Stage 1

With a normal black biro I have drawn this on marker paper, using a photo as an underlay. At this stage I find it important to think how I am going to colour the vehicle, as this dictates the thickness of the lines. For instance on the body side, where the varying darkness of the colour work will show the body creases, I use lighter lines that will be invisible in the final piece. However, around areas like the headlamps and grill where I know that there will be a high contrast in colour darkness, I have really darkened and thickened my lines. The most important thing is not to trace your lines with no thought. You should try to get what is usually referred to as “quality in your lines”. It’s a very hard thing to explain but the more you draw, the more you will get a feeling for what this is.

Stage 2

Before starting this stage it is important to decide where you want your light source to be as this dictates where you are putting down the colours. I have decided to use a light source that is just above the horizon at the top left of the page. This means that a long shadow will be cast, and the visible side of the vehicle will be in shade. Using marker pens I have blocked in the areas I know to be darkest. When colouring I try to aim for a very graphic final look. To achieve this I usually colour the ground, lamps and details darker than the bodywork. I have used Extra Black on the ground and vents, then Cool Grey 6 and 7 along with Ruby red in the interior. Note that on areas of the interior behind the shadowed part of the screen I have used colour shades slightly darker than on the lighter side of the screen. I did this by going over these parts with the same marker again after the page had fully dried. In theory you can reach 3 shades of the same colour using this method. The effect that you should be trying to achieve is that glass reflecting a bright light (the sky) is harder to see through than when it is in shade.

Stage 3

Still using the marker pens I have now blocked in the bodywork using the Cream Chartpak Marker. Note that I have left the surfaces facing in the direction of the light source white. Apart from those two small areas however the rest of the body is coloured. When choosing a colour for this stage, remember that it will represent the lightest areas of your bodywork except white areas, so it is probably wise not to choose too dark a colour. When using marker pens to block in such large areas of colour it is also important not to work too slowly. If you let a part of the page dry then have to go over it again you will be left with a patchy block of colour.