My first reaction to the preview with ‘the Englishman-on-the-bike’ was not very positive. But when Mick gave me the official drawing in my hands that opinion changed immediately.

Now the ‘man-on-the-bike’ (let's call him The Visitor from now on) had a background. And not to forget ‘colour’! And emotion … and radiation… Indeed, the cover is in the line with the ones of the Pink Floyd and Rush. But that was not everything. Besides the front cover artwork, I also got to see the designs for 'the characters'. 

For those who do not know the story behind these characters yet, a short introduction: when the CD's main character falls through the ice, he 'meets' four characters whilst going down. These are a sad clown, a thief, a perverse priest and a bloodthirsty vampire. Hugh Syme has brought these four persons to life in four splendid designs. Later on, we will get into the process of how he made them. First a short personal impression.

The priest
When I heard that this should be the 'perverse man', I was somewhat surprised. I thought of him more like a pathetic person … a ‘whiner’. But okay, if you look at the curve in his mouth, I understand. Let me put it this way, it is not my favourite amongst the four characters.

The vampire
The designs available to me at that time, and on which I based this article, were emailed from the States and afterwards printed on normal paper. Because of this, some details and colours did not come through that well. Thus, I still have some doubts about the vampire. I find it extremely 'thrilling', but unfortunately a little dark. I am mainly fascinated by the expression on his face: wild and scared. 

The clown
The cracker, what a beauty! If there is ever going to be wallpaper with this face, I will be the first customer. My attention is drawn to his eyes time and time again. And the colours have been chosen extremely well.

The thief
Last but certainly not the least. At first, he reminded me of a circus manager, but then one that is not to be trusted. Hugh Syme does have a feeling for expression, because (yes, again) those eyes are perfect!

There is really no point in describing the characters any further. You have to make up your own ideas and judge them yourself. But I will give you some more background about the creation of these designs. What did Hugh Syme do to create them?

He ‘rented’ three of the characters at a casting agency; the priest, the thief and the vampire. The clown has a different story: it was already a picture of a famous American clown, Emmett Kelly (see: http://www.clown-ministry.com/History/Emmett-Kelly-Sr.html). To get permission to use this photo Hugh had to contact the estate of this Kelly who passed away in 1979. The contact for this deal was provided by no one other than Neil Peart [Rush’s drummer – eds.]. He knew the estate’s manager and when Hugh had told him that Neil just recorded a Buddy Rich tribute album the deal was quickly made. The manager of the estate happened to be a huge Buddy Rich fan and because of this, Hugh received the permission to use the photo. 

Hugh invited the other three models into his studio for a photo session. They arrived fully dressed and painted and then the shots were made. After that, the final results were projected on a number of different backgrounds and passed through numerous filters. Behold Arena’s new artwork…

Clive developed the ideas behind each of the characters some time ago. He envisioned four central characters that each would draw out different thoughts of different people. This means there will not be an explanation for some time, because Clive wants everyone to form his or her own ideas about these characters. What do you think about with a clown, a vampire, a thief or a priest…? Have fun in your own world… called The Visitor.

See you at the next designs!

By: Marcel Kolenbrander