Hot Rod Color Study

My first drawing of this year was this hot rod roadster, and I copied the black and white version a few times so I could do a hot rod color study.

Over Christmas break, we went out to eat at a restaurant that had these palm tree paintings hung up by our booth. I thought the heavily contrasting colors were very cool and reminded me of midcentury tiki culture and design.

First, I sketched a deuce roadster on white paper using Micron pens and Sharpie. It’s a simple and clean sketch, which I think turned out really cool. Sometimes less is more.

Next, I added a palm tree in the back just to pay respect to the inspiration pieces from the restaurant. I actually think the palm tree turned out really good, plus it adds a little extra flavor to the drawing.

To start my hot rod color study, I tried out a seafoam green body, which ultimately became my favorite of the bunch. To add a little extra spice to the drawing, I drew a red outline around the car and tree.

I like this one a lot, but I think I like the cleanliness of the green-only drawing just a little bit more. I left the tread areas of the tires white, which reminds me of salt lake racecars after finishing a run.

Next, I tried out a purple car and tree over a green background. I like this color combination, but the purple turned out just a little too dark.

Finally, I tried the reverse color combination: green car over purple background. I like this one a little more, but the purple is still a little too dark, even for the background.

I really liked the purple and green palm tree painting from the restaurant, but my purple is just a bit too dark. My favorite of these drawings is the seafoam green without the red outline. Which is your favorite?