From The Vault - Ryan Burke 2007 (?)

It had been about a year since I drew anything related to OilCan Drive when I sat down and did this piece of Ryan Burke, the lead singer of the cartoon band.

I don't remember now what kept me away from the band for so long but I suspect it must have had something to do with me being busy. I also think that I had sent the previous OilCan Drive work out into the world and the feedback was less than flattering. So, I put it away for a while.

But, as we've found out, the little band in my head will not die an easy death and they all came back to the forefront of my brain about a year later.

I think I originally intended this to be some sort of t-shirt design or something. Here's a secret I learned about myself a long time ago. I NEVER draw just to draw and have fun. Somewhere in my head my artistic side needs a reason to do something. So, from time to time I can fool it into creating by telling it I need an image for a t-shirt or a flyer or a CD cover. Once the brain think it's for a project it goes to work. Even if I never use the piece for which it was first intended it has helped me yield some great pieces over the years.

The only odd thing about this piece, looking at it now, is how darn small I made Ryan's head! It's teeny! Maybe this was Ryan's "fat Elvis" period or something.

But, again, that's how we get better. Do it, look back at it later, and learn from our mistakes.

Always learning, always learning...