Passing the time...

"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike) 05/28/2020 at 21:48 • Filed to: Gauges

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I’ve been trying to find something to keep myself occupied and to maybe make a tiny bit of money on the side during this Pandemic lockdown (schools are closed until the fall here with work online...which means no call for substitute teachers like me :( ). I’m on the Canadian government CERB benefit until the first week of July, so that’s a help...

That being said, I downloaded Inkscape on my Linux laptop and Windows desktop and started trying to do some art of quirky cars with the idea I could maybe sell it through RedBubble or something. I’m pretty tech-savvy and know my way around Photoshop fairly well (I have CS4 on my Win10 desktop), but am not super artistic....this is a problem.

The most I managed to accomplish with Inkscap e towards my car art was some pretty decent wheels for a Trabant using a reference image....but trying to do the body and more intimate details may be beyond my skill level...I am just no good with shading and depth and all that stuff as I have never had any art training nor was I ever very good at it! :(

My chosen reference image...

My reference image with the wheels I created in overlay...

SOOOOOOOoooo.....I’ve decided to switch it up and start on a new theme idea for some car art. Gauge clusters from interesting cars with their model designation and common nickname underneath!

My first attempt I started with tonight is for the classic FIAT 500 (surprise surprise!). I started on the cluster art and thought about what would go underneath. The 500 was colloquially known as the ‘Bambino’ in a lot of places and the cluster I am using as a reference was the awesome little jewel of a little round hooded speedo that was used in 500D, 500F and 500R. In my case, my reference image came from the 500F, so I would use its model designation and therefore would write something like: Tipo 110F - ‘Bambino’

My reference image:

And where I am at so far...

Slowly but surely, I guess! I think it should turn out pretty well by the time I am done...this kind of simpler art I should be able to handle and it should still look nice when it’s done, I think! I’ve thought about other cars to do...probably the FIAT 126p, maybe the Trabant...a classic VW Beetle...maybe a classic Porsche 911...might try the classic FSO Polonez dash as its gridlines look is awesome!

Thoughts? Any other not-so-complex-my-meagre-art-skills-would-be-able-to-actually-handle-it gauge clusters you folks think might fit into my idea that you think I could pull off? :)

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 05/28/2020 at 22:30

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I can’t think of any you haven’t named. I’m not sure how to help you with the shading stuff other than doing light studies with a pencil. I taught myself mostly and it’s been a while, but I just kept drawing and eventually got half decent at it. If something begins to get too complex, just remove detail. Sometimes you have to fudge something that doesn’t look like real life and make something that looks good rather than be accurate.

See how I moved things around from my reference imag e and totally ignored areas of distracting detail? I’m no expert but it is crude enough to illustrate the concept.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 05/28/2020 at 23:10

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Yeah....it’s going to take me a lot of practice to get a quarter that good :P

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 05/28/2020 at 23:20

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You just need a little bit of basic understanding to begin feeling comfortable enough to attempt such a thing, which may be more useful than you think.

A light study is not as hard as it sounds. Grab a pencil, paper, lamp, and an object, and do like this

Just start by shading in the shadows lighter than whatever line drawing you begin with. I didn’t position the object to have much contrast, but you get the idea. Most people say to start with a sphere and practice gradients.

I also think I may have misunderstood what this post was asking 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 05/29/2020 at 07:01

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I’ll have to give that a try sometime! :)