Under The Skin
“
[My skull ring] is to remind me that we’re all the same under the skin, the skull—it has nothing to do with bravado and surface bullshit. To me, the main thing about living on this planet is to know who the hell you are and to be real about it. That’s the reason I’m still alive.
— Keith Richards: Rolling Stone 1988
I was inspired to create this artwork partly because of Keith’s skull ring and other skull pieces he has. That combined with his persona and how many times the man has cheated death, I swear their drinking buddies, I had this idea of mixing a portrait of him with a skull. As I began some research for this artwork I stumbled across the quote above. After reading Keith’s statement to Rolling Stone about his famous skull ring I thought, man that’s beautiful. That’s when this concept took on new meaning for me and really started to come together in my mind.
Client: Self
Media: Digital Painting
Apps & Hardware: Photoshop, Wacom Cintiq
The background color is inspired by Keith’s iconic Butterscotch Fender Telecaster. I wanted something that felt like it was a part of his persona, that would really grab your attention from across the room. I knew I wanted to paint Keith in muted grey tones I thought those would play nicely with the idea of the guitar as color inspiration. The skeleton hands gripping the lighter and his famous Telecaster are designed to push the concept of we’re all the same under the skin further. They also add a nice balance to the piece. The jagged appearance of the tear revealing the skull is inspired by one of Keith’s guitar straps with a lightning bolt on it.
To get his likeness correct I needed to paint his whole face the way it is before breaking it for my piece Under The Skin. Both artworks are painted by hand in Photoshop using a Wacom Cintiq. While painting this though a few of my artist friends and I thought this version had a presence and weight of its own. So I decided to release this portrait of Keith as a companion piece to Under the Skin. The skeleton hands still convey the concept in a way that’s perfect for those with more subtle tastes. I also like how this piece humanizes Keith himself whereas in Under the Skin, He evolves more into a larger idea.
I painted this first then pushed the concept further for the main art work.
I created this artwork to remind us all, that we are all the same “Under The Skin”. Wise words from a rock legend, that we should all take to heart. Thanks, Keith for these words of insight, keep rockin’!
I would also like to express a special thanks to my friend and colleague Dave Groff. We talked about this piece a bit throughout the process and he helped me come up with ways to push the concept further. Thanks, DG for your friendship, thoughts, and insights!
