Hot Rod Art and Motorcycle Helmets The Barber Motorsports Park Vintage Festival draws thousands of two-wheeled enthusiasts each year who are excited to see not only the old, but also the new. Larry Gardinier decided it would be the perfect spot to display and sell the work of artists who could paint on, what else? Motorcycle helmets! “I’d seen a video of a helmet show out on the west coast,” Gardinier explained, “and thought maybe I should try something like that myself.” Gardinier is a 20 year veteran automotive artist and admits he’s always ready to try new things. Painting on helmets seemed a natural.   “Of course I had someone ask me why I didn't organize a similar event on my side of the country,” he says. “I couldn't think of any good reasons and Skull Canvas was born.”  Plans are already underway for the third annual 2014 Skull Canvas display and Gardinier is excited to pull together another group of great artists who can show off their talents…and sell some creative helmets.   The 2013 Vintage Festival featured 27 artists, including Gardinier, who exhibited an incredible display...

Hot Rod Artist Larry Gardinier Shares His Passion     I can remember sitting in junior high school (yeah, we called it JUNIOR HiGH back then…what of it?) with a friend who was really good at drawing those Ed Roth style hot rods with the weird driver poked through the roof, slobbering all over and looking nasty. We loved it and thought “maybe someday we’ll just sit around all day and draw cars for a living.” Uh…didn’t quite work out that way.   Tons More Stories about Hot Rod Art (will open in a new window)   Larry Gardinier, on the other hand, probably dreamed of the same kind of life, but until he lost his “real” job as an architectural illustrator, there was little chance he would actually swing his legs off the bed every morning and go…draw cars! Gardinier sees his good fortune as fitting him perfectly. “I’ve always been an automotive artist,” he says. Since “going professional” in 1990 Gardinier says he’s been able to take this crazy car passion to new levels. “How could I not love it?”     Gardinier may have come by this...

Hot Rod Art: Hand Painted and Lettered Old Truck Doors   As soon as we stepped into the swap meet at the 2013 LA Roadster Show, we found Gary Crisp and his custom painted doors.   In a time where patina is IN and faking patina is about a common as the real stuff, Gary’s work is tough to beat! Who knows what condition the doors were in when he got them, let’s figure they were rough… but the end product is outstanding! The lettering and art, even up close, look to be good’n old.   Gary’s a custom painter by trade. Mostly hot rods and bikes from what he told me, but now he’s just having fun painting doors. As you can see, he’s fairly successful at it with a few of the doors already marked as “sold” and I heard an order for one happening as I waited to say hi.   Get your own custom doors by reaching Gary by email. He’s a little old school when it comes to computers, so give him a few days to respond. Thanks Gary!...

Artist's Eye on a Model A Hot Rod   Which do you prefer? The real thing or Haropcat's drawing? Check out the "real thing" in the feature story I did on Voodoo Larry's Voodoo Psychosis! from the Detroit Autorama.     The engine shown was featured as a "Top 11 Hot Rod Engines of Detroit" and it was very cool to meet Larry down in the basement of the Detroit Autorama.   Check out more of Harpocat's cool drawings in his garage at MyRideisMe.com. Then, get your...

Custom Inspiration for your Ford Falcon Brian Stupski's got a custom eye for anything with wheels, and wouldn't ya know it? This time he turned his styled eye on one of our favorites, the Ford Falcon. I've got a 1963 Ford Falcon wagon I'm working on now. Maybe I can swing some of these custom tricks to apply to my Falcon. How about you?   For more Falcon fun, check out my own project: 1963 Ford Falcon Wagon Build   To have Problem Child Kustoms trick out your car, get in touch with Brian at ProblemChildKustoms.com Until then, drool over these great ideas for one trick Falcon! Stay tuned, we're trying to reach FineLine Kustom and Restoration in Onalaska, WI to get some periodic updates of the Falcon build. Yep! This car is under construction now.   Here's a shot of the interior Brian did... your basic two-seater...   Under the hood? Nothing special... check this out! Last, you need to see some renderings of the final car build. This is gonna be one amazing car!   To get your dream car drawn, contact Problem Child Kustoms...

Hot Rod Art by One of the Best!   All artwork by Brian Stupski at Problemchildkustoms.com   Brian from Problem Child Kustoms Studio is a good friend and and a great artist! Feel like learning about his style and even how to draw cars? Then check out his garage at MyRideisMe.com. You can add your own artwork and how-to's just like Brian is. Then, add him to your crew so he can see some of your work. It all starts with Joining MyRideisMe.com.   So Check out the NASCAR inspired Ford Thunderbird above, with the title An Alternate Flight - and see more in the May 2013 issue of Street Rodder.     Next up is Brian's tutorial about how to draw this Chevelle. Dude makes it look easy!!     And finally, Weaving a Tale With Cars: Hot Rod Art With a Twist - How he does it and why. (Even I learned something! So check out Brian's garage and let him know what you think. He's gifted artist and can tell a story...

How do you draw the perfect car?   All artwork by Brian Stupski at Problemchildkustoms.com   How does he do it? An amazing car modified in ways to be described below, but then, in this drawing, it FLIES off the page. Love it!   As a bonus to the 45 Pictures of Poteet's Radical Torino Talladega I shared, here's the drawing that inspired the car. Brian works closely with Rad Rides by Troy to detail the lines and final shape. Rad Rides then transform the art into real metal shapes. Poetry! So here's the details on what went on... followed by some other choice drawings by Problem Child Kustoms.   (Click any picture to see it full size)   Can you pick up on a few ideas that didn't make it to the final design? I found a couple!       Well? What you think? How to draw the perfect hot rod? Let's ask Brian to put it on paper while asking George Poteet to dream up something...

Adventures of Losing Your Brakes in a Classic Longtime readers may remember when I lost the brakes in my 1955 Studebaker...while I happened to be wearing a swimsuit (headed to the local pool) and ended up jumping from my moving vehicle. You read that right. Now's your chance to enjoy the story retold, in retro comic book form! For more on brake loss, figuring out how to fix things, and other crazy car adventures - you can always visit me on...

Custom One Off Wheels at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe Let the debate begin! To me, this was the hottest wheel I saw and if there's one thing more common then wheels at the SEMA Show, I don't know what it is! So why is this my pick of SEMA? They're one of a kind, one off wheels - nobody else at the SEMA Show has these wheels (or ever will) They're on  on a bad ass car - 1951 Mercury Custom Tons of thought, above and beyond selecting from a catalog, went into the design Disagree? Cool. Do your thing, but dig this first... Start with a fairly blank canvas: 20x 8.5" Centerline Smoothies shown here. Then, let Max Fish, owner at Bio Kustumz hand- mill the wheels -- that's right, on a manual Bridgeport mill -- to the design you see here. Max is a guy I gotta meet some day. His company slogan is, "We suck less" and he wears it proud in this video where a radiator hose coupling comes off his lathe. Now Max...

James Owens - Featured Hot Rod Artist Everybody could use a little more creativity to fuel their lives – so we’re kicking off a new feature here at MyRideisMe! In our Artist Toolbox series, we’ll introduce you to a new hot rod inspired artist and bring you a tutorial from the artist themselves. So not only will you get the opportunity to learn about some fantastic, creative geniuses – but you might learn a thing or two as well! Some people out there hear the word “art” and think of fancy-schmancy galleries and a bunch of stuffed shirts. Others hear “low brow art” and assume it’s something the wife wouldn’t allow hanging in the house. No matter what you think of hot rod art, you’re in for a surprise! The artists we’ll spotlight in the Artist Toolbox series create high-class, fun, and hot-rod inspired pieces of beauty. They put the same sort of grit and heart into their works of art as we all put into our cars. This month’s feature artist is James Owens. Originally out of Detroit, James has single-handedly coined the phrase “car noir.” Art should...

Learn How To Paint Like Hot Rod Artist James Owens The Dame Wore Red is the first in MyRideisMe's new feature, Artist Toolbox. Read on for tips and secrets how James Owens makes his car noir art. _______________________________________________________________ The Dame Wore Red By James OwensShe sat there mocking me. Her blank stare made me feel like it was my first time. But I’ve been down this alley before and I learned something every time, usually the hard way. Her kind can strike terror into the hearts of grown men. Her milk-white skin was almost blinding, taunting, teasing me till I couldn’t think straight. She sat there on my easel thinking she had me right where she wanted me. A canvas is like a dame, you treat ‘em right and they’re a little bit of heaven right here on Earth. You treat ‘em wrong and brother you find yourself in a mess. I guess the big difference is, I’m usually trying to put something ON a canvas. My name is Owens, I paint pictures. It ain't rocket science. Any yegg can learn it. But not everyone is nutty enough to...

Hot Rod Art by Tom Fritz at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (Click picture for full size) "What D'Ya Reckon She'll Do?" - Oil on canvas, 41" x 27" Catch Hot Rod Artist and overall cool-guy at the upcoming Pebble Beach car show. Tom Fritz art has been featured several times here at MyRideisMe.com for a simple reason: Tom's paintings inspire! Tom captures the coolest hot rods and vintage motorcycles in vivid colors, but what you'll remember is the emotion seen in every painting. You'll wonder, what's that guy thinking? It's my pleasure to see Tom all over SoCal and at Barrett Jackson in Arizona, and it will be yours too at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The show runs from August 17-21 with the Automotive Fine Arts Society (AFAS) Exhibition on Sunday, August 21. Here's Tom prepping you for the show and his new paintings: Two globs of oil are scooped up and shmushed onto the sheet of glass I use as a palette. A couple quick swirls and the color is pretty close to what I'm looking for. A little modification with a previously mixed color satisfies my eyeball,...