MATERIALS
• Drawing board.
• Arches Aquarelle hot press 300gsm acid free paper, which provides a good balance when detailing and has enough tooth for colouring
• HB pencil for detailing.
• Faber Castel, Derwent and Prismacolor pencils for colouring.
• Razor blade.
• Good pencil rubber, and erasing shield.
• Ruler and circle templates.
• Illuminated magnifying glass, to assist with detail drawing.
STEP ONE
I had the truck placed where I could set up my camera (with tripod) to take sufficient photographs for the drawing. I sometimes take up to 150 photographs, depending upon the size of the rig. I made sure the client was happy with the profile before I took the photographs.
STEP TWO
I downloaded the photographs to my computer. My son Rohan and I enlarged the images to achieve the length I wished to draw. I often use up to ten photographs – depending on the size of the truck – to accomplish this.
STEP THREE
I joined all the photographs together and taped them onto the drawing sheet at my work station, in position ready to start detailing.
STEP FOUR
To begin detailing, I transferred everything from the photographs of the truck to the drawing sheet with a HB pencil (which I kept sharpened like a needle, to get a fine line which makes colouring easier).
My drawings are to scale, and are not sketches. I usually work from left to right, and keep areas which are completed covered so I will not smudge them.
STEP FIVE
Within three weeks of finishing the detail drawing, I visited my art teacher Kristina Browning who is a very accomplished artist in many fields. Together we selected the required coloured pencils to colour the truck.
STEP SIX
Convinced that the detail drawing was entirely finished and nothing had been overlooked, I began colouring, When the work on the truck was finished, I added subtle scenery to enhance the finished product.
STEP SEVEN
I had the original drawing scanned by Binary Master Art at Woorie Yallock in Victoria. This enabled me to get some copies of the drawing offset printed in Bendigo, to sell. Finally, I had the original framed.
I am always relieved when the framing has been done – after all the hours that have gone into producing the picture.
MASTER HINTS AND TIPS
• When doing a section of detailing, be sure to scan over it before you start another section. This helps to ensure that nothing has been missed, before colouring is commenced later.
• Always use a sharp pencil when detailing
• Have patience.
• Choose a good range of coloured pencils.
• Find a good art teacher who you can consult if you run into trouble.
• A good colour chart, and numbering for all your coloured pencils, are two important considerations to help you select your colours easily.
• Every colour scheme I do is documented, recording the pencils chosen to create specific colours. This means I can create the same colours again in the future.
