A peek at the process involved in the creation of the Big Red Camaro SEMA poster, from loose sketch to final detailed illustration, Round Six’s Brian takes you inside of his head, and shares a ton of tricks, tips and deep into some personal history.

I like looking at things from a decidedly different angle. I am often inspired to seek out the inspiration behind a trend, or a particular style. Such was the case here once again. This time, the path leads us to Bellflower, California.

Claude Lelouch’s Rendezvous remains the original street racing viral video, and for all intents and purposes, it’s perfect. And it has been one of the major inspirations in my art since seeing it nearly thirty years ago. That’s some staying power indeed.

The best advice when starting a big project would be to bring on an experienced designer to help guide you along. As a professional hot rod and custom car designer with over twenty years experience in the auto industry (from parts and service to body repair/customization and after-market accessories), as well as training in design and fine art, I’m here to offer some advice on taking those first steps.

No presets, meshes or brushes, just paths and pen tool. There’s a lot to be said for using the basic tools, and I find it to be a very Zen experience; it becomes the art of massaging your brain while working. It can get tedious, but the key is in finding a rhythm, wherein you can alternate between left and right brain, solving little design and engineering issues as you make everything look “right” or “cool.”

The plan has been simple: Show the workflow, the art, the technique an all of the warts and whatnots that go into creating a rendering or illustration the “Problem Child Kustoms Way.” Suffice to say, it’s been a ton of work thus far, but very rewarding and eye-opening for me, both from a technical standpoint and as an artist. I’ve realized many key things about my work, as well as just how often I let a few f-bombs fly. Crazy how that can go.

A late-night thinking binge took me down the rabbit hole, considering that today’s artists will be remembered or even rediscovered in quite a different fashion from those who came before. What’s odd is that instead of learning about me in libraries or museums, someone will find my life’s work via some internet search, scattered among loosely-related images and links chosen by some algorithm.