Bugatti T35 - without bodywork

Bugatti T35 no body 2s, a photo by Stefan Marjoram on Flickr.

Bugatti T35 - without bodywork

Bugatti T35 no body 1s, a photo by Stefan Marjoram on Flickr.

Got an invitation to see a Bugatti T35 without it's bodywork - definitely not something to miss. It was fascinating to see how it was put together - and the many marks it had picked up over the years. I've been trying to loosen up with my drawing again - using a prismacolor and cheap A3 layout paper. I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Bugatti T35 engine

Had a go at using some watercolour paper and a softer pencil for a change - I'm not sure it was a good decision - it all got a bit heavy. I'll try a compromise next time...

More Bugatti Sketches

Whilst drawing in the Bugatti Trust I met Charles Trevelyan, the owner of one of the other cars on display (the T23 in the previous post) who asked if I'd sketch his car too. I found it harder than usual - I need to find a way of dealing with the pressure of doing a comission instead of just drawing for yourself. I seem to be getting slower instead of faster too. Despite this it turned out to be a very exciting day as I got a ride up the Prescott hill in Charles' other Bugatti - a wonderfully sporty looking Type 37. This car drawing has become quite an amazing adventure - each drawing seems to lead to meeting another enthusiastic owner with another exciting car - getting the chance to occasionally ride in them is the icing on the cake.

Here's a quick warm up sketch...


A couple of longer A3 studies...


I felt they were getting a bit tight so I reverted to smaller, looser drawings. I'd be interested to hear which ones you think work better...

This is a car which also belongs to Charles. It's a Type 52 - which is actually a half-scale children's version of a Type 35 - the first one was built by Ettore for his youngest son in 1927. Lucky chap. It had an electric motor and the engineering, naturally, is superb - even featuring cable operated drum brakes to all four wheels...

Finally I ended the day with a quick sketch on the iPad using Adobe Ideas...

Bugatti T23 Engine

Had a spare half-hour whilst visiting Prescott today so I nipped in the museum and made a quick sketch...

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!

Bugatti T35

Back to traditional drawing materials. Went up to Prescott for a meeting and had a bit of spare time to sketch one of the cars in the excellent museum. This one was on loan from Nick Mason. Quite pleased with how it came out so I might make it my next print edition...

Goodwood Revival

Found out on Thursday that I'd have Friday free so I got a last minute ticket for the Revival - only Friday tickets were available so I didn't manage to get a huge amount of drawing done. It was pretty chilly too and I didn't do too much watercolour this time as I hadn't packed my big waterbrush. Still, I had a fantastic time, jaw-droppingly beautiful cars abounded and I managed to get a few nice photos in as the sun set too. I'll be posting some images on flickr shortly.

First up is the 1959 Maserati Birdcage. It was fun trying to capture the curves of this beautiful car. I thought I'd done alright but Cathy said it looked like an A level piece. Perhaps it is a bit stiff - first one of the day, the cold etc etc...


I like a challenge so I had a go at the BRM H16. They had a beautiful selection of BRM's there...


This is a very quick sketch of a supercharged Austin Special - Mrs JoJo...


This is a rather stunning Bugatti Type 54 from 1931...


You'll notice that I've drawn a lot of these from the same angle - I didn't have a paddock pass so mostly I was restricted to drawing these from over or through the fence. Unfortunately this famous ERA had had its engine removed - you can see part of it on the ground next to it...


I quickly tried to get this last sketch in as the light disappeared. It's a beautiful car with a wonderful, well used look...