Thunderbird Sketch

I needed a quick sketch this week, and I’ve been saving this T-bird kustom for awhile now. One of the most iconic cruisers of the early 1960s, the third-generation Thunderbird was a simple, sleek boulevard boat with a 390c.i. big block. I’ve been really into the kustom styling lately, and I wanted to embody that in this Thunderbird sketch.

One of the great features of this car is the simple body lines, which make it easy to define in terms of coloration and tones. I tucked the wheels deep into the fenders and set the car on fat white wall tires. The wheels are polished stamped steel wheels, and the rear wheels are set behind skirts.

First, I sketched the car out in pencil. I was really happy with the line work – it came out smooth, confident, and well-defined. We’re hoping to go to the beach soon, so I decided to “paint” the car Turquoise. I think it plays to the kustom theme pretty well.

I blended the tires and the shadow together in a solid black block. The chrome bumpers have a few black pen swooshes to accentuate the contrast. Finally, I surrounded the car in a red outline to lift it off the page. I really like how it contrasts with the blue and makes this Thunderbird sketch more interesting to look at.

This sketch is available for sale in the shop.