1970s Custom Motorcycle Drawing

When I was a teenager, I went through a bike phase. This was in the early 2000s, at the peak of the West Coast Choppers / American Chopper TV show popularity. I never owned one, but I definitely thought the custom motorcycles of the 1960s and 1970s had the coolest vibe. I draw a lot of hot rod cars, but I haven’t drawn many motorcycles. I was reminiscing about that recently, and made this 1970s custom motorcycle drawing.

I started with a rough pencil sketch on white paper. I had to go for a classic v-twin with custom chrome exhaust pipes.

Next, I lined the drawing with a thin-weight Micron 02 pen.

I re-traced over some portions of the bike with the same pen to give some atmosphere. Making the bottom lines bolder helps add a three-dimensional feel to the drawing.

I was proud of this line work – I thought it came out nice and clean. Next, I started the marker work. I opted for a pastel seafoam green, which felt very 1970s to me.

Finally, to finish this 1970s custom motorcycle drawing, I added some black shading in the frame, fender, and gas tank. I added a black outline around the bike to give it a little extra lift.

This one will be framed and made available for sale at shows this summer!