So this is a fake AFI concert poster that I made for a contest. I also made it as a cristmahanukwanzika present for my roommate who has been head over heals for AFI scince she was 9.

My ispiration for this was the song God Called In Sick Today. I spent quite a few hours with the lyrics, trying to get through the fifty million layers of metaphores that Davey likes to do, and I have sneakily deduced that it could maybe kinda be a little bit aluding to beauty and the beast.

So to exsplane some of the symbolisim......
"Lets admire the pattern forming murderous filigree" which is the fancy vine work everywhere, kind of strangaling and confining and obscuring the center figure as well as "I'm caught in the twisting of the vine" so its kind of a literal take, and that the vines are the filigree.
"Ignore and leave for me the headstone crumbling behind" so its kind of about death and the end of things which is why I used a skull.
"I cant help my laughter as she cries, my soul brings tears to angelic eyes" So his soul is either beautifull of horifying, and I am leaning twords the latter, which would be making the angels cry. That is kind of the bloody tear stains and the dripyness of the water color at the bottom, I wanted to include the tearfullness in a more subtle way than having a winged creature flying around weeping. and to tie back into the headstone bit, that could mean that the speaker is dead and that is why the angels are seeing his soul and some people belive that when people die that become angels or whatever and anyhow, no one really knows what angels look like, thaey could possibley actualy be that creepy looking.
"Lets amend the clasic story, close it so beautifully, I'll let animosity unwind." Beautifully and Animosity.... Beauty and the Beast, get it? so what is diffrent with teh speakers story that he has to amend it?
"steal away the darkend pages, hidden so shamefully, i'll still feel the violence of the lines." so his verson is so horrifing and evil that it needs to never see the light of day again. there is shame and violence in his version. The words still hurt him, or he is hurting because of the shame of his actions. Which is making me think the speaker is relating himself to the Beast. I have seen that general skull shape being used to signify a beast or a demon in other art before so that is what I chose.
"I cant stand my laughter as they cry." The speaker cant really stand himself. He is shamefull for what ever it is he did, but hes not gunna change and has no inclination to. His soul is corupted, and if he cant stand his own laughter, its probley one of those laugh-or-cry situations, at what not.
Then to tie in the tearfull angels and the Ignore and Leave bit, If the angels are crying so much, their going to turn away and leave. The feather symbolises that they were there and then they left, and all that remains is that one feather.
And then because if i'm going to relate this to Beauty and the Beast, there is no way I could just not include the Despair Faction rose, which I though was a nice sneaky tie in. And the Despair Faction has a rather purple theme to it, so that is my background color.
And scince I couldnt really figure out how to draw the inside of the creatures mouth area, I cheated and just used the metal gate work in the doorway in the back of the Art of Drowning CD cover art, also as another nice way to alude to death and cemetarys and headstones and whatnot.
I think thats about it? Im going to post all my thumbnails and process for this peice latter when i fill up this sketchbook, and then yall can see all the silly drafts and things that this might have ended up looking like.
(and yes I know that the song came out on BSITSS not AOD but whateves)
Whew, that was long.

All of this was hand drawn and painted except for the concert details which I added in latter. Gillman street is just rather awesome and I wish I could go there one day, even if AFI doesnt play there anymore. March 20 is the date of teh concert I did get to go to in New Orelans last year, which was ridiculously awesome. And Scarlet Grey was one of the opening bands who are absolutly the most amazing band ever as well. (We didnt like the other opening band, so they dont get to be on my poster, neyh) So basicly this is just kind of my dream concert. Scarlet Grey and AFI at Gilman. It would be uber rad. xD

Disclamer: Song and lyrics belong to AFI and Davey Havok, It would be awesome if the was a real concert poster, but its not. Be sad.

Edit 1/23/11: Changed the font and color of the added words. they looked kinda awk.