Teaches Graphic Design at Western

Vehicle Illustration

Illustration Concepts

The project

Find a high resolution reference photo of a vehicle. Resize your photo so it will fit in the 7.5" x 10" image area. Print your photo on the Xerox.

Use the Artograph or transfer paper to transfer the high resolution photo onto the drawing paper provided. Use very light pencil lines.

Vehicle photo transfered to paper in light pencil lines

Use colored pencils to draw a transportation vehicle. Strive for tight realism.

Build up color slowly

Start light and layer on more color. Try mixing colors on a test sheet to find just the right mix for your vehicle color.

Apply color lightly and in a circular or random motion to avoid creating noticeable strokes.

Shading

To make a color darker, try layering it with its compliment. For example, to make blue darker try layering it with orange instead of black.

Preserve your whites

Remember, the white pencil will not draw white on top of a color. The white pencil will only force the color into the paper making the color more vibrant. Keep the highlights white by keeping pigment away from them and letting the paper show through.

No strokes

Do not outline doors, hoods and windows with a black stroke. In realistic illustrations, color and value changes suggest edges, and sometimes edges fade in and out of focus.

Chrome is a mirror

Chrome has no color. It is not silver. It simply reflects everything around it. Draw what you see in the reflection and it will look like shiny chrome.