"Ferrari Saleen", 9x9 inches, Black Prismacolor pencil on Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper, 2007
"Loosen up" This is a mantra that I keep in the back of my mind as I practice my drawing skills. After 15 years working at refining my skills as a product illustrator, I have embarked on a program to loosen up my drawing. My earlier professional work focused on clean airbrushed painting and technically accurate rendering. With the explosion of CGI imaging these skills are now out of favor in traditional illustration. I had to adapt by embracing my past as a fine artist--a goal that actually is leading to more rewarding illustration projects.
This drawing of a Ferrari Saleen was developed from a series of reference photos at the 2007 Woodward Dream Cruise. Going from tight rendering to a more interpretive approach was harder than it seemed at first. It took a major re-thinking of the drawing process to move away from a mechanical approach to drawing, toward a more expressive style.
"Ferrari Saleen", detail
I reviewed the work of major illustrators whose drawing I admired. Two favorites are Bernie Fuches and Robert Heindel. Both these artists spent their early years working in Detroit on auto accounts and gradually emerged as nationally respected artists working in highly distinctive styles. What attracted me to their work was the fluid drawing styles they developed as their skills evolved. The use of continuous pencil lines and loose shading in their portrait work informs my own work.
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