"How to Draw Cars Like a Pro"

I've seen this book for sale a few times and wanted to know if its worth the paper its printed on?

I guess i'm more so asking for advice/guidance...Most of my free time is spent pen in hand.I think I have some real potencial ("The tute of my horn") and would like to make something of it,take it to the "next level "so to speak.I see there are quite a few people here with artistic ability.The friday art shows blow my ****ing mind!

Now I have to ask; Are most of you who take part in the friday show, drawing,sketching whatever...Is it something you do for fun? How many here are doing the art thing as a primary sorce of income? Or have a job where their artistic ability (pen on paper...not torch to metal) is a factor?

When I posted my Zombie-Elvis sketch (the pic under my name) a few months back people gave me advice in bit and peices. "draw normal everyday objects" things of that nature.I have scence taken that advice...It's helped,now I want more

What advice can yall give to this high school kid? Schools,books,anything!

Thanks
J.B.

 

Its worth a look but don't buy it, find it at a library and borrow it. I do designs for a hotrod clothing label here in Oz, small biz but it may get there oneday!
Doc.

 

Are there any books worth the dough?

 

It's one of several books on that topic out there right now, and it's at home on my bookshelf right now, along with a couple of others. If you're honestly trying to render cars well, the more information you can learn from the better.
The book's not terribly expensive and even if you only pick up one or two things to help you improve your skill level, I'd say it was a good investment.

 

It is also nice to have on hand as a reference source. But hey I like to spend money on books.

 

I own "How to draw cars like a pro" and its a very good beginner book, it taught me alot in my early teens and has some good basic tips and I still look at it for basic refrence on occasion. if you see it on sale for a good price pick it up (used book store maybe)

I think I've posted in a few friday art threads but nothing impressive becuase I dont have time with my school schedule. One of the key things you are already doing...DRAW draw everything and when you're done drawing it draw it upside down and compare them (no I'm not kidding, my high school art teacher taught me that) then try again right side up, draw till you are almost tired of it, anything that will set still long enough to draw go for it. I figured out the hard way that if you draw stuff like cars all the time you wont really know how to draw, you'll just know how to copy (does that make sense?)

If you think you are really good take some art cl***es in Jr. College or College (depending on where you end up) and try different cl***es to see what you like (charcoal, watercolor, figure drawing) If you diversify your cl***es your style will become apparent and go from there. You can do things like industrial design courses in college once you get good enough if thats the direction you want to take, or even animation or fine art. (I'm an industrial Design major at AAU right now) There are a few folks on here who do it for a living and are obviously very good at it, like I said it just depends on how far you want to take it....

Also join up over at SketchKult, theres some great artist over there and alot are very friendly and willing to help and give advice.. http://sketchkult.com//phpBB/

 

Thanks alot man...Thats some of the best advice i've heard!

I understand what you mean about being able to copy vs being able to draw.It is my opinion that people with "talent" and people with a "skill" are on two different wave lengths.To me talent is the ability to turn a jumble of thoughts,or a mental picture into something all can understand. You cant teach that,not in the same way you can teach a person to draw a straight line or copy what they see...

I'll give the link a once over,I think I have seen it before.Thanks for your help.

Still looking for others thoughts opinions **** of that nature.Maby some before and after peices.

 

"Is it something you do for fun? How many here are doing the art thing as a primary sorce of income? Or have a job where their artistic ability (pen on paper...not torch to metal) is a factor?"

Hey young fella,
Here are a few thoughts regarding your questions that I hope will help you...

You can learn SOMETHING from any artbook, whether it turns out to be what you aspire to, or even want to avoid....Doesn't that book have an example or two by Balfe?
There you go....Look into Balfe and you will be led straight to Newt.
Newt will show you the absolute top form for the style of art he created that put Roth Studios on the map.
The different artists here( on the HAMB) can each serve as templates for very different,but very impressive routes to help you with what eventual style you will develop .Read Garage,TRJ,vintage mags,etc....

Use both your "right and left brain", logical/mechanical and libido/abstract can ultimately give you a rounded out talent and ability.
Learn from everyone.

Do NOT stack yourself up against seasoned pros or emulate louth-mouthed newcomers with no real history.
Both can kill your desire to create.

Do not place too much faith in too many art message boards, galleries, magazines, or art critics.They are filled with insecure people who spend most of their time appearing to be involved in an artistic community, but watching the "other guy" and projecting a compe***ve nature to be of much help.

Be willing to sit on a garage floor with a sketchpad, camera and ask all the questions you can, even at the risk of becoming a nuisance.
Offer to help if possible for the chance at learning something.
Remember,this applies to many other careers as well....

This is getting too long,but I hope it gives you something to think about.
I've done this for a living all my adult life, in fact I started in Junior High, and I've been at both GREAT paying levels and **** ranks at different times.
If I can teach you anything, you are welcome to keep asking.

One thing to keep in mind,though,kid....I was kicked out of EVERY art cl*** and school I ever attended, and there are those who will testify "Rightly So!"

Good Luck,
p.s. Buy that book.....and remember, you don't have to give up girls, unhealthy food,girls , stimulants, or girls to be an artist....however, they can destroy your career just as easily.

Johnny " What was I saying?" Ace

 

I think that's the book I got my teen a few years ago, I think I read it more than him... he's got natural talent but absolutely NO ambition.

Draw something everyfrigginday, anything. I make my five-year old do that, and that little thing is getting good.

I've taken cl***es in a lot of differrent areas, never completed any, but just going and learning what my likes/dislikes are was worth it... including technical drafting, commercial art, realistic sculpture, abstract sculpture, watercolor, oils, pastels, pen and ink, and pencil study... but to save money and a lot of time... I'd go buy a book if I had to do it over again. Some teaachers are worth listening to, most are not.

It's not a hobby for me, it's a living. But it took 25 years of doing everything art/related on the planet before I found what I wanted to do, the last ten years I did it part-time, and for the last six I finally had the guts to try and make a living at it. It's finally paying off.

Take your time (but don't take 25 years ) and if you've got the talent (which it looks like you do) you'll be doing something for a living that makes you happy... and that, my friend, is rare indeed.

 

here's a morph from a preliminary sketch to a finished etching... sorry not HAMB related... I was just proud of it and have never shared it before. It's the only "before and after" kinda **** I will ever have, ha.

http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a12/guiseart/?action=view&current=elktoelk.flv

 

First off, I am by no means an artist... just a wannabe. I bought this book from Barnes & Noble off the discount rack for like $4.99 a while back. I've not had a chance to follow through the exercises, but everytime I open it, it definitely inspires me! I'd buy it again for maybe up to $25.

Ben

 

I would buy it. Reference is always a handy thing to have. In a related topic, this is a new book coming out in December from Ed Newton and Thom Taylor, two of the biggies in the art we all love . . .

 

I got three words for you ... PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. I thought I was a hot **** artist back in Jr. High ... then High School ... then College ... but looking back, what I'm capable of now spanks all over everything I did beforehand. Also seeing what other people is capable of is really a humbling experience and inspiration to keep pushing your skills. This has made me a firm believer that the more you practice, the better you get. If you do plan to go to college, take some art cl***es. They might not teach you "how to draw like a pro", but they will teach you how to see things differently, and IMHO that's what it's all about.

I've got dozens of books about various drawing techniques, but none of them taught me nearly as much as I learned by doing my own thing over and over an over again. Good luck and keep practicing!

 

Newt & T/T?
That's great news....In my opinion, Newt has never gotten the true recognition he deserves for taking Ed's art operation and rocketing the Studio into infamy...

Another tip,JB :
Study Newt's art for Roth ,Roach, or anywhere it appears....you can learn things about color, light/dark ratios, layout and composition that can definitely help you....

Johnny

 

I cant thank you guys enough! Really,I mean that...thanks alot

 

this is great advice, I too am trying to make a living in an artistic type of career (industrial designer) and what gigantor is saying here is bang on. the more you do the better you get. i look at stuff i did a couple years ago and laugh because i can do it so much better now. Buy the book, i have it too, i use it mostly for inspiration....in time you will develope a style of your own. one piece of advice i can add to this is be open minded to criticism, sometimes you dont want to hear it, but it can help, especially here on this board. There are alot of guys on this board that put me to shame with the quality of work (and amount of work) they produce, they are likeminded people whos opinions i hold higher than other artists, and i use it for inspiration. so keep practicing and post your work on the friday art show, i look forward to seeing your stuff.

 

Hello, my advice is to gather all reference you can and learn from the masters like Foose, Mchphail and others. The best bet is to go to an acredited transportation design program at a school like Art Center in CA, Cleveland Ins***ute for Art, or CCS in Detroit. They will teach you the fundamentals and then you can cater your style more to Hot Rods. I am a toy designer with an Industrial Design degree, and you can make a good living designing cars. My cars happen to be Batmobiles, GI-Joe Tanks, Transformers and Radio Control stuff, but still super fun.
Chappy

 

I agree with what you've read so far; all great advice.
Re: the books, I'd suggest getting that one and another called "How to Draw Cars the Hot Wheels Way". Aside from a cool collection of Hot Wheels car sketches, it also has great 'drawing in perspective' info, which is the basic foundation every artist needs. But 'Hot Wheels' also includes a ton of great info re: shadows, rendering (****og and digital), sketch styles, etc.
His website is www.drawthrough.com - he sells some great instructional dvds also.

To answer your questions:
I do a LOT of cartoon-type sketching for fun and during meetings.+
(I haven't ever posted to the Friday art show, but thoroughly enjoy visiting!)

I'm an industrial designer so I get to draw for part of my day, then spend time turning the sketches into 3D CAD files, then work with factories to get the thing produced correctly. Great career choice for me.

I never took art in high school (disliked the teacher), so spent time in drafting/mech drawing and metal shop. Art was a big part of the Industrial Design curriculum and I loved it, especially in combination with the engineering stuff.

In retrospect, I REALLY wish I would have taken the high school art. Regardless of the teacher, I would have been exposed to a lot more materials/media much sooner in life. hindsight = 20/20

You already have a leg up on others in your same situation - you're asking questions! Good luck, feel free to ask away! (obviously there are a few of us who don't mind talking about it!)

 

Get yourself a good book on perspective and basic rendering techniques. That's where the car designers start in college. They start you off with drawing a cube and go from there. A book of that kind will show you how to think about the form of the object you are drawing. It's how you make things look like they have depth and m***.

 

J.B., it's a good book with a lot of information... As pointed out by many others here that are smarter than I, any reference book or material that gets you inspired is great to have!

Look into taking "life drawing" cl***es. Yeah, it'll seem kinda boring when you're drawing twigs and trees and the occasional elderly fat lady, but you'll learn the most powerful skill of all in illustrating anything: OBSERVATION. Pick up on the subtle nuances that make things, well, what they are... study how light plays off of different materials and shapes... and by all means, go to an art gallery and just absorb how different artists approach different challenges in representing an idea.

I went from working in a production house to going at it on my own (scary proposition with 3 little kids), and haven't looked back.... yet ...
I'm doing everything from designing die cast cars to logos, renderings, web design, posters.... My background was Fine Art in college (switched from engineering...), and I think that the training I received in that part of my life was a big help (life drawing, painting, hitting on girls, drinking, hitting on uglier girls after drinking...), and while I paint in abstract-expressionist style, it was the technical stuff on handling light, shading and reflections that made the largest impact, and allowed me to get better at rendering cars, etc...
So, look at everything you can, see how other artists approach something, and apply your knowledge through practice, practice practice... and exercise both sides of your brain, but know when to shut one off and let the other run freakin' wild.

 

My brother is an editorial cartoonist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper in Little Rock. He taught art at one time. Very talented. One book he used with all his art students is Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. It's amazing to see the art work created by grade school through high school students when they're taught the concepts in Edwards' book. In my opinion, it's a book worth owning, to go along with the Taylor book.

 

Wow. There's some really great advice here. I'm not nearly as talented as some of the people here, but I sure echo what everyone is saying.... especially the parts about drawing everything and practicing constantly.

Now I think I'll go draw something....

 

Good info guys!
I do agree with the practice and carrying a sketch book around, now that i've started doing that more, i'm seeing results
Got my daughter started at a very young age as well and she's really coming into her own now.

...now back too drawing

 

One of the best quotes I've ever heard is from Ralph Waldo Emmerson who stated it very simply "Every artist was once an amature". Another great man (my Dad) always said "The man who never learned, never lived" and he would add "try to live each day to the fullest". Never stop learning...whether it's books, cl***es, or just buggin' the **** out of people who you know have the answers.

Now, I'm not an artist, but I have to say that "Johnny Ace" has given you some really good advice, listen to him and the other artists that have replied . I sell automotive artwork for a living and I want to add a couple of other thoughts.

First, you have to decide what you want to do with your art. By this I mean is it for you or someone else. If you are drawing for yourself, nothing really matters. Draw what you want, when you want. If you want to make money with your art, there are some basics you need to understand. Even the common person respects quality...keep that in mind, and practice, practice, practice. When selling a piece of art decide who your customer will be. The more obscure the subject, the fewer the customers. I have an artist that I sell for that researches each piece he does. He checks out the amount of cars he sees at shows, and in the media. He checks production runs, and type of equipment available on each model. I know this sounds ****, but when he's done with a piece he's confident that it will sell. This artist retains all his original work and sells only prints. He's found that over the years he makes much more money doing prints than he ever would trying to do only originals.

When doing automotive art, keep in mind that some of the best pieces I've seen out there are renderings of custom or concept cars, but be cautious. People like custom cars, but will they buy a picture of them. For example, just think how many basically stock '69 Chevelles there must be out there, as opposed to custom or Chip Foose type cars. Make your pieces appealing to the m***es and you will sell more pieces. Guys usually will buy a picture of a car because it's like the one they have, or had, or always wanted, not because it's "art".

Last, but not least, fill your scenes. I've found over the years that a garage or junkyard scene sells much better than a single car on a blank white backgound.

I hope I haven't bored you to tears, but these are things that I've learned over the years selling automotive art. Do hope some of it helps. If I can answer any questions, please feel free to ask. I have a new online gallery up at www.carartonline.com and it may help to look at other artists pieces. It's a long way from being done, but I have a ton of stuff from Ian Jones and David Snyder and more artist to come. Another thing to remember, guys like me (the untalented) are always looking for guys like you (the talented)...best of luck with your art....

glenn33
www.carartonline.com

 

i would buy all the refference material that interestes me. i go back and look at them over and over. though taking art cl***es are definitely helpful, they are not absolutely neccessary. myself along with many other hacks have never even finished highschool. in fact, the last art cl*** i took in high school i dot a d-. i have car drawings i did at 2 years old. my entire life has always revolved around drawing cars, wether for money or fun. practice is definitely the number one thing that is guaranteed to help you improve. i think drawing other everyday things are great if you are in the mood, but i draw cars because thats what i love. you definitely have to draw what is fun to you at the moment and keeps interested. for me drawing is my escape. i draw cars for customers all day, and then lay in front of the tv at night, and draw cars for nothing but pure enjoyment. i learn something new with each piece i do. i dont carry a sketchbook everywhere i go, but i do keep one next to the couch in the living room, and i generally use it every night while watching tv.

 

Ok I've been sitting here reading all thease greate post (yea I'm kissing ***) doodling just a bit...Trying to get some ideas down

What do you think of this?

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a303/yachbee/Picture067.jpg

I havn't sone anything other than get the shape's right...Done pretty quick and sloppy

 

First off get the book if what you see inside as far as art style is what turns your crank. Determine what kind of direction you feel you want to go with it and draw constantly. Like others have said, keep drawing anything. Look for the image and angle in everything that you see.
I'm a Graphic Designer as a "day job" and only do my "Hot Rod" art for fun (but I would like to make some $). I have tried to do it as job but it is a hard road to hoe. For those who are doing it as a regular job and making it, my hats off to you. I have had a hard time selling ANY of my artwork so remember that. I don't mean that to shoot anybody down but to look at it as a reality sometimes. I also don't think my stuff is that bad looking. If you are good at selling yourself/artwork that is a big part of making yourself a success. I suppose I'm kind of bad at the promotional side. Keep at it.

Look into all types of art from the cl***ics to cartoons. Look at the use of color and how it makes the art "work"
I have a large art library that I refer to all the time. I have lots of "little page" books like Hop Up, Rod & Custom, HONK etc. from the fifties to help keep ME on track. Build that library, there will be lots more to come. It all sinks in.

KEEP DRAWING, KEEP IT FUN.

Hope I'm not a loudmouth new guy.

BR

 

Everybodies covered most of my advice so I'll come at this from a different angle. I've studied graphic arts and architecture. I was in every fine arts cl*** I could take in High school. I studied design early on in college. My dad and most of my 9 siblings are graphic artists. I'm the black sheep who wanted to illustrate and draw cartoons. I'm currently in the animation profession and man have I learned a lot about drawing. Draftsmanship skills are what you're after, that is knowing your tools and your skills and making them come together effortlessly. Not every artist is a great draftsman but that doesn't mean you can't create great art.
Learning to draw in 3-D, which is what animators do; is the art of creating weight, volume and space. I don't look at my drawings as 2 dementional objects but as an object placed in front of you, in space. I think one of the reasons car artists love cars so much is because good design is felt as much as it's seen and that feeling is what we're trying to capture so it's vital to think in terms of volume and space. It is also important to capture the weight of the object. Let the vewer know it's sitting there, all 2 to 4,00 pounds of it. in short tthink in 3-D.
Another thing I tell Artists is to think of your paper as a stone and your pencil as a chisel and carve out your sketches. Really study and observe your subject then go at it. Make plenty of mistakes but don't give up. then let other artist criteque it and give you their coments then apply what you can to the next project. I've said too much. Back to work for me.
Mark