Art should have a soundtrack

Music has always been what guides my pen.

I have been drawing since someone first handed me a crayon. When I was about 10 I became obsessed with bands like Nickleback (don’t judge - I still love some of their older grunge-inspired stuff) and Green Day. My mom was really into rock music. Our formal dining room in the house was where she had her drum set, and her large stereo system with 4ft tall speakers that made our double-paned windows rattle in their frame. Mom didn’t like me listening to pop or whatever was on the radio, so she made me and my brother lots of mixed CDs with acts like AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, Aerosmith, Boston, Bon Jovi and the Eagles.

I would listen to the same CD over and over again, and get fixated on a song and then listen to that same track for the entirety that I worked on a drawing. I had those shitty knock-off Walkman headphones that came with whatever Wal-Mart portable CD player I had at the time, and I’d fall into a trance while drawing and coloring and would hit the back button whenever the disc tried to go on to the next song.

As a child, my explanation for this was I wanted to stay in the mood that that song put me in. The thought is that the tone of the art would shift too much if I changed songs or music genres. This lead to me listening to entire albums start to finish, and building an intimate relationship with the music I liked.

Albums like The Black Parade, Sing the Sorrow, The Long Road and All the Right Reasons were memorized.

I still hold the belief that whatever drawing or painting you are working on should have a companion song, or album, that compliments it visually or energetically - slow and sad songs go with dark colors and smooth lines, and powerful rock anthems go with high-contrast and striking compositions.

Often times when I am in a creative rut, I will let myself go into a musical trance, visualizing cinematics and scenes and trying to bring some of it to life on paper or canvas.

In fact, Martyr the Bride falls into this practice. The storyboarding happens while i stay on the same song or album, and I’ll notate what it is somewhere on the page in small print.

So, if you want to draw or paint, even if you are a beginner or have no experience, don’t think! Just listen to something that resonates with you and let those vibes guide your pen or brush!