La Vie En Bleu, Prescott

A wonderful weekend at the French-themed festival. There's always a great party atmosphere with musicians, can can dancers and very funny performers dressed as chefs, policemen and onion sellers. Got to see some old favourites and also some cars that I'd hoped to see for a long time. Didn't get an awful lot of sketching done - too many distractions. I'll add some photos soon.


I love this huge-engined monster. 4 cylinders and 17.5 litres...

Another favourite of mine. Very low slung. I love the way the big V8 and exhausts stick out the sides...

This is a beautifully engineered car - very crisp looking in its bare metal with a stunning supercharged engine...

I've wanted to see this for a long time. It's one of my favourite cars and I really enjoyed sketching it. Originally it had a 16degree V-Twin - it's now fitted with a single cylinder engine of the same vintage. Frustratingly the original motor is rusting away in a garden but the owner won't sell it...

Wonderful aero-engined beast - capable of over 130mph - if you're brave enough! Starting to get bored of the black Prismacolor pencil so I tried sketching with a blue pencil for a change...

VSCC Festival of Slowth

My first time to this wonderful event for cyclecars. An amazing selection of vehicles - such varied designs. It was great to finally see the Grafton, a beautifully made car with what I think of as perfect proportions. Other highlights were the Bedelia and Tamplins and getting to see the maiden run of the fabulous looking Chater Lea. The day was topped off with an hilarious spin in the electric Red Bug (complete with umbrella). Thanks everyone for making me feel so welcome - have a look at the Flickr gallery to see photos of some of the other oddities I didn't manage to sketch...

GN Vitesse

GN Vitesse, a photo by Stefan Marjoram on Flickr.

Managed to get a few hours drawing in last week - I'm a bit rusty. I tried using Bristol board which is lovely to draw on - but not the best at taking the paint.

The car is the terrific GN Vitesse - a cyclecar chassis coupled with an enormous 8.2 litre V8 Curtiss Aero engine. In the background is the Anzani GN trials car.

VSCC Prescott 2011

I only made it to Prescott for one day this year so my sketches are a bit loose and scribbly. I'm pretty happy with them though. Got to see lots of old favourites and a few new machines too - and met lots of people whose cars I'd painted or who I'd chatted to on the internet.

Here's a splendid, low slung Piccard-Pictet or PicPic with a 9 litre aero engine...

... and a stunning Peugeot 148 from 1913...

This car has all the details I like. Great proportions and stance, big side exhausts, the GN chassis with it's chain gang and a terrific looking Cirrus Hermes aero engine...

Here's a very elegant looking recreation of a GP Sunbeam. Love those long tails...

I slightly exagerrated the proportions of this tiny Carden - not by much though...

Another powerful looking aero engined special, this time a 1913 Theophile Schneider...

I spent a little longer on this one...

Here's a couple of cars in the car park which I was comissioned to draw. I may still add a bit more watercolour although I quite like it as it is. What's tricky is that they were both black so there won't really be anything to contrast and catch your eye. Perhaps all it needs is a bit of a wash to the sky...

Finally, just as I was thinking about leaving (huge grey clouds gathering overhead) I saw this wonderful creation. I thought I might be able to get a quick sketch in before the deluge. The rain came, and so did the owner, Mark Dixon from Octane magazine. He's a very kind chap, not only did he give me a small feature in a past issue but he also held an umbrella over me while I got the sketch finished! I added the colour back at home. It's an interesting car, based on a model T and built by Peter Stevens - designer of the McLaren F1 no less...

Quick visit to the Anzani and Fiat

Haven't been to visit Duncan for a while so I popped in one free afternoon to catch up. The Anzani was being readied for the Lands End Trial and the Fiat had it's gear box mounted and was about to have the rear wooden frame sent off for the bodywork to be fitted to it...

Hereford Trials

Having never witnessed one, I really wanted to visit a trials event this year and by a massive stroke of luck I was invited not to come and watch but to actually take part! My job was to be a 'bouncer' - to help provide traction for the back wheels as Duncan raced the Anzani GN up the muddy slopes. As it happened, we had the most gloriously sunny day and there was barely any mud in sight. Traction was not an issue at all and it became a fantastic sightseeing tour of a beautiful part of the country in what was definitely the most exciting car there. Ben's nippy Bugatti Brescia was a delightful sight to follow (though my dust and castrol filled eyeballs won't agree). Another spectacular sight were the big Bentleys packed with friends and family of all ages - what a terrific form of motorsport!

Anzani GN

A couple of quick sketches of the car I hope to be bouncing in in a few weeks time...

Look out there's a monster coming...

One of the most exciting cars in history has to be the Fiat S76 from 1911. Also known as the 'Beast of Turin' it has a whacking great 28 litre, four cylinder engine - good for shooting 3 yard flames, blowing people's hats off and singeing their eyebrows according to some reports. It's also supposed to be good for over 130mph - but it never managed to set an official record despite attempts at Brooklands, Saltburn ad Ostend.

Hopefully one day this will change thanks to a dedicated builder and racer of crazy automobiles I met recently. He's managed to track down the chassis, axles and steering of one car and the engine of the other and bit by bit the monster is taking shape again. Better still, he's very kindly allowed me to come and sketch the build. I couldn't be happier and I think it'll make a great parallel to the build of the Bloodhound SSC car that I'll also be documenting this year. I can't believe my luck at having not one, but two LSR cars being built on my doorstep.

Here it is at it currently stands. Whilst it awaits it's pistons it's having a beautiful oak frame built to support the seats and the bodywork surrounding the passenger area. Measurements are taken from massive, full scale drawings lovingly lettered with gothic script - the plans even show the wood grain! This first sketch was done as a quick warm up using Adobe Ideas on the iPad...

Next I thought I'd try a more detailed sketch in pencil and wash but I'm a bit rusty and it's a little heavy handed. Still, you can see the triangular oak supports an a bit of the massive flywheel which is attached to a crankshaft that looks like it belongs on a steam train...


There are several other of my favourite cars to draw too. This one's a GN Vitesse often seen at VSCC meets. It's currently being rebuilt after a rather frightening roll. The engine is an 8.2 litre Curtiss. The engine cover is where the seat should be, the seat is on the cowl and the back axle is on the floor...


A GN Anzani with a 3.5 litre V Twin. Apparently the first time it was started the front wheels were bouncing off the ground...


Day two and another quick one of the Fiat - firewall temporarily in place. There are some wonderful details such as streamlined covers for the end of the chassis - even the starting handle was sharpened to a point. People often write this car off as an over sized relic, built before people knew what they were doing but it's plainly not true. Fiat were one of the top, if the not the top builders of Grand Prix cars. Despite the massive size of the engine it actually has quite a small frontal area and was much more streamlined than anything else at the time...

VSCC Prescott

I went to this event last year and decided that day to try drawing the cars instead of just photographing them. I was really pleased with the sketches I came away with and it led to many more car drawings in the following months - I don't think I've stopped. When the same event came round again I decided I would camp so that I'd get the full two days to draw in.

I spent just over an hour on most of these (apart from the really quick ones). I'm enjoying experimenting with the watercolours. I ended up selling quite a few of these to the owners of the cars and got a couple of commissions too. Hope you like them.

I did this the evening I arrived. It belonged to someone from Holland and was a very impressive sight in the camping area. The back part of it was beautifully finished in wood...



Theophile Schneider. My first sketch of the day. It's quite tentative and light but I quite like that - I managed to stop myself doing too much and going in too heavily...


Stinson Special. This was originally an American Sprint racer...


Semmence Special. I did this one for the owners. I know very little about it - I thought it was a Lagonda Rapier at first - but it has some beautiful details...


Hudson Super Six. This car had fantastic proportions. The sketch was supposed to be a warm up piece for a more polished work but when I finished this I didn't think I could do a better one...


When I'd finished the other one I thought I'd have a quick go at sketching from a much closer position and it ended up becoming an action picture...


Wasp. I did this while being buzzed by actual wasps - the car was parked under a cherry tree. That's my excuse for it being a bit wonky anyway...


GN Gnat. Another of my favourite hillclimb cars. I have a sketch of this from last year too...


GN Spider II. Can't beat twin rear wheels - and the exposed chain driven gears too - what a fantastic car...


This was a stunning car. The body work was a modern recreation but it really looked the part. The satchel on the side was a nice detail. It's great to be able to see these great beasts in action...


This amazing car is a 200hp Darracq land speed record car from 1905. 25 litre V8 (possibly the first V8). It has two speeds. First is good for 90mph, second takes it to 120. The chap who owns it drove it to the circuit on the motorway! I didn't envy him having to start with a handle though...


A couple of quick front views of the 200HP Darracq and GP Mercedes...


Becke Powerplus. I love these specials. They're great to draw, full of interesting details and textures...


This well proportioned car had the most beautiful patina and all the details I like - rivets, oil, wood, brass, leather - perfect...


I did these Alfas in my tea break - not overly happy with them as they're a bit heavy - I probably drew them too small...


Very quick sketches mostly done while the cars were waiting to go up the hill. These vintage cars have such an interesting array of sizes and shapes...


I've not really looked at an Invicta very closely before but it's certainly worth it. Very crisp lines delicately edged with red pinstriping - it must have been quite a fancy car in it's day...


Panhard Levassor. 13.5 litre engine, a chair and some wheels - and something to hang on to. What more do you need?...


I'd like to have drawn this some more. It had some great angles and was very imposing...


The last drawing of the weekend. It 's a stunning car - the body is no higher than the wheels. Supercharged Jap engine provides the power...