Syd Mead - Basic Shapes and Shadows

One of my first foray into detailed shading 2D imagery, we will be looking to the work of neo-futuristic concept artist Syd Mead.

Among his collection, I took a particular liking to one particular vehicle.

The minimalist design with a bit of 50's chrome and fender flare caught my eye and drove my desire to recreate this form in a more basic fashion.

I started with a base outline, just capturing the core shapes that made out the vehicle.

After understanding the basic shapes of the vehicle, I set out to refine and clean up the art works.

With the line work now done, I set a mid tone and started shading with the idea that the sun was placed to the front right of the vehicle.

I learned a great deal about the do's and don'ts on shading. Between how to vary the range of your hue's shadows and highlights, and the proper method to get the most convincing effect out of the smudge tool, I'm looking forward to carrying these new learning points onto my next design.