Detroit Firetruck

I was excited to get to do this commission of a 1965 Seagrave Sedan Pumper firetruck for my friend Bill this week.

This particular model was only ever used by the Detroit Fire Department, and was manufactured in Columbus, Ohio.

Getting all the detail in was tricky – between the controls, hose hook ups, lettering, and all the brightwork, there was a lot to get to! The rough outlining in pencil alone took about an hour and a half.

After I was satisfied with the lines, I retraced with Micron 005. This took another hour.

Then, I started on the marker work. I used Copic grays to detail the shadows, hoses, tires, and chrome. The painted body work was shaded with three reds – rose (pink) for the shinier bits, a medium and a dark red. I went back over with cool gray 4 to accent the darker shadows behind the fenders.

Finally, I buttoned her up with darker pen lines (Micron 02) to accentuate the atmospheric perspective. White charcoal pencil was used for the light reflections on the paint work and the outline around the truck that makes it pop off the page.

Framed in 11×14 with 8×10 mat. Done, for Detroit’s Bravest.