countless others are tenacious admirers of Ronnie Radke and his many talents, he is not without his detractors as well. Although the majority may just be teen kids behind keyboards looking to push Radke's buttons for a moment of his attention, often such behavior from his critics peaks his emotions. For, as Ronnie speaks plainly through his music, his tough exterior is wrapped around a broken heart and rightfully so.
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| My collaborator and inspiration Gayle with the final piece |
So when contemplating this piece for Ronnie, I wanted to reflect everything he is in one way or another. While I knew I could not say it all, I opted to appeal to Radke's personal life as well as his persona more so than do a static serious minded portrait with on stage poses. Pouring over countless photos and articles, I became really fond of photoshoots for Alternative Press where Ronnie was depicted as the President of the United States. I loved the tongue in cheek humor of the imagery and felt, that if I were to do something that Ron would truly appreciate, it would come by way of this style. The iconic propaganda poster of Uncle Sam immediately came to mind. What better way to depict Ronnie Radke than this stalwart image of strength and yet how amusing to make it a mock promotional poster for Falling In Reverse as well?
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| The final canvas piece lays out to dry. |
My original sketch began on paper where I worked to depict Ronnie with much the same expression as the brooding Uncle Sam. Naturally, the first attempt looked nothing at all like the final piece shown above. After much difficulty with his pointing right hand, I was satisfied enough to scan the sketch in and begin hand drawing and rendering the artwork using a Wacom pen and tablet through Photoshop. Countless resource photos were researched to create Ronnie's likeness and after a couple months I finally settled upon the final details of his face, turning then to the difficulty of recreating his hand and tattoo work.
All the while I contemplated how to add special touches that would make the piece truly personal. Rips and tears in the hat were added to subtly depict Ronnie's hardships and struggles, resulting in a "battered but not beaten" message. Initially, I thought it might be interesting to have Ron breaking through the background, with the opposite side of the "poster" revealing several lines of his lyrics from FIR's albums. Later, I then added the logo as the catalyst for this effect. Feeling there needed to be more homages, I created Ron's left hand holding a contract, upon which the "Falling In Reverse" pledge of allegiance is inscribed. I intentionally signed the left side of the art, providing space near the bottom of the contract, should Ron himself sign it. Three political buttons on Ron's lapels depict the latest FIR album Just Like You, Ronnie's HOODS UP clothing line and finally a dedication to Ron's daughter Willow.
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| Myself and daughter Juliet - Ronnie's biggest little fan! |
After completing the image in late March, I reached out to Ronnie again to gain his approval on the work. His response was enthusiastic and graciously offered a guest list opportunity on his Three Ring Circus tour to present the canvas piece directly to him. More updates will follow!
I would first like to thank Ronnie Radke and Falling In Reverse, not only for two amazing shows on the 2014 Black Mass tour, the aforementioned opportunity and the honor to do this piece for his home. A huge thank you goes out to Gayle, my wife and collaborator, who introduced Ronnie's music to our own home. To my kids Tristin and Juliet - Ronnie's biggest little fan, who have Falling In Reverse on constant replay on their stereo. Finally a big thank you to the fans of FIR and my followers who's kind words and praise is a constant source of inspiration!
So what will my next Ronnie Radke piece be? To take a cue from the man himself, it won't be anything like the one that came before it!
