Sharpie Camaro

[Charley Lillard]

So now every time someone takes a Sharpie to a car it is a ripoff ? To me it is a style of Art. Look at the Black and white one above. Good art leads your eyes on a journey. You don't just stare at it. When I look at it I follow it around and enjoy all the thought he put into it. Cool piece.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

it aint the sharpie Charles..

you aint looking at it.. theres even examples..

[Pinstripe Chris]

I'd like to quote someone i respect and has a nice sharp view on things... Trent Reker of Biker Metric.com:

"as for the (dudes) that hammer you for doing sharpie stuff, (screw) them. in every movement, there is the founder, and a thousand others who start working the same style. that is just how it is. you could say that the guy that did the lambo was just a lucky graffiti artist, which is what i think. just because somebody does something first, everybody else is not excluded from trying their hand at it. can you imagine if that was how the world was? we'd all be living in caves, killing anybody who comes up with a better way to start a fire with rocks."

In this 1 roof i showed you i had a few cues from the lambo becuase i love the way it looks, but there is no way i can really copy what Jona Cerwinske has done. I have done cars, tables and walls with this stuff and as you can imagine, it always comes out different. I'll have the next test panel done in the next day or so

[Pinstripe Chris]

Just got the artwork done on this corvette roof... this time the concept is camaro stripes filled in with sharpie artwork. I really like this one... maybe in part because its not on a yellow car. This is more the direction that i would like to go on a dealer car. Any thoughts?

[twosaturns]

Dude... not... even... close. While i agree that our inspirations come from all over- i've never even heard of those cars, and IMO, they're weak.

you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but MY opinion is you cannot be considered a credible automotive artist if you've never even heard of the BMW art cars.
and since you ASKED for our thoughts, to me you're just doodling on a car w/ a marker. that's weak.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

yep... ya did playboy.




but again...

you getting money?

good for you.. good FOR you.

[2Bad4Ya]

ok hmmm...

I appreciate the work that goes into making that type of artwork. I am not a big graffiti fan so on that basis it does not appeal to me. However done more like the bmw hood was done is more appealing. It is not really graffiti its abstract. Now yours has some abstract aspects but then it has automotive inspired itesm in the mix. I dont car for the pistons, shocks, spark plugs etc... I would not want script in it that says chevrolet or the blue cross if it were me. Those items detract from the artistic aspact and are simply not needed on the car again since it will have chevrolet badging on it already.

Step back and pull from a different genre. so instead of a mix of pistons, zig zags, etc... go with something different in each theme. Do one theme with intricate aztec/mayan/etc... imagry. Do another with a 20's era geo type patterning mixed with some musical aspects, things like that but do not go down the car related imagry on a car. Thats the trick I think, make it look like art... not an attempt to identify or define it as a car.

You want ot make a kickass design... go japanese tattoo style on that boy inside the old school z strip, or on a fender/hood corner to make it look like its on a persons shoulder/chest. A big black/white koi tattoo with lightbars & waves would be more appealing than the graffiti I think.

[Pinstripe Chris]

Opinions of others are important, but they dont shape me. I appreciate the number of comments even though they're mostly hate...

Those bmw art cars are what? nice? right....

[2Bad4Ya]

I don't think anyone was trying to hate, just being honest/blunt in their opinions. Which is a good way to sample a design idea as long as your posing the same poll on various other sites beside this one.

I just think you will find the sharpie art played out a cpl yrs ago but there is chance to perhaps do a couple one off designs that may sell quickly for the dealer. Personally the arrows, waves, scales, etc in your last image are cool its justthe focus items that distract from the artistic value. replace those pistons etc... with some skulls, spider webs, hell even butterflies or dragonflies, etc... just a non automotive theme is where the ticket is.

Its almost like getting a tattoo of a tattooed dudes back on your back.

[Pinstripe Chris]

I really like the input im getting, even the 'blunt' stuff. The idea of not using car stuff and going more tattoo is a really cool idea. The drawback i have on these concepts is that i have to get these approved by 3 different people with 3 different opinions. The first guy says try and throw some car theme in there... the second guy says tone it down... and the third says jazz it up. I'd rather be able to do things more to my own taste, and i am trying... however i have to work within guide lines (which sucks) so that i can have the opportunity at all. I do have this up on 2 other forums (camaro specific) and my blog and my gallery page. In each place it has a different review. Which i expect. I have found that the more the artwork is related to the car, the more the dealership seems to like. I have done a number of concepts for them to try and figure out the direction they want to go. Thanks to everyone for there opinions!

And yes, this is a paying job and thats why we do the work, right? to get paid. I love doing this kind of work too... i also do airbrushing and pinstriping but this has got their attention... for now.

[Smock67]

I hope that doing this kinda work which seems like your not too fond of because you don't seem to have full control over what you're doing opens the doors for more of your own artistic expression. I will say you have talent that's for sure. I do have to ask because I'm curious whats the link to your gallery? I'd like to check out some of your other work.

[Pinstripe Chris]

The absolute hardest part of this almost 2 month process has been that i found out that i didnt have the freedoms i was thinking when i first got on board. I am also doing this on my own personal car, and it will reflect more accuratly my personal style in regurads to sharpie stuff. I love doing the sharpie stuff, but in any art, i feel like you loose the 'art' appeal when you set parameters. Thanks for asking about my gallery... my website is www.PinstripeChris.com and just hit the gallery link. If by any chance you see something that might be cooler on a car like this, by all means let me know. Worst i can do is present it to them.

www.PinstripeChris.com

[Charley Lillard]

Great stuff...

[Smock67]

First thing that comes to find is try to tie in some pinstripe design into the actual graffiti, something your good at and reflects more of you while still adhering to some of their guidelines.

[TonyL]

Just got the artwork done on this corvette roof... this time the concept is camaro stripes filled in with sharpie artwork. I really like this one... maybe in part because its not on a yellow car. This is more the direction that i would like to go on a dealer car. Any thoughts?

There are elements of this one that I do like. This one is missing many of the lambo style elements and makes it more original.

I actually like the car themed things, the wires and plumbing and gears are actually a good idea.

[2Bad4Ya]

yeah in the end you gotta give the customers what they want. But if were me I would not meet with any of the 3 people ALONE. Meet with them all 3 at the same time or not at all, otherwise as you have seen you will get conflicting visions.

Just like each of us on here give you a different opinion. For example I like the stuff you did on the caddie hood, and the panels you did on the snow days found in your gallery. Even though I did not go for the car theme on the examples posted here, the caddie had a better mix of different themes and less focused on he car theme I thought.

[Z06killinSBF]

You put only 4 spark plugs on both of them.......just saying....

[formula]

Dude... not... even... close. While i agree that our inspirations come from all over- i've never even heard of those cars, and IMO, they're weak.

Trying to find a gentle way to put this--I'm not trying to be mean, but this is somewhat akin to starting a rock band and saying "yeah, realistically, guys like Zeppelin, Metallica, The Who, and Nirvana? They're pretty terrible." Maybe you need to put these into temporal perspective to see what they were and how they could help you, but I think you could draw a LOT of knowledge about how to make a design really, really work when you're using a car as your canvas by studying these. Ok maybe not Rhode's, as he used the car to create art instead of adding art to the car, but many of the others. Do your own thing for sure, but "respect the classics, maaaaan".

But amir's right:


Long as the dealer's paying you, you're good to go in the end.

[Pinstripe Chris]

The bmw art cars are an interesting set for their time. In the search for inspiring ideas i recently went to the Hirshorn museum in Dc. I found virtually identical styles of things i was drawing that were actually made in the 1920's. I've spent a great deal of time researching the field of the catagories i've been drawing from. My comment on the bmw cars was directed at the similarity between what im doing and what was done on them. That would be the 'not even close' part. And i mean the art itself. Now, the fact that there are art cars from back when means something in itself- that is something in common with what im doing.I do recognize them for what they are, but i am in no way trying to go in that direction because of the dictation involved with this process. The amount of limits and time i have put into this is mind boggling... but i want to do it so i push on. Slowly, working within their parameters, we've gotten somewhere. I should make a sharpie persiverence poster after this.

Thanks again to everyone for their critiques!

[Vicinity]

I actually like it. I think it's pretty cool. It's kinda like how people started the berger mod on 4th gen Camaro's. Berger started it and other people liked it.

Now, I would never in a million years do it to my own car, because I like my stuff to be clean.