Vintage

 

9/27/22 Maple Leaf neighborhood

When I walk due north on Eighth Northeast about 10 blocks, I always pass this vintage car parked at the bottom of a long driveway. It hasn’t budged from this spot ever, so I’m assuming it can’t. It’s probably somebody’s “project” when they get around to it. I have wanted to sketch it many times, but there’s no shade where I’d have to stand to see it, so I’ve been waiting for the right time and day.

The day finally came: Walking back from Alice’s house after delivering the commissioned drawing, I was downright chilly on that overcast morning; no shade needed. I wasn’t sure of the car’s make, and I could barely see the logo from that distance. Afterwards I looked up images on Google, and I was convinced it’s a 1960s Cadillac, but a couple of Instagram followers think it’s a 1966 Pontiac Grand Prix.

Material notes: With most subject matter, I don’t hesitate to use a bold brush tip Uni Pin for a small sketch like this (made in a 4-by-5 ¾-inch Uglybook), but with little experience drawing this shape of vintage car, I was a little tentative. I pulled out the only graphite pencil I had in my small fitness-walking bag – a Viarco ArtGraf. I wasn’t sure if a graphite line could hold its own against this assertive green paper, but I’d hoped that the graphite being water-soluble would help. Even with water, it’s a little paler than I like (the highlights were made with a white colored pencil). My white-paper Uglybook, which I also had with me at the time, would have been a better choice with graphite. Well, I’ll think of this one as a study and go back for a shot another time – maybe larger.

Colored papers are so much fun to use, but they can be somewhat limited in the types and colors of media that can be used with them. It’s fun to experiment and push those limits, though.