1955 Chevy Bel Air Drawing

Last weekend, I was very fortunate to get to set up at the Goodtimes in Goodrich festival. There was a car show adjacent to the vendors, and I was privileged to meet Troy, the owner of a beautiful 1955 Bel Air Sport Coupe.

Many of you know that the ’55 Chevy is in my top three favorite cars, especially after watching Two Lane Blacktop frequently when I was a kid, and I draw quite a few of them. This is a special car, though as it is beautifully maintained and extremely well detailed – and looks killer on the Weld Prostar aluminum wheels!

I started this sketch roughing out the body in pencil on watercolor paper.

Next, I used Micron 02 to line the car, and Micron 05 & 08 and add some atmospheric perspective, which really pops the car off the page.

I think the completed linework looks awesome, but then again, the ’55 Chevy looks great from every angle.

Next, I filled in all the gray and chrome areas with Copic neutral grays – the rear quarter sail panel, roof, the wheels, chrome bumpers, and all the trim. It’s starting to take some form! Reflections in chrome are fun to recreate…

To finish off the body work, I layered in three dark reds to accentuate the reflections in the body.

I laid in a little light blue for the tinted windshield, and used a little bit of Posca white paint for the white light reflections.

Troy asked for some lettering around the car representing the trim level, and I did my best to employ hand-drawn bubble letters that pay homage to the hand lettering on vintage drag cars of the 1960s and 1970s. I think it plays well into the aggressive tires, Prostars, and stance of the car.

Finally, this 1955 Chevy Bel Air Drawing is framed and matted in 11×14. Thank you for the opportunity, Troy! It was a pleasure to memorialize your car with this custom drawing!