1961 Oldsmobile Wagon Drawing

I love old wagons. I don’t know why, but I have a thing for them and I draw them frequently. Recently, I discovered the smooth and clean aesthetic of the 1961 Oldsmobiles, so here’s a 1961 Oldsmobile Wagon Drawing.

Of course, I can’t leave the car stock. It’s got the straight axle gasser treatment. I like this view: it’s a side profile view but tilted down slightly so you can see part of the top. This gives a bit of three-dimensional character to the drawing.

I started with a rough pencil sketch on Canson marker paper. I wanted to add some background giblets, so I used the rocket from the 1950s Oldsmobile ads, and the “Rocket” lettering paying homage to Oldsmobile’s line of V8 engines.

Next, I inked the sketch using ship curves and ellipses to give nice clean line work. I used Micron 03 for the body and 05 for the shadowing to give some perspective.

This brand-new Sharpie fine point nicely filled in the dark shaded areas under the car, in the wheel slots, and inside the interior.

I used Copic neutral grays to shade the wheels, tires, and body, as well as the rocket behind the car. I gave the car white fender headers as would be done in the 1960s and 1970s. The rocket is unique in that it has darker shading toward the bottom, but the very bottom has a light reflection.

Finally, I used “ice ocean” for the rocket lettering, and yellows for the rocket afterburner. I really like the effect of the colored motifs behind the grayscale car. I think it gives a Pleasantville-esque feel to this 1961 Oldsmobile Wagon Drawing.