The Devil of Hell's Kitchen

The Joker - WIP #1

So, anyone who knows me, or has seen any of my art, is well aware of my obsession love for Thirty Seconds To Mars. I've done the whole queuing all day in the cold at their shows, travelling to cities and festivals at the other end of the country to see them and many other things that, to anyone else, sound totally ridiculous. It's safe to say I am 100% invested in this band, financially or otherwise. I could probably write a book, or at least a short novel, on my love for this band and all my Mars-memories, but that's for another day... 

I remember first seeing photos of Jared Leto on the set of Dallas Buyers Club as Rayon and the complete shock, awe and excitement that followed and continued throughout the next year or so. Needless to say I adore the film and Rayon, and still remember the odd sense of pride that I had when I finally got to see this man I admire so much on the big screen for the first time. Let's not even talk about what a mess I was watching the 2014 Oscars when he won Best Supporting Actor - there were serious tears, and I'm not one for being emotional. Ever. Talk then inevitably turned to what his next role would be, or would he even make another film again, so when the rumours started flying about a certain Dr. Strange role I was a little skeptical. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good superhero/comic book film but it just didn't seem like the kind of thing Mr J.L would be into - not that I pretend to know what he's thinking or claim to have some weird 'fan authority' over him (you know the type.) The thing that made me doubtful was how most comic book movies are franchises, with multiple sequels, and I wasn't sure how that could pan out with 30STM's touring schedule and the like. But when it was confirmed that he would be playing The Joker in Suicide Squad I flipped, in the best possible way. 

I've always been more interested in Batman and I'm not sure why. Maybe it appeals to me more because it's dark or the villains are some of my favourites or simply because I remember loving the 90s cartoon so much, though I am by no means a Batman/DC expert. But to say I'm excited about Jared playing the Joker is the understatement of the year. I loved, no, adored Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and while TDK still remains one of my favourite films of all time to this day, I can't wait to see Batman V Superman and find out how it may/may not tie in with SS. And doesn't it feel like we're long overdue an all super villain movie? (uhh, yeah!!) I'm so excited to see where all of this is going to go and knowing that one of my favourite people in the world is playing one of my favourite characters fills me with so much joy. My cries of "why must 2016 be so far away?" can be heard for miles around if you listen hard enough. 

Flashback to last week when I awoke to the mother of all photos tweeted by SS director David Ayer [view here]: Jared in full-on Joker mode, green hair, fake tattoos and grills, of all things. I freaked. the fuck. out. There's now conflicting things written online that JL's Joker won't have tattoos, but I am totally down with the psychotic, prison inmate vibe I get from this photo, (though the 'damaged' tattoo is a bit too literal for me) even if it does turn out to be just for promo. Either way, I had to draw it. Simple as that. 

The photos in this post add up to roughly 22 hours worth of work over four days and I don't feel like I've reached the halfway mark yet. But that's not a bad thing. There's usually a point in my drawing process (especially during portrait work) where I become incredibly frustrated and end up coming back to it months later - a really bad habit, I must admit. However, I haven't felt like that with this drawing (*knock on wood*), the tattoos I'm yet to work on are going to be a challenge but I'm feeling very positive about it and allowing myself to really enjoy the process. I'm getting to the point where I can recognise these things before they happen, so I've taken a few days break from drawing, mainly to rest my hands a bit, but also to get some other things out of my system before diving back into this. I think that's a good thing, or at least it is for me.

Feel free to follow me on instagram (@fayesucks) for more artwork and to see this piece when it's complete!