Finally had some time to do a bit more than just post sketches here :)
I like motorcycles. I like watching motorcycle races, especially road racing. So, for me it's only natural that I draw motorcycles and motorcycle racers. While I appreciate photo realistic art of motorcycle racers, I feel that it doesn't necessarily capture the action and feel of a race. Not that I ever raced or been on a race bike at speeds, but it's pretty cool to see when a rider's braking hard into a turn or cranking it way the fuck over or even giving it a handful of gas - it's not hard to see movement and action from both the rider and machine. I think that's one of the more unique aspects of motorcycle racing in comparison with other motorsports - you can see the interaction between man and machine.
Anyways, I did a drawing of Noriyuki Haga last year and liked the way it came out so I decided to do a series of past and present moto racers. Naturally, I have to do one on Rossi, multi world champ.
I was looking for a good reference photo to work off from and this was the one I chose.
I first started with a rough sketch - trying to get down the general shapes and which parts to exaggerate and which parts to leave out - I think this is the more enjoyable stage cuz I can keep it loose and just doodle.
After the sketching is done, I go over it with clean lines.
Next, I colored the whole thing in one flat color. This way I can easily select which parts I want to work on in photoshop.
Add a bit more detail in the flatting stage. The most pain in the ass part here was Rossi's helmet. Goddamn details and shit.
Adding in more details with the logos. This was probably the most time consuming part. Used adobe illustrator and photoshop here.
Determined where the light source was and started filling in the shadows.
After the shadows are in, I add in the highlights.
And, here's the final - I think by the time this was completed, I had about 6 layers in photoshop. I try to keep the layer count as low as possible. Going to have prints of this and Haga and the others for sale soon - check back in if you're interested!
Next up: Mick Doohan, Joey Dunlop, and not sure but maybe Daijiro Katoh.
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