Sunday, June 03, 2007

Cars


We went to Djurgården in Stockholm today to check out Gärdesloppet, a veteran race for cars older than 50 years. There´s a great event around this race, gathering cars and car enthusiasts from all over Scandinavia. If you like old cars, this is one grand feast for the eyes.

As I have a plan to start learning how to draw cars this year, I had to go see all these beauties and try to capture a few of them on paper (though I have to admit I captured a huge amount more of them with a camera...).

I hesitated for a bit at first, since there are immense crowds of people in this place and you feel like you are in the way wherever you choose to sit, but eventually I sat down and started drawing in front of this Volvo. I drew directly in ink, so mistakes and mis-measurements that got caught on the paper stayed on the paper. I can see clearly that the poor Volvo doesn´t quite look like itself here, but I´m still happy with two things about this drawing:
1. The vehicle is still in fact recognizable as a Volvo, and
2. I actually drew a car!

The other fella is a Mercedes, though that isn´t very easy to see, because the owner got in behind the wheel and drove off before I even got to the emblem... Oh well. Still, I think I got the angle and the wheels pretty right. (I just discovered today that wheels in perspective is a huge challenge to draw! Practice, practice...)

I love old cars and I must say they give far more inspiration for drawing than modern cars. These oldies have soul, they have design, they have history, they have style, and thanks to the enthusiasts that keep them alive, I´ll bet these veterans will still be rolling when today´s cars are long gone.

Volvo: 19 x 13,5 cm, Mercedes: 15 x 8 cm, Lamy Safaris and Noodler´s Lexington Grey and Black, in sketchbook with unknown paper.

13 comments:

Lin said...

FANTASTIC!!! Such an adorable car -- makes me feel like it could be driven right off the page!

Jenny said...

Love your cars! There is such a beauty and style with the old cars that the new ones will never achieve.

Bob Easton said...

Being somewhat of a car buff, I can assure you that both cars are recognizable by their proportions. The Mercedes is easily recognizable without the emblem. Those are very successful first car drawings. Nice going!

José Louro said...

i find very frustation dawing cars. congratulations about this one.

Gláucia Mir said...

those looked great. I too have been thinking about drawing cars. whn I was a kid, I loved cars, and drew them, so I must get back into it. I gotta find some photos of these oldies!

Africantapestry and Myfrenchkitchen said...

A lovely drawing! And yes me too, I agree, old cars have a charm that you don't find anymore.
Ronell

Anita Davies said...

Great sketch Nina!
Could you tell me, are all Noodles inks waterproof?..eg. is your lexington grey waterproof?
Also could you compare the extra fine nib to something I'd recognise like a 0.1 pen? Is it thinner? Thicker?
Thanx for your time.

biteyourowntail said...

I like your cars very much. Know too what you mean about wheels in perspective - they are the most challenging things I've ever tried to draw.

mrana said...

Wonderful drawing! I've just started drawing cars and now know how difficult it is ... this is beautifully done.

Nancy Van Blaricom said...

Ahhh, we had a Volvo like this one. It was green... sure wish I had it now. Great job.

Anonymous said...

this is great stuff, charming. i too have a plan to finally learn how to draw cars. And there was this great old fifties automobile cruise thing in santa rosa at the weekend with all these cars that looked perfect for drawing, but you know, they were all moving.

Serena Lewis said...

Fabulous work! Great detail ~

Anonymous said...

I immediately recognized the Volvo -- i am impressed by your treatment of it. Can't wait to see the next car you draw :-)