Michael Hutchence of INXS in ink

Michael Hutchence of INXS. Micron pen (03 and 05), Pentel Pocket Brush Pen,  Copic marker, Japanese ink and Speedball Super Black acrylic ink on 11" X 14" Strathmore Art Bristol board. Art by Coyote Duran.

 

When I learned Michael Hutchence, lead singer for Australian rock band INXS, died by suicide, I was shocked and equally down, not unlike his and his band's legions of fans. The news came out of nowhere in November of 1997 and detailed that Hutchence, 37, was seemingly despondent about the inability to see his and partner Paula Yates' daughter Tiger Lily. At the time, Yates, who shared three children with ex-husband and Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof, had to postpone a trip to visit Hutchence while the latter was on tour in support of the Elegantly Wasted album. The postponement was on the heels of Yates having to wait until after December 17, the date of a custody hearing between her and Geldof, to be able to take their daughters with her to see Hutchence.

This turn of events deeply upset Hutchence, who already had a history of drug abuse and mood swings, the latter due to a head injury he suffered after being assaulted by a cab driver in 1992. 

On November 22, 1997, Hutchence was found dead, a result of suicide by hanging, less that two hours after pleading with ex-girlfriend Michele Bennett to come see him.

Now I'm not going to belabor the story further. I figure all that information is out there. If you're an avid INXS fan, you pretty much know the story and I'd rather focus on the joy this cat brought us. I'll never forget high school friends Mike Prieditis and Steve Adamecz playing the hell out of  1987's The Lost Boys soundtrack to hear "Good Times" (with Jimmy Barnes, released in 1986) over and over. Those cats were solid INXS fans and I learned a lot about the band from them. I knew of INXS beforehand and dug what I heard thus far but I couldn't get enough of that tune either. So when Kick was released in late-1987, 16-year-old me scored the cassette and a really cool, all-over print t-shirt. I played that cassette into the ground, man, and had to pony up another eight bucks for a nice, new copy. Good times, indeed.

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That slab bore hits too, the two most renowned being the band's biggest, "Need You Tonight" (followed on the album by something of an epilogue in the song "Mediate," a tribute to Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues") and the gorgeous ballad "Never Tear Us Apart." You want your music to be epic? Just get a copy of Kick and hit play. It's never a wasted adventure, unlike myself, who was not-so-elegantly wasted from my sophomore year to graduation. I don't remember much from high school, other than Humanities, Art and absolutely bitchen rock from that era.

After a few years, I hadn't kept much track of INXS, utterly missing the significance of their 1991 album X. That album featured a song that Tracy introduced me to when we first started seeing each other. "By My Side" wasn't just another beautiful ballad by the band; it became our song.

Last year, while I was working on my Jimi Hendrix piece for my "Have Paw, Will Draw with Coyote Duran" series on YouTube, I already had designs on my next subject for my pivot to musical legends: Hutchence. I had meant to start the portrait right after the Hendrix piece but moved off course to create my Art the Clown drawing and painting of Tracy's uncle Al, the latter being a must-do for me, Tracy and Uncle Al's family. Of course, the passing of our beloved senior cat Dr. Valentine inspired a new drawing and gift for Tracy but once I achieved that, it was time to honor music's finest once again.

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y Coyote Duran (@coyotedu

After finding the right reference from which to work, it was time to get to work. Initially I considered black ink and ink wash as my choice of medium but opted to use my trusty Copic markers for the greyscale stages. But first, penciling!

I got to work on a 11" X 14" sheet of Strathmore Art Bristol board with my trusty Alvin Drafting "Tech" DA Delux leadholder (the "Blue Special"!) and knocked out my layout. I took small liberties with my reference by giving Michael slightly longer, "wider" hair, so to speak. It just seemed more Kick-era-friendly.

Once the layout stage was squared away, It was time to set up the mobile device and start recording. I started inking with my Micron 03 and 05 pens, wireframing linework where necessary while leaving the areas for gradients and values unrendered, so I could blend as properly as I saw fit. For the larger black areas, I alternated between my Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, Pentel Aquash water brush filled with Japanese ink and Speedball Super Black acrylic ink applied by brush. The Japanese ink didn't work out as well as I anticipated so I stuck to the Speedball ink for the largest areas and the Pocket Brush Pen for smaller parts. Then to transition from the blacks, I used three shades of Copic greys.

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By the time I was finished, I discovered I adapted a graphite-like style to my marker work, much to my delight...

...and it all made for one hell of an episode of "Have Paw, Will Draw." For this episode, I featured "Never Tear Us Apart" and "Need You Tonight/Mediate." How could I not choose two of INXS' most iconic songs for what I truly believe is one of my best portraits yet, as well as the best episode of HPWD I've ever published?

And if I've said it once, I've said it a million times: Sometimes I feel like I bring these subjects back to life - even for a short bit - when I create them. And I truly felt that when I put this piece together. I hope you feel something too, especially if you're an INXS fan.

Oh, most importantly, thank YOU so much for visiting and reading!

Questions? Comments? Complaints? Commissions? Hit me up at artofthepaw@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Instagram @CoyoteDuran, on BlueSky @coyoteduran.art.com and on Facebook @CoyoteDuranArt. You can also watch some Coyote TV on YouTube @CoyoteDuranArt.