"SNAKE MAN!"

View fullsize

"SNAKE MAN!" Micron pens, India ink, and water color on bristol board. 

Copyright 2014 Bo McGee/ CheckThisOutBabe Media.

"Help me Snake Man!" The Ultimate Warrior moans, his desperate gasps fogging up the tiny window that separates him from his tormentor, Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

Warrior is equal parts David Bowie and Bizzaro Superman. He is a garish lunatic, throbbing with bovine growth hormones and snarling nonsense. He is the good guy, and he is in peril. 

I never should have a trusted a man whose nickname is "The Snake."

Jake Roberts is the scariest thing I have ever seen in my life up to that point. He is seething with sadistic, predatory delight. There is a twinkle in his eye and his voice is damp and lusty. He is playing cat and mouse with the most powerful force I have ever been witness to,

I am 10 years old, small and weak, and I am in peril too. A pane of glass also separates me from the villainous Snake Man. I want to smash through so the Warrior can get out, or maybe so I can get in. 

Looking back on it now, I feel so foolish. I never should have a trusted a man whose nickname is "The Snake". Also, pro wrestling isn't real* 

Brush Pen

I started this piece as my coup de grace for Inktober. I don't feel particularly strong in my inking, so I try to get a lot of rep's in. A lot of shitty zombies had preceded this piece, so I decided to keep it pretty straightforward.

Work Space

Somedays it's an anvil, somedays it's an altar. 

Tone

As an illustrator, I wanted the piece to connect to the Warrior's experience. I put the viewer on Jake's side of the door so that I could put a tight box around Warrior's panicked face and crank up the claustrophobic reaction. Also, we get the experience of being complicit with Jake by way of being a passive viewer.

Title

I was really happy with my character drawing, but so what? A great performance is useless to a director if they can't work the camera. I wanted this piece to capture the betrayal of the Ultimate Warrior from the perspective of my 10 year old self, so I wanted to see him futilely crying for help.

Dumping Ink

What better way for a crappy inker to cap off Inktober than with a wash? I grabbed a brush and dumped some india ink all over the page. I'm happy with the result, too. 

*you're not real. 

---