Non-Mom Day: Art Project Update: L's BOC Jacket

Hello, my friends! No Mom-Day today, as the whiplash changes in temperatures in this late winter/pre-spring season are wreaking havoc on Mom's poor muscles. 

We had a lovely chat to catch up and then I spent the day puttering around, and finally got to working on L's Blue Oyster Cult jacket. It is with not a little guilt that I note it's been over a year since I last did the sleeves on it, back here in January 2024. If you want to seem my progress from the beginning (I've actually gotten most of the back and sleeves done!), just keep clicking on the "last here" links. 

Well, L has given me a deadline - it's been taking too damned long (I started it in September 2022!) and he wants to wear it for his birthday in June. That seems like a long way, but in order to get anything done on it, I need to commit to at least 2-hour interludes of working on it. I don't have a lot of time in my week, so I have to take the windows of opportunity when I have them.

So, let's go! I decided to work in the living room, while the afternoon sun was pouring in - I need natural light to work on it, as the felt-tip pens are hard to see in dimmer light. I stretched it out on the coffee table, dumped all my pens out, reviewed my planning pages from 2.5 years ago (oh yeah!) and decided to do the two upper chest sections. 

I used a rubber coaster to make circles in the same spot on each side. 

Based on my notes, which were in turn based on chunks of lyrics from L's favourite Blue Oyster Cult songs, I picked lyrics I thought would look cool with a graphic. 

As I've worked on this, I have learned to pare those lyrics down! The top patch will have a BOC symbol and the words "I'm the joker of the universe" from song "The Great Sun Jester." The bottom patch...I ended up not being inspired by that circle, and copied the "BOC" letters from the cover of the Fire of Unknown Origin CD.

I find it very funny that under the B is "LUE", under the O is "YSTER" and the C has "ULT." Just a very odd and silly decision that I love. The little swirly in the O is actually a tiny moon. Must use this! 

Starting with the symbol patch, I used a water-based pen to sketch out an  inner ring, and the BOC symbol. 

I've started going over it with a thick permanent pen here - I can wipe the water-based pen off with a damp paper towel (the darker black stays), much like pencil erasing. 

I based this off the patch on the jacket of Buck Dharma (I think) in this picture:

I coloured in the background, and then added the lyrics in the light ring around the outside. 

Pretty much done here. 

It's a bit hard to see, but the trim on the outside is zigzaged and has red in it. I also did a grey fade around the outside edge to give it a bit of depth.

Next, the other side. I chose to array the letters in a triangle, with the BOC symbol at the bottom. 

I had the movie "Armageddon" playing in the background, and Vizzini poked around and visited while I worked. Time flies! 

I added a Zentangle-style background but I think I need to amp up the black and add some more blue on this to make it stand out a bit more. 

However, it's one more piece done! Or nearly done. I was getting tired (my hands hurt after a while).

Here's a shot I sent L when I was partway through. I switched back and forth, resting from one side while working on the other. 

I must say, it felt really good to be doing this again! 

Vizzini, for most of the day. 

"Leave me and George alone!"

Okay, okay, you can go back to sleeping under my robe, you old blind kitty. I can't deny him. 

And there we go, that was my very exciting day! I'm off for the weekend now, so thank you so much for dropping in, and please do swing by on Sunday for tales of adventure.