Bob Dylan - The TImes They Are A-Changin'

This is a pencil drawing of a young Bob Dylan with his handwritten lyrics of his song The Times They Are A-Changin’ and his album label in the background.

Size: 329mm x 483mm / 13" x 17"

Print Type: Limited Edition
Print Number: 2 of 250

I drew this pencil drawing of Bob Dylan at the request of my good friend Koji. The drawing is from Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’ CD cover. I added the record label and Dylan’s handwritten lyrics in the background. I did consider including the score for the song, but I felt the handwritten lyrics looked better.

This drawing took several days to complete. His hair and shirt were challenging, but I think they both came out nicely. The source image I used was not ideal. It was small and unclear. Some details were obscure and dark. So I had to use a little artistic license to create what I could not see. For instance, in the photograph I could not see his pupils nor could I see the top of his head. I found another photograph online where I could see what his hair looked like during the same time period, possibly the same photoshoot.

Just as a side note, I had to extend the drawing an additional inch because I accidentally marked a small portion of the drawing with chocolate. A little “doji” on my part. That’s clumsy in Japanese. And during my scanning process, I unintentionally bent the right edge of the drawing with the scanner cover’s hinge. The drawing wasn’t damaged; only the side edge was bent. I was able to straighten out the edge with an iron, but it will always have two small marks as reminder to me.

In any case, I think this drawing turned out great. I think it is a very nice tribute to Bob Dylan and his renowned musical career. I really like this drawing and I hope you will like this drawing too.

Rocker’s Delight

A pencil drawing of Rolling Stones' lead singer and rock 'n roll legend Mick Jagger with his beaming smile.

Size: 432mm x 317.5mm / 17" x 12.5"

Print Type: Limited Edition
Print Number: 2 of 250

I drew this pencil drawing because I thought my good friend Koji would like it. He is a big fan of the Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger. Koji loves rock ‘n roll and owns Analog, a rock bar I frequently go to in Kyodo. He allows me to hang my drawings on the walls in his bar.

I think this drawing turned out a lot better than I had anticipated. I say that because I stopped several times during the drawing process. I felt the drawing wasn’t looking exactly right and it seemed something was off. I felt what I had drawn at that point was bad and was not good enough to finish. Mick’s hair and eyes were wrong. His mouth and teeth were a disaster. So I stepped back and put the drawing aside for awhile.

And then I recalled what my high school art teacher (and good friend) would say to me when he saw me struggling with a piece in class. “Don’t over work it. Know when it’s done.” So after a few days of thinking about it, I dove back into the project. And in the end it came out much better than I could have hoped.

I think this piece is my favorite drawing thus far. The reason could be that I struggled so much with this piece. The hair looks good, the eyes turned out right, and I really like how the teeth and mouth came out. I couldn’t be happier with the results. I really like this drawing, and I hope you will too.

Legendary Duo

A pencil drawing of Rock Legends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Size: 546mm x 425.5mm / 21.5" x 16.75"

Print Type: Limited Edition
Print Number: 2 of 250

I drew this pencil drawing at the request of my good friend Koji, who owns a drinking establishment I frequent in Kyodo called Analog. I am grateful to him for hanging my most recent drawings on the walls of his bar.

This piece is rather large. It measures 22 inches wide and 16 and a half inches high. I was a little reluctant to take on this project because of its difficulty and scale. Plus the source material was of low quality. Normally I like to start with as much detail as possible, since some may be lost in my rendering. But luckily this piece came out just fine.

I like how Keith and Mick’s facial expressions came out. I also like how their clothing look real. Their hands and hair come out nicely too. This piece was a challenge to complete, but it was enjoyable to create. The more I look at it, the more I like it. I hope you will too.

Japan Rocker Eikichi Yazawa

A pencil drawing of Eikichi Yazawa, a popular Japanese Rock 'n Roll star.

Size: 387.35mm x 317.5mm / 15.25" x 12.5"

Print Type: Limited Edition
Print Number: 2 of 250

I drew this pencil drawing thinking my good friend Koji would like it, but as it turned out he didn't. I thought it would be a good idea to draw Japanese Rock Stars and musicians, since most of my drawings were of American or British musicians.

So I thought why not draw some popular Japanese musicians. I asked some of my Japanese friends who was a popular rock star in Japan, and I was told Eikichi Yazawa is the number one rocker in Japan. But in the end, Yazawa would not occupy a space on Analog’s wall.

According to Wikipedia, Yazawa formed a rock band in ’72 and he went solo in ’75. He has had a successful musical career and is a prominent figure in Japanese popular music. He’s even made many Japanese television commercials.

I think anyone would be happy to display this piece. I like how his hand and eyes came out. His beard stubble was a little tricky, but I think it came out nicely too. This piece was fun to draw and I like it. I hope you will like it too.

Janis Joplin

A pencil drawing of possibly one of the greatest female rock stars from the late 1960's.

Size: 381mm x 495.3mm / 15" x 19.5"

Print Type: Limited Edition
Print Number: 1 of 250

I’m really pleased how this pencil drawing came out. And I would be lying if I said Janis didn’t have an influence on me and my life, and maybe more importantly on my art. She was one of the prime movers in freedom of expression. In today’s vernacular, she’d be known as an influencer.

I was born in '61, so the music from late '60's and early '70's had a major impact on my life. I enjoyed my tied-dyed shirts and my bell-bottom flare. It was an era of grand freedom for most, and as we all did at the time, we let our freak flags fly.

I really like this drawing of Janis because she looks happy and beautiful. I like how her glasses softly reflect and her eyes appear to look back at you from within the drawing. Her vest, hair and accessories were a challenge to draw, but I think they all came out just right.

I feel her music will live on forever, and I'm certain she will continue to entertain and influence many generations to come. I hope you will enjoy this piece of American pop culture.

Rocking Pompeii

A pencil drawing of David Gilmour performing in Pompeii's Amphitheater.

Size: 410mm x 503mm / 16.15" x 19.8"

Print Type: Limited Edition
Print Number: 2 of 250

This is a pencil drawing of David Gilmour, the legendary guitarist from the Pink Floyd band. I am a huge Floyd fan. Some may disagree, but I rank Gilmour as one of the top five guitarists of all time.

I drew this drawing for an old friend. Chris asked me to draw it after he saw my pencil drawing of Jackson Browne. Chris is a guitar enthusiast and he wanted me to draw it for his Gilmour wall, where it proudly hangs today.

I included the tree line and the amphitheater in the background to give it some context. In ‘71 Pink Floyd filmed a live performance in Pompeii’s amphitheater. A year later they released a documentary of their performance entitled: “Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii” They performed live in Pompeii again in 2016.

When my wife and I were in Pompeii a few years ago, we saw the Pink Floyd exhibition at the amphitheater. The exhibition was amazing. But more amazing is that the amphitheater is still stand after 2000 years.

As for this drawing, I am really happy with the results. The Fender guitar came out great. David’s hair and hands look amazing. I put many hours in producing this piece and enjoyed creating it. I hope you like it as well.

The Eagles Poster

A pencil drawing of a special Eagles’ concert poster "The Long Run" tour held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 18th 1979.

Size: 305mm x 441mm / 12" x 17.5"

Print Type: Limited Edition
Print Number: 1 of 250

This is a pencil drawing of a poster of the Eagles’ concert “The Long Run” tour. I found this poster fascinating and intriguing. I hold this poster dear for many reason, but largely because of the time frame and for the fact that the Eagles are my all-time favorite musical group.

I wish I could say I attended this concert, but I did not. Everything about this poster reminds of a special time, a special era which we can never return. I also like that the poster designer placed a photograph of the band members at the top of the poster. I probably would not have recreated it if it wasn’t there. This was also an interesting piece to draw because of the things that happened to me in 1979.

I graduated high school in May of ’79 and I then enlisted into the US Air Force in June of ’79. This would have been a concert I would've loved to have had attended, but in October of ’79 I was at my first station far away at a base in New Jersey.

I’m sure many will disagree with me, but I think I grew up during the greatest period of modern music history. From the late ‘60’s to the early ‘80’s I was able to listen to and watch live performances of some of the greatest musical bands and musicians of all time.

Now from here I could rattle off a bunch of band names, but I won’t because we all have our own list. But no matter who we are or which list we read, the Eagles would certainly be among that list. I truly enjoyed creating this drawing and I like it very much. I hope you will like it too.

Jackson Browne

A pencil drawing of an American singer-songwriter and legend Jackson Browne.

Size: 406mm x 308.5mm / 16" x 12.15"

Print Type: Limited Edition
Print Number: 2 of 250

This is a pencil drawing of the most influential artist in my life, Jackson Browne. Only Roger Waters could challenge his influence. While growing up in the '60's and '70’s I listened to many great musical artists, but Jackson Browne by far had the greatest impact on me. His music resonated within my soul and I could relate to each and every word he spoke or sang.

I recall I would listen for hours to the same album, to the same songs over and over again. This would’ve been The Pretender album, which wasn’t even mine, it was my older brother Sammy’s record. It wasn’t until later in life I would learned of and could afford Jackson Browne’s earlier works (Late for the Sky and For Everyman). I think Running on Empty was the first album I actually purchased on my own.

Having lost my parents early in life, I related deeply with three songs on this album. The “The Only Child” taught me some life lessons my parents could not and would never be able to share with me. Like the importance of family, how kindness can guide you in your search for love, and once you’ve found it you have to take good care of it.

A tear still catches me by surprise when I hear the “Daddy’s Tune” song. Never having had the opportunity to speak with my own father on such life matters, this song gave me voice and a chance to say what I would’ve liked to have had said to him. The line “Nothing survives, but the way we live our lives” echoes down the years to me.

The song “Sleep’s Dark and Silent Gate” still resonates with me as well. The line “But the times when we were happy, were the times we never tried” taught me so much about love and happiness.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are other great songs on this album. Rarely have I found myself liking every song on a single album, but with this album I did. Each gave me hope and promise of a better tomorrow, and for that I thank the author.

I drew this drawing because I felt it necessary to pay tribute to Jackson Browne. Hopefully this will be the first of many. If you look closely, you will see I drew this entirely with one direction diagonal hash lines. I didn’t use cross-hashing since I felt that would make the drawing too hard. I wanted the drawing to have a soft feel, and I think I reach that goal. I truly love this piece and I enjoyed drawing it. I look forward to drawing more. I hope you like this drawing too.