Art, a Gathering... and an Invader

If you've been reading this blog for any time, you undoubtedly know about my involvement with Motorburg.com, the community, forum and magazine for automotive artists, designers and enthusiasts (and if you've been looking for just such a place, get over there and join in the fun!). I bring this up because over in the 'Burg, we have some HUGE things planned... Most notably the Motorburg Design Center to be featured at the 41st NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, KY, August 5-8, 2010.

Motorburg’s associate artist list reads like a “who’s who” of rod & custom art and design and includes: Darrell Mayabb – Thom Taylor – Jimmy Smith – C•Cruz – Greg Tedder – Ralph Burch – Brian Stupski – C. Smith… as well as CARtoon greats Nelson Dewey and Errol McCarthy. The Design Center gallery will display art by these associates as well as prints and portfolios by Motorburg’s talented forum members.

The exhibit will feature the Charlie Smith designed 1941 Buick Centurion Roadster – a removable-top beauty built by the late Egon Necelis and still turning heads after more than twenty years “on the road”. Of special interest will be the display of the “Invader” – America’s Most Beautiful Roadster in both 1967 & ‘68 and the subject of a Motorburg Forum design challenge.  You’ll also get to watch as artists work in the exhibit’s two design studios, in traditional and digital fashion. The public is invited to get up close and personal as the designers do their magic on paper and monitor.

Additionally, the exhibit will display several rods and customs designed by the stylists, along with drawings and illustrations involved in the actual build.So, stop by and “talk shop” with the artists, builders and industry guests at the “Motorburg Design Center”. They’re in space 1001 through 1003 that's 20-feet by 70-feet of eye candy and artistic inspiration!)  at this year’s NSRA Nats.

Aside from the plotting, planning and organization (as well as trying to get the word out there about the event) for the Design Center, it's been steady in the Studio, which is great. I took a little time and pounded out some work which had been burrowing a hole in the right half of my brain, and used up the last of the Masonite in the garage:

...as well as a few client works that went a step beyond the typical rendering, and grew into little chunks of fine art all their own:

That said, hope you dig the new stuff (check out the website, and see about having your own hot rod art created!), and please spread the word about the Motorburg Design Center! Hope to see you there!

Like it's 1999!

...and yeah, it's a little crazy, but so was this past year.

Starting today (12.30.09), you can order a single-view rendering (front 3/4, rear 3/4 or profile, whichever you like!) at prices we had in 1999! That's right, a single-view rendering of your hot rod, custom car, street machine, classic, daily driver, whatever for a discount! (pricing info is on our site at problemchildkustoms.com)  That's a fully-detailed, highest quality, 19x13-inch piece of art, ready to frame at HUGE savings...

These aren't some knocked-back, lesser quality versions.... These are the real deal, Studio PCK renderings as you've seen in the magazines and the Hot Rod Art Book. The very same detailed pieces we provide to the top shops when laying out a project car, or preparing artwork for promotional use and portraits as well!

All work is of the highest quality, and all renderings come delivered on superior quality stock, feature archival inks (8-color process with incredible depth and saturation), and are ready to frame. Naturally, all of this is subject to a limited-time offer, and full details are available on our site at www.problemchildkustoms.com

It's our way of saying "Thank You" for getting to do what we love every day, and saving you some cash on some great art. This is an incredible time to get that one-of-a-kind gift for someone special, and perhaps even knock out next years Christmas list for your hot rod building family member or enthusiast. Thanks again, and feel free to hit us up HERE, or give us a call in the Studio (contact info is HERE) with any questions, or to get the ball rolling on YOUR rendering. Happy New Year, and thanks again!

Rendered Hope...

It’s here!!! The 2010 Rendered Hope Charity Calendar featuring transportation artwork from professional designers. This years calendar has a great mix of work from OEM, Hot Rod and Entertainment Designers. There is feature artwork from the hot Camaro, Corvette Stingray Concept, Scott Robertson’s crazy ships, west coast Hot Rods and more!

I was among the fortunate few to receive an invitation to be a part this year, and am stoked to have a piece featured among my heroes and colleagues, and even dragged legendary hot rod designer Charlie Smith along for the fun, adding a double-shot of Motorburg flavor to the mix! Just like last year 100% OF THE PROCEEDS will go toward buying Hot Wheels and toys for the Detroit Children’s Hospital annual Snow Pile Event. This is a great cause that you surely want to support... and you can certainly understand how incredible it is to see OEM guys giving back. Head on over to their merch store and grab a gift that not only supports a great cause, but gives back twelve times a year with some fantastic artwork! This is a great-quality and big calendar, too, at 11x17 with thick card stock and full bleed printing. Very high quality indeed, and with art from guys like Scott Robertson, yours truly, Micah Jones, Raza Bashir, Mark Weaver, Dustin Shedlarski, Wayne Manista, Charlie Smith, Dwayne Vance, Arvind Ramkrishna, and Sangyup Lee, it's a virtual "who's who" of OEM and hot rod design and artistry! Certainly a future collectible.

The calendar is a limited edition print and will be on sale now through the end of the year. So spread the word and get it while you can! We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be involved with this project, and appreciate your help in getting the word out there more than can be expressed here. Thanks again, and Happy Holidays!

Hot rod art

…and prints that really “pop”.

Traditional Lakes Roadster artwork

As we were packing up some prints to ship out the other day, a friend stopped by and began to rave about the color and quality of these pieces. Naturally, I was stoked to hear this, and realized that I’d never really given much thought to it. After all, I see them from loose pencil roughs on paper, right though completion in digital, and all of the post-print work that goes into them, and simply want to deliver a piece that looks good. To me, each piece just has to look “right”. My pal then gave me an idea: Show some of these pieces as they look on paper, complete… ready to ship. So, I snapped a few pics of some pieces, and wanted to share a few examples with you, just to show what kind of quality you’ll receive when ordering one of our prints:

1955 Chevy rendering

Our renderings for example, are delivered on superior quality, acid-free archival paper, and the work itself is created using an 8-color pigment process (UltraChrome K3 by Epson), and all post-print work (airbrush, etc) is created using Createx and House of Kolor products for the truest color matches and best ‘flakes and pearls where needed. I’ve never really promoted these facts, as I assumed that all renderings and prints were created equal, but after receiving a ton of positive feedback, I thought I’d share it here, and hopefully swing anyone thinking about grabbing a print over to the “yeah, I’ll take one” camp!

Just for kicks, here’s an example of the detail I like to throw in, these shots coming from a ‘55 Chevy resto-mod rendering:

1955 Chevy interior drawing

…and yes, you can even read the lettering on all gauges:

1955 Chevy dashboard rendering

That all shown, we’re pretty proud of the finished product, and hope that you will be, too! Even the experimental works have been turning out with a great look:

Automotive fine art

I hope that you like what you see, and that all of the techno-jargon makes sense. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to hit me up, and I’ll get you an answer! Thanks for looking in, and thanks to all who have been collecting my work! Look for more new pieces soon!

…and feel free to browse or grab some hot rod art here!