renderings

[hdesign]

Brian brings up some good points.

Sorry, long winded....

If you were to take all the artists/designers that are regulars in magazines, on the web, etc. there is a range of specialties, ability, training/education, price and medium used. Here's a breakdown of what I'm talking about:

Group A-Artists:
Use a variety of media (pencils, markers, chaulk, ink, paint and 2D CAD software)

1. Some can do a straight illustration of an existing car very well. Great for portraits and gifts.

2. Some have some "graphic design" ability and are good at paint schemes and laying out a great rendering composition etc. Also commonly found doing Tshirt design, websites and 2D print.

Group B: CAD artists

1. Some can photoshop chop a car very well if you're looking for simple mods, wheels and color schemes. Major stuff doesn't always lend itself well to this unless you are really advanced in the software. Great for low res (monitor viewing) stuff to convey intent quickly. It's rare that you can find your vehicle in a great resolution from a search online. There's tons of people on this site who can do this stuff, "ALLKAR" cranks out consistently great work for free. Murray Pfaff is also someone who employs this style as a primary medium (he is also a very accomplished professional "designer").

2. Some artists prefer to work in 3D modelling software. They provide and accurate depiction of your vehicle that can be spun around in any perspective to give you the view you want in a photo realistic quality. Some are artists, some are also designers.

Group C-Designers:

There are relatively small group of Artists that fit into the category of "designer" as well. Designers have been drawing since they were kids, had an eye for design and went on to specific, expensive design schools. They are trained in proportion, scale, form, part design and manufacturing and color on top of being able to draw "pretty pictures". They use the entire range of media to convey our intent, pencils-to-3D CAD.

This group can do everything the other groups can do + design your ride to stand out from the crowd above and beyond a color scheme or wheel selection. We are often design consultants as well. Prices are reflective of how much "design work" is needed in your vehicle on top of the standard cost of rendering an existing car. They enjoy doing the entire range, not just the high-end, unattainable showcase cars. Many have had the opportunity to work with automotive manufacturers due to their innovative vision and skill level.

Thom Taylor is definitely one of my mentors and I still refer to his book occasionally and recommend it to budding artists.