Atomic Chevy Drawing

I’m quickly discovering that I have a deep appreciation for midcentury design and aesthetic. The 1950s seemed like they would have been such a fun time. I’m sure it had its quirks – the war had just ended, families were rebuilding, American manufacturing was just starting to return to normalcy after the war effort, everyone was afraid of communism – and the atomic bomb was fresh in everyone’s mind.

The time was ripe with optimism. The economy was booming, the space age was on the horizon, Americans were full with patriotism. It was the era of poodle skirts, Elvis Presley’s hip shakin’, and design was – in my opinion – at peak awesome.

Whether you consider the cars of the era – which I consider to be the fullest with character and style more than any other decade – or the furniture or design motifs, it all speaks a common language of futurism and optimism. I’m starting a new project to celebrate a variety of my favorite design motifs through the decades. To celebrate this epoch, I’ve made this 1949 Atomic Chevy Drawing.

Midcentury Modern is cool, but in many cases can also be reserved. A subset of Midcentury is Atomic Age design: think cartoon rockets, ray guns, flying saucers, and pastel boomerang kitchen table patterns – all the vibrant spacy stuff of the time. That sort of design language really excites me, and I’ve added some of the motifs in this 1949 Chevy drawing.

My favorite sketch style is black and white on tan or gray paper. It’s my unique style that I’ve developed, and the contrast really pops off the page. I chose to draw this car using that style, but I’ve done a new thing on this one and added some colored atomic elements into the background.

First, I used a rounded boomerang in the background, a common atomic age shape, which I colored a pastel orange-yellow. On the gray paper, it has a tan tint to it. The top of the boomerang has two atomic rings. Above the boomerang, I drew in a trapezoidal sign recalling vintage bowling alley signs. For some edge, I hat-tipped Bert the Turtle with the phrase “Duck & Cover.”

Finally, on the Atomic Chevy Drawing, I added some atomic starbursts in the background and tiny mushroom cloud reflections in the bumper and hubcap.

With the Posca white added, I think it makes a flavorful series of contrasts that are attention grabbing and fun.