The Black Keys: Live in Holmdel, NJ
In the summer of 2022 I was lucky enough to get to illustrate and screenprint a gig poster for The Black Keys show in Holmdel, New Jersey, a stop on their Dropout Boogie Tour. This was the show on the tour serving the NYC area, so I settled on a bodega theme. I’ve always loved cities unique corner store aesthetics, bodegas being one of my favourite, so I knew it would be a fun opportunity to fit a lot of detail, personality, and narrative elements into a single drawing.
Along with these little moments of storytelling throughout, I also peppered the illustration with Black Keys easter eggs. References to songs, albums, and the bands history can be found in all the little details.
This Black Keys poster was drawn by hand, using a mix of physical and digital drawing techniques. The screenprint is 5 colours. A mix of transparent and semi transparent inks allowed for lots of tonal shading which was important to me to achieve the bright glow and dramatic shadows of the bodega at night time.
Here’s the initial sketch I sent to the client, along with a reference image of one of the many bodegas I drew inspiration from.
Some signed artist proofs may still be available in my online shop! Head there now to check it out.