Day 35 – Santa Monica

Day 35 – Santa Monica by The Front Bottoms

For today’s illustration in my Talon of the Hawk series, I focused on Santa Monica, a song filled with nostalgia, longing, and late-night reflections. The lyric that stood out to me was:

"I wish we were forever lying on the Santa Monica beach,
Drinking Tecate 24oz underneath the stars."

This line perfectly captures the mix of carefree happiness and bittersweet memory that The Front Bottoms weave into their music. I wanted the artwork to reflect that—sunset tones, the glow of neon city lights in the distance, and a quiet moment of connection between two people against the vastness of the ocean.

Creative Process

I created this piece in Adobe Fresco using:
- RetroSupply Co.’s Inferno brushes for that rough, organic feel
- Risograph textures to add a vintage, grainy quality
- A soft, warm color palette to evoke that late-night nostalgia

The challenge was capturing both warmth and melancholy—the brightness of a carefree night, but also the inevitable passage of time.

Follow Along!

This is part of my daily illustration project inspired by Talon of the Hawk. If you’d like to see more, follow me on Instagram @drawn_to_noise, where I post each piece along with my process! 🎶✏️

What’s your favorite lyric from this song? Let me know in the comments!