Research for this portrait game was fun. I found many photos that were new to me of the referents of this theme, and looked at some interesting fliers and posters from venues related to the new wave scene.
For 1, the pattern in the suit comes from one of the iconic costumes of David Bowie, the one with the big round trousers designed by Kansai Yamamoto for the Ziggy Stardust era. In 2, the suit is inspired by one I saw in Gary Numan photos.
In 3, the suit is another sci-fi suit of early 80s Gary Numan, while the hairstyle, sunglasses and clear makeup come from the 1976 movie the Man Who Fell to Earth. Look 4 was inspired by Limahl, the singer who you may know from the band Kajagoogoo or his solo hit theme for the NeverEnding Story movie, and his amazing hair. I posted it on Instagram, and the photo got a like from the official account of the singer himself, so I guess he approves?
5 was inspired by the quintessential goth fashion source, Siouxsie Sioux, where the phone in the reference pic became a polaroid. 6’s referent is Joan Catherall, one of the singers from The Human League, a very iconic makeup and overall look.
7 again features several details from David Bowie: the coat and the light frames in triangle shapes are from one of the posters of The Man Who Fell to Earth, the sign in the forehead is from the Ziggy Stardust look, according to Wikipedia: “On Ziggy’s forehead was a gold “astral sphere” suggested by make-up artist Pierre La Roche (who also applied the lightning flash to Bowie’s face for the cover of Aladdin Sane)”. The shush hand sign was supplied by the patron’s reference pic, and the look for the second member of the imaginary band is totally inspired by the theatrical appearance of Brian Eno in the late 70s.
*****
I appreciate the playfulness and good disposition of everyone who wanted to play in this niche thematic game. Now I’ll be sending out a reminder to Earthquake Critic tier supporters that you can always ask for specific art and drawings, as can anyone edit their pledge occasionally to do so, and as usual, I’m enormously grateful for your support on this Patreon, which makes The Secret Knots possible. See you soon with more art: progress of the new comic and more.
Juan S.
