Hot Rod Art Book by Designer Dwayne Vance

The Hot Rod Art book: Masters of chicken scratch is a book of 13 highly respected and talented artists from the industry.

While I am fairly new to the art and design scene in the Hot Rod world, I know many people in the industry from my years working as a designer for Hot Wheels. (Dwayne designed one of my favorite hot wheels) I now have my own design company and still do design work for Hot Wheels as well as several other companies. I design things from snowmobiles to concepts for video games. I started doing Hot Rod art about a year and a half ago and it only fueled my passion for the automobile. My fascination with cars began at a very early age. I grew up around cars and rebuilt my first muscle car at the age of 16 with my dad. I attended the Art Center College of design and received my degree in transportation design. My professional design career started with Troy Lee Designs in Corona, California, as a designer of high-end motocross protective gear. I then became a senior designer for Mattel, Hot Wheels Division. I developed everything from Hot Wheels to entire lines of toys. I then returned to Troy Lee Designs and eventually began my own company “Future Elements”.

I originally began The Hot Rod Art book as a personal portfolio to showcase my hot rod artwork. Once I started the Hot Rod Art book it motivated me to create some new hot rod art for it. Some of the new material I created for the book is very much my personal taste and is highly influenced by WWII aircraft. They go together so well because they all come from the same era. I combined the aircraft and classic cars to create some unique hot rods that you might see on the slat flats. The first part of the book shows the stages I go through to create different pieces of art. The last half of the book contains 12 other artists from up and coming to seasoned veterans like Steve Stanford, Thom Taylor and Larry Wood. I am always inspired by other artists and decided it would be fitting to include them in the book. I began by asking a few of my friends if they were interested in being in the book and they were thrilled about the idea. I then approached Larry Wood about doing the forward in the book. He suggested I ask Thom Taylor and Steve Stanford. As a result the book went from a personal project to a full blown hot rod art book. So please see www.hotrodartbook.com for more information and to preorder your book now.

The video below shows just a clip of the CD that’s included with the book.

Hot Rod Art Book Sample Video from Dwayne Vance on Vimeo.

Here’s a peak inside the book… Make sure you pick one up here: Hot Rod Art book

Complete list of artists featured inside Hot Rod Art Book: Masters of Chicken Scratch include Dwayne Vance, Brian Stupski, Randy Ricklefs, John Bell, Eric Brockmeyer, Michael Miernik, Max Grundy, Jimmy Smith, James Owens, Justin Chin, Thom Taylor, Larry Wood, Steve Stanford.

Artistic Photo Effect Applied to Hot Rods

A person seeing my photography for the first time usually pauses for a moment, gazing, trying to understand just what it is they are looking at. I start to smile, knowing what is coming next. I say, “No…It’s a photograph”. The reply is almost always, “Really, I thought this had been airbrushed or something.”

The beauty of a well-designed automobile, truck, or, motorcycle inspires me to photograph them. I have a true appreciation for all the time and effort needed to bring a vehicle to a prime conditioned state. I see photography as a means of permanently recording that beauty.

When I first began searching the internet for a more artistic type of photography, I came across a series of photographs from Trey Ratcliff at the website: www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms. Trey produces amazing photographs with HDR, a computer generated enhancement tool. To fully understand all the nuances of HDR, check out the website, www.HDR.com.

The HDR technique I use blends several photos together bringing to life the color and texture that is seen, but not recorded by a single photograph. Every reflection, color, and shadow is enhanced to a degree that emulates what the human eye comprehends.

To produce a finished photo, I begin by taking a minimum of three shots of my subject from a tripod, each at a different exposure setting. During bright days, the exposures are set at a full stop apart; and on more overcast days, I work with about a 1/3 stop. (in case you’re like me and needed to know more about “f-stop or what’s a “full stop”, check this wikopeida reference)

These next 3 shots show the three variations of exposures:

(you can click on these photos to see them full size. The change from one to the next is subtle withou studying them.)

Shooting from a tripod insures that the three shots line up when it comes time to merge them together.

Exposure blending takes these three shots and combines all of the highlights and shadows together, improving the overall tonal range of light and dark. The blending is done with the HDR (High Dynamic Range) software. Notice the subtle differences between the 3 shots above and the blended photo shown here:

At this point, it is time to add the final artistic details. This step allows me the freedom to “colorize” the photo. “Colorization” involves utilizing software like Adobe Photoshop to break down a photograph to its individual components and then enhance the colors.

1. First, I address the TONE of the photo by balancing overall lightness and darkness. I want to able to see details in the shadows, but not blast the sky to complete white.

2. Next, I address the COLOR saturation and temperature (the warmth or coolness of the photo) to bring out highlights. For this process I use the “Image Adjustments” feature of Photoshop.

3. Finally, I use the software to clean up small details as some colors may not look right after the other changes have been made, in other words, they may look “fake” or “brassy”. For example, if the grass around the car appears too green, I would tone down the green or yellow. If the chrome is reflecting too much of the sky, I would tone down the blue.

Throughout the colorization process, it helps to visualize what you want in the final photograph.

Every photo has to be treated individually-some photos scream for over-the-top colorization, while others may need all color removed, producing a dramatic effect in black and white.

During a car show, I typically take 300 to 500 shots. I really need to work with all the photos to see just what is going to be usable. Out of all of the blended shots, maybe a 100 or so are run through Photoshop to bring out all the details you see in the finished product. Photos that may have looked promising in the beginning of the process can turn out uninspiring, while shots that didn’t look so good to begin with can really turn out well!

The rewards for taking time to produce something special can really pay off! Car owners never tire of looking at great design. The HDR photo technique I use sets my photos apart from the rest, and keeps car lovers coming back for more. In addition, the personal satisfaction I get from seeing the enjoyment of others drives me to continue to produce my style of photographs.

Alan57

Alan’s Home page:www.alan57.com

Let’s give Alan a warm welcome to MyRideisMe.com. If anyone else would like to share their knowledge of photography or hot rod folklore, please get in touch. Thanks Alan!

More Hot Rod Pics from Car-N-Art.com

I met Keven Carter doing what I do best… surfing the web for the best Hot Rod and bike sites out there. Keven’s been sharing his work at Photobucket where old ladies looking for pics of grandkid and quilting pics browse. I talked him into letting MyRideisMe.com have a few. It’s a cool mix of black and whites and color shots of mostly period correct style hot rods and kustoms with a few pinups mixed in just for fun. Keven shared this brief bio… Ever since I was a young boy I wanted to grow up and own a car with fins. Since the automotive world looks to never go back down that road, I was compelled to look to the past. I have always been fascinated with old cars and vintage design elements, from packaging to advertising. I’m a graduate of The Center for Creative Studies (now College of Creative Studies, CCS) in Detroit, Michigan where I received my bachelors of fine art with a focus in Animation. My creative endeavors aren’t limited to animation, but rather they span from Video installations, Sound Design, Film Production, Music, Photography, Graphic Design, and even Painting. My focus here at Car-N-Art.com is to display my visual arts of what has inspired me as a native Detroiter. My muse can be found in traditional tattoos, vintage Halloween decorations, automobiles of nearly any age. I’m a self confessed junk collector and have often been seen picking through your trash and loading it into my truck.To learn a little more, check out Keven’s Myspace Page. I’ve inserted just a few of my favorites pictures from what Keven sent over. Please make him feel welcome by visiting his home page at Car-N-Art.com. In addition to the pics, he does graphic design and has this print for sale for $25.

The rest of his pics can be seen in the photo gallery (Click here). Dig it! Thanks Keven!

Or, check out all the Pinups here MyRideisMe.com Pinups Models & Hot Rods

Hot Wheels and Nintendo? Dwayne’s Blog

So I’m cruising the Grand National Roadster Show with ProblemChildKustom’s Brian Stupski. He freak’n knows just about everyone, so it doesn’t surprise me when he knows Dwayne. Dwayne’s got a booth at the Grand-daddy show and in the main hall no less. He’s selling these prints like hotcakes: (click to enlarge, it’s worth it!)

I’m pretty sure these are all $10 and available at Dwayne’s Website: FutureElements.net Store

These drawings are enough for a wicked blog, but that’s not what I’m writing about. As I was thumbing through some of Dwayne’s work, I see one of my favorite Hot Wheels, simply named 49 Merc.

I’m impressed. We all played (or still play) with Hot Wheels, so now I’ve met the dude who designed one of my favorites. So I started asking a bunch of questions…

1) How did you first get involved with Hot Wheels (Mattel)
That’s a very interesting story. I was taking a class for 3D using Alias Autostudio while working at Troy Lee Designs and I was learning how to build things in 3D. I got to know a few guys in class and they were all professional working for various companies. I started hanging out with one guy but I never asked what he did. We both had such a passion for cars that we just talked about cars all the time. Then one day he asked me “Do you have any friends that can draw cars well?” He was thinking since I was at Troy Lee Designs that I didn’t know how to draw cars. So I said “ Well I know how to draw cars, why? Then he said “ I am looking for someone to hire because we need help… I am the director of Hot Wheels and we looking for some good guys.” My eyes lit up and I said “I would love to draw cars for Hot Wheels, what do I need to do to apply” So he told me to bring my portfolio to him next time and he’d take a look. I brought my stuff and he basically hired me right there on the spot. I was at Hot Wheels about 3 weeks later and they gave me my first Hot Wheels to design which was the 68 Mustang “Boss Hoss” and the racing Lexus IS. Then I worked on various toy lines and several basic cars.

2) If you were a big hot wheels kid, (who wasn’t?) what was your favorite hot wheel?
Mmmm, good question. Well first I’m going to be biased and pick one of my own designs and that’s “Bully Goat”, What I thought the GTO should have looked like. Just for the record I designed it before the new Camaro ever came out, it has some similar characteristics. But as a kid one of my favorites was probably “Iced-T” I had several of them so if I lost one I had another one. I always wanted to do a remake of that model.

3) What kind of guidance did you get from Hot Wheel/Mattel about the design? Did they want a sled? If so, why do you think they picked you?
Yes I did have some guidance. Hot Wheels wanted several designs done that had different proportions for vehicles. Me and another guy Eric worked on this stuff and he actually drew the proportion with the big front end. So I added my take on it and I drew the 49 Merc to fit those proportions and everyone loved it.

(How cool are the extra hood pinstriping ideas Dwayne laid out?)

4) Anything we don’t know about the car/process that’s cool/unusual/interesting?
Well most of cars are built 3-up. So it is 3 times the size of the original Hot Wheel. I have My “Boss Hoss” and 64 Impala models. They look really cool when they are bigger.

So to wrap up the creative genius that is Dwayne, I had to ask him about this crazy drawing video he did on a what? Nintendo DS? (That’s still kinda freaking me out!)

Dwayne told me: I recently had a friend tell me about a drawing program for a Nintendo DS called “Colors”. The only way you can run it though is by modifying the DS with a Flashcart and a micro flash card. Basically it replaces a game cartridge and allows you to run new software on it. Then you install Colors and use it as a small digital sketchbook. It is really fun to doodle on. It is kind of like having a digital sticky pad with me all the time. It’s funny I draw for a living and I still love to draw in my free time.

So the drawing I did probably took about an hour and a half total. I did it with nothing in front of me I just started doodling and this is how it came out. Here’s a pic of the finished sketch.

Click on the picture of “Dusty Rod” to see the video over at FutureElements.net (it’ll be worth it!)

Too much! I gotta let my son see that so maybe he’ll give Star Wars and Mario Karts a rest!

Dwayne’s got some new stuff coming out soon. He’s making a book for the LA Roadster Show that will feature a lot of my sketches and artwork. I will also give an incite look on how I create a few of my drawings. He’s also got a few new pieces that will be on hand patined metal. Then, check out his website for a step by step process of how I work and get my art on the metal. The store for all of the $10 artwork and the tutorial section just went up.

I hope you enjoyed this blog as much as I enjoyed meeting Dwayne. Look for stories in the future.

Want to have a look around this website? Start here in the Killer Garages. Thanks for looking! If you like what you see, please JOIN!

More from Dwayne Vance.  Here’s a link to his new book called, “Hot Rod Art Book, Masters of Chicken Scratch”.  Get it in advance and save $5.

Foose-like, Start to Finnish

I was hoping Janne Kutja, our friend from Finland would add more of his Chip Foose-likework to his garage here at MyRideisMe.com. His garage is looking good.

Here’s more about Janne, in his own words:

I’m Janne Kutja born in 1980 in southern Finland. I grew up there in small village, and got interested in cars was little kid. I used to draw my own car models back then, I didn’t look at any pictures. I guess that’s the reason I got interested in hot rods and customs. Hot rod magazines then fed my hunger and customs were the most interesting, especially when I saw Cadzzilla on the cover of the Finnish Street & Race Magazine (RIP), that was and still is really a huge hit. I did build model cars but I couldn’t find time, so focused more on artwork. I’ve drawn cars quite actively 12 years or so. I build cars too, but haven’t had time or money to do it much lately. My favorite’s sheetmetal work when it comes to building cars, and I even have chopped half dozen cars, some of them with my brother. My own projects are ´47 Ford Club coupe and ´63 PV both are customs.

I have been studying industrial design in Lahti Institute of Design four years now (almost graduated). Before that I was one year at art school. Nowadays, I do alot of illustarations and (custom) concepts mainly for private customers and friends. In many cases we discuss about the project and usually my customers agree with my concept. Once we agree, I start to draw, sometimes I’ll do a couple sketches before final work.

Janne is certainly talented! Be sure to check out Janne’s Garage and his website. Janne has also agreed to donate to the My Ride is Me membership drive. If you like his art work, maybe you’ll win an original print! Stay tuned!

Where’s the other Finnish hot rodders? I know you’re out there! Please leave a comment.

A Great Start – Concept Drawings

Check out the art and design of MyRideisMe.com member Brian Stupski of Problem Child Kustoms

If you’re like me, before you even purchase a car, you’ve made the plan in your head. After buying the car, the next step is usually trying to find the parts you need to start building your dream, but that’s not how big time builders do it… their next step is always a concept illustration ala Chip Foose on Overhauln’. When your dream takes shape on paper, you’re miles ahead to getting what you want… You’ve got a real plan. That’s where Brian at Problem Child Kustoms comes in. How sweet is this illustration!

Click to Buy!
PCK’s prints have to been seen. For $25, the color of these prints will blow you away!

Brian’s a hot rod and custom car designer that actually builds HIS dreams when time allows. He grew up on the standard Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines and got the drawing bug from MAD Magazine (Mort Drucker’s his hero) and from CARtoons magazines. Now, after hard work refining his skills, Brian’s been published in the mags he grew up reading like: Hot Rod Magazine, Street Trucks and Custom Rodder, not to mention a bunch of graphic design, website design, t-shirts and logo work. He’s proud to be showing his backside to the doubters he met along the way that said he won’t go anywhere drawing cars!

Here’s an illustration of the sick Project Panther. It’s a hybrid Camaro and Nova spliced together made just for Brian. Look for this one soon…

So take a look at Brian’s website and the work Problem Child Kustoms has done. You’d be surprised to find that his illustrations are very reasonable and after you’re done, you can hang it on your wall!

He’ll do a one view sketch all theway to routing your brake lines, all from the illustration.

Brian’s a member at MyRideisMe.com and has used his garage to showcase the work he’s done. Here’s a link to his garage. If you’re also an artist, please feel free to post your work and use the garage as an online portfolio with links to your page. Thanks to Brian for being a great friend to MyRideisMe.com! I’m trying to slip into his schedule to do a concept for my 61 Rambler American Wagon. Watch for that one too!

Please join MyRideisMe.com and get your own Custom Garage Space (that one’s mine!) to put pictures of your car, project or whatever you’re driving!

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Just in from Problem Child Kustoms:
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The graphics are high-quality, sharp and have tremendous color.
This is a phenominal quality piece to hang in the garage, office or shop, and is equally suited to ride. Start a collection today!

Or better yet, use a custom designed skate deck as your new, “Best of Show” trophy or cruise night give-away. There”ll be nothing else like it!

This deck is #6 in the series.
Graphics feature the highly-requested Hollywood 40 artwork, filling the deck with the most important part of the story: that blown mill.

Check out the Problem Child Kustoms Store

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Vintage Drag Racing Photobook

I’ve found a book I’ve got to tell you about. It’s called Speed Kings by the German Hot Rod & Pin-Up Photographer Dirk Behlau. Dirk was kind enough to let MyRideisMe.com use a photo he took, including Switzerland’s premier pinup model Zoe Scarlett, for a promotional flier at Billetproof. While I rush to get this photo printed, I’ll let Dirk describe the book in his own words:

It’s a Satanic drag thing you wouldn’t understand! It’s not what you think it is. It’s pure power, adrenaline, danger, suspense, Pin-Ups, passion and soul. Call it Rock ‘n’ Roll! Die Gestalten proudly present “Speed Kings”, the hottest publication this summer’s likely to see. “Speed Kings” presents photographs by Dirk Behlau that show the wonderful world of Drag racing. My photographs skillfully capture the primordial displays of power and high-tech, the eroticism of machines and the open flirtation with death and destruction. It was certainly not Jesus who built these Hot rods but dedicated people who create, drive and admire their time bombs like no-one else. Drag racing’s individual brand of aesthetics fascinates an ever-growing community of fans all around the world. Drag racing is down-to-earth as well as accessible and affordable. Like we said, it’s Rock ‘n’ Roll!

Speed Kings – Racing Photography by Dirk Behlau
Pages: 128
Size: 26×18 cm
Release: 16. August 2007 / Published by Die Gestalten
Price: $ 42 / 29,90 / £ 25.99 /
ISBN: 978-3-89955-197-6

Watch for the picture of Zoe Scarlett… coming soon!!