Painting a classic car in line and wash - MGA

Описание: Classic cars make a great subject to paint and this vintage beauty is no exception. It's a 1950s MGA which belongs to my brother in law. He has lovingly restored it and I was lucky enough to be given a spin in it on my birthday. Lots of MGAs were exported to the States, and I believe there are more in America than the UK. As Pete says in the film - even Elvis had one! A reference photo is available for your use on the Community tab of this channel. Join me as I sketch it in pen and wash or line and wash, if you prefer.

Would love to see what you do, so if you want to share on insta or wherever please tag me ‪@LizChadertonStudio‬ Alternatively head to Facebook where I run a super friendly group:   / watercolourstudiowithlizchaderton  

So, I thought it would be a fun subject for a bit of sketching. I have tried to keep the process as similar to real life as possible, to show you how I would sketch if I were sitting outside at a classic car show.

I am using my homemade sketch book:    • How to make a watercolour sketch book - ea...   with 140lb watercolour paper.

I start out with a pencil drawing, followed by waterproof fineliners in a number of widths. I haven't bothered to check the brand because as long as they have pigment ink, the make really doesn't matter. If you insist on knowing, I think they are Unipin.

I often miss out any pencil drawing, as I think the temptation is to rub out your lines and it makes you tentative. If you go straight in with pen you are far more committed to the line - I promise you! If yo.u sketch with the Tombow or Smiths pen (the bullet point end, not the brush one), then it's a half way house. The lines will dissolve when you put watercolour over the top. Take a look here for sketching the same car straight in with pen (published 18 Sept 2022):    • How to sketch a classic car fast - MGA  

I then move on to watercolour. I'm using a little pen and wash set from Derwent. The colours are limited, so we have to improvise. This is a key skill of working outside. You cannot colour match, so I would always say go for a colour to express the emotion rather than trying to match the exact colour of the object.

I then do a spot of tone work using dual tip pens. These are water soluble, not alcohol markers. Tombow is the best known brand, but I am using WHSmith as they do a great grey set at half the price. If you want to see the full review, you can do so here:    • Tombow or WHSmith Dual Brush Pens - review...   The HUGE advantage is that you can add tone without adding water to your painting. When you are sketching in line and wash outside, you haven't got a hairdryer and you will need to try and get things dry quickly.

My brother in law has a MG Midget and also a Morris 8, so look out for those future sketches.

If by any chance you have a classic car which needs its portrait painting, do get in touch!

#lizchaderton #MGA #vintagecar