Art by Tom: Killer Bees

Killer Bees
20" X 20" (50 X50 cm) Water based ink on illustration board.

Notebook Cover for Mead.

I enjoyed making this. I got the idea walking around in my backyard, when I noticed bees and the way they flew.

I needed reference for that crash helmet and immediately called the Air National Guard unit, that flew A-10 Warthogs, at the old Richards-Gebauer AFB. They said "Sure. C'mon out." I then asked if I could fly in there in the Cessna 150 I was flying at the time. "Yeah. No Problem." So I did. They were great. They let me take all the pics I needed. I told them what I was going to make from it and that, to express my gratitude for their help, I would include their unit's number, 303 Tactical Fighter Squadron, somewhere in the illustration. They were ecstatic.

So here's the cool part. As I was leaving, taxiing out for take-off, there were a pair of A-10s in front of me, doing the same. I snerked up to the runway threshold line, as close as I could, and opened the door of the Cessna, to get the 'full effect' of their take off. They lit the afterburners and I could feel the roar pounding on my chest. I sat there giggling like a kid, it was so cool. Within seconds, they hopped into the air like rockets. Wow!