Free Artwork

I realized I haven't posted in nearly a week, so I better blog. This 57 Ford was drawn for a guy I met at another blog site. I wanted to do this, because I hadn't done one of these before, and it gave me a chance to work with color. I think I've been avoiding color, because I was getting so comfortable with grays. Well, sometimes you gotta get out of the comfort zone if you wish to progress as an artist. I'm not totally happy with it-but what artist is ever satisfied with his own art. I think it could use smoother transitions between highlights, and some of the line work could use a little help. Hey, it was a quickie, and an experiment with color. I will be doing a lot more with color from now on. However, don't be surprised to see some of the ole black and white as well. I really like the effect of grey tones.

This one, like some of the others is easily purchased on various items in my online store. Like this gentleman, I could draw your car, and Boom! You have everything from t-shirts, to mouse pads, to posters, at your fingertips. You could buy one item, or fifty; it really doesn't matter. Either way, you save money. This is really cool for car clubs. Each member could have their own car on their own shirts, and at the same time have the club logo on all of the shirts within the club. Usually, everybody in the club agrees to a generic shirt, and they add the club logo to it. Where is the individualism in that? Club members are members because it's fun to hang out with different people with different cars. Even if it's a car specific club, like "camaros or model A's" each member wants their own car to be their own. If one guy paints his car the same color as another guy in the club, or ads the same wheels, someone might get a little irritated; heck, some guys would get downright mad. Each member wants to be different within the club. Right? So why buy the same old shirt as everybody else in the club? Have the same "club" logo, but have your own car. Makes sense to me.

Johnnymac

Old School Gasser

This little creation was a lot of fun to draw. I am getting a few pages of print space in Rod & Kulture Illustrated in the spring, and when I sent them a file of the baby carriage, I asked the art director if there was anything he would like me to do. He suggested a gasser. This, my friends is the result. Notice the plug for R&K on the door? The research for this car was very enlightening. Even though I have loved cars all my life, I really didn't know that much about race cars from the early years. Needless to say, there is a ton of info out there is someone is so inclined. The car itself doesn't actually exist; it's components from different cars I found in books, the internet, and of course, my imagination. The concept was from a top view of a 50 Anglia with the front clip removed. That one had an independent front end, so this is made up because I wanted the feel of old school, and nothing says this more than a straight axle. The big block Chevy is from another car, don't remember the type, but it was traditionally carbed- I gave it a home-made type injection system, and the wheels are those cool wagon wheels from the fifties. I've always loved these wheels, so I finally found a place to put them. Nothing reeks of gasser better than a Willies, so of course, I had to do that, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't show way too much detail, so I went ahead and left the front sheetmetal off. Let me know what you think folks, Like it-hate it, either way I'd love to hear your thoughts. I still have the vette in work for ms-p, but if there are any other requests- don't be shy.

Tattoos

I have been getting requests as of late, to do tattoos. At first, I couldn't see why someone would ask this, mainly because I myself don't have any. This is not for any other reason, than I can't think of anything I would want on me for ever. Ironically enough, I have always enjoyed looking at other people's tats. Some of the artwork is truly amazing. But just recently, a friend of mine, who has numerous tattoos, pointed out the reason for the inquiries. The ballpoint pen drawings I do, like this one, look like tattoos. He said it was the same type of work; single-line illustration. Just like artwork done on the skin, the shading is actually small lines, stacked together in a way that gives the illusion of a constant graduation of color. I had never thought of it that way. Now that I look at it, I think he might have a point.( no pun intended)

This one, like the previous, was done with ballpoint pen. Try to zoom in, if you can, and check out the details. Bolts, valves, rocker arms; they are all in there. This is what is truly fun. Sure, it's very "Roth-like" with smoking tires, and a crazed, gearshifting pilot, and it's true, Mr. Roth influenced many generations, so we shouldn't become plagiarist, but I have incorporated a little of my own style into it. It really is fun to draw "rat-fink" style art. There is something unencumbered about it. It's relaxing, and without rules; just big tires, smoke, and a gearshift. Everything else is up to the artist. It's like Big Daddy gave us a "template" on how to effectively draw hotrods. No, it's like he gave us a template on how to illustrate the attitude of hotrodding. This is what made him so influential in the hotrod art world.
Back in the fifties, there was a feeling going around; an attitude; a kind of "underground kulture" was forming that encompassed cars, kids, and the need for freedom. Freedom from their parents, freedom from the restraints of an "obey the rules or else" society, and freedom from, of course, the speed limit. Artists tried, but nobody really ever found a way of tapping into this new way of thinking, until the gods of petrol gave the world Ed Roth. His art didn't just tell the world what these greased-up throttle jockeys were feeling, his art drove it down society's throat. With smoking tires, screaming engines, and a crazy, bug-eyed rodent named Ratfink, this new artistic style hit the hot rod scene in a way that no other artist will ever be able to duplicate.
This is not because he was the best illustrator, or the best painter. In fact, his work wasn't as technical, or as precise as some of his peers like George Trosley, who is a great artists, still pumping them out today. But he's not Big Daddy. So What made an above average artist so great? Well first, we, as artists, need to realize what art truly is. Art is nothing more, and hopefully nothing less, than a tangible display of something that is experienced in a non tangible way. "Whaaaaa?" Art is the expression of emotion. That's it. You see, artist aren't just paintbrush technicians, or pencil actuators. They are communicators. Their job is to communicate their emotions through their art. This is where most of us drop the ball. We focus so intently on being technically correct; "The windshield should look just like this", or "The guys hand is way too large", or "shiny paint needs to reflect just so", that we forget all about the emotions we should be trying to convey. This however, was not Mr. Roth's problem. His art was simple, but effective. Most of his stuff, was nothing more than a rat driving a car, but it was portrayed in such a way, that you ( the viewer) could feel the roar of the engine, you could smell the smoke bellowing off the rear tires, and if you looked at it long enough, you just had to get into your Dad's 58 Pontiac, and burn rubber all the way to A&W. Ed Roth's art encapsulated the attitude, and emotion of a generation. That is why his work was so great. And that is why no one will ever be able to surpass the impact his art has made on the automotive industry, and culture.

I used a ballpoint pen for this one. This is pretty much a bad day, and his expression shows it. Look for hidden details, like the tribute to my mom, and of course, the rose. Some how, I don't think Chevrolet designed the small block for 12,000 rpm.

This is an old truck that I incorporated some "nifty engineering" for the rear end. Note how the rear bumper is held on. Again- my favorite- pen and ink. This represents the way things look, for most of us, too much of the time. The project is in work, unfinished, but in our minds, we see what is soon to come. Ah-if my garage floor was only that clean.

Here is something funky. A baby carriage made from an old pick-up bed. I wanted to do something with a girls touch. After hearing from my niece Paige, I felt inspired. This would be a comfortable ride for any baby. But Mom would have to have to be the size of a gorilla to push it. Hay, you got give to get.