Friday, January 30, 2009

BMW R90s


Something a little different here. For nearly 20 years now, i've been drawing tee shirt designs for this motorcycle dealer- A-J Cycles. A-Js is one of my favorite places on this earth. As most people probably know, I'm a big motorcycle freak and I engage freely in all the attendant motorcycle-related activites: magazines, motorcycle forums and often on the weekends during the riding season, I can be found in the parking lot of A-Js, hanging out with the other geeks. My wife teases me mercilessly but she doesn't understand. Now that I think about it, I did tell her that when I'm cremated, I wanted my ashes spread in the A-J's parking lot. That may have something to do with it.
This drawing follows a design that I've been using on their tees for several years now- I just like the boldness of the image of a bike's profile. Interestingly, at least to me, is that many people won't buy a shirt unless it features their bike. It's difficult to make a shirt with broad appeal. The exception to this seems to be to use the image of an older machine. The motorcycle in this drawing was produced between 1974-1976.

7 comments:

  1. -->>.. from a certain vantage, it's almost like a B /W photo .. godamm !!

    speaking of ashes..

    will a certain Mrs.LeMans ever arise from 'em someday.


    (( i'd also like to take some classes from her. ))

    ..>v<

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  2. I was wondering what do you use to ink your own work, quill and brush, or pens?

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  3. I think Jim Lawson just taught us all how to properly draw spokes on a motorcycle!

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  4. David--
    I use brush pens to ink. The ones that I am just in love with right now we order in bulk here at the studio from a store in NYC, called Kunikuniya. I'm not sure here with the name- I might have misspelled it. Anyways, the packaging for these pens is all in Japanese,so I don't know what the actual name is, however it has the label ZEBRA at the top. They have a faux wood-grained barrel with a black cap.

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  5. You Mirage artists and your motorcycles :P Nice piece. I like the spokes on the wheels :)

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  6. I love it :).

    Vehicles for me are tough to draw. Mine always look like they where stretched through a wool stringer or something...

    I'm going to be bringing some concept art to the new york comic con and I'd love to get yous guys opinions on it. It's for an original idea I'm trying to get off the ground....5 years in the planning :)..

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