Conveying movement in a drawing can always be tricky. And if you’re trying to depict racing cars, emulating a sense of speed is key to breathing life into the subject. German artist Ioann Zelenin has found a clever way to achieve this, imbuing his already detailed charcoal drawings with a cinematic quality. By working with a wood stick covered in rubber bits to cleverly blur the lines in his compositions, Zelenin creates the illusion of speed.
While it has become a reliable tool for Zelenin, the stick’s origins are not that glamorous. “I just use a frame stick that I tore from my bed,” he explained in an Instagram comment. The rubber stick held the bed’s wooden sheathing, but the artist found that it’s great for erasing and smudging the charcoal. “There is rubber there to hold everything in place, this rubber lubricates the coal.”
With this, his car drawings have been elevated to dynamic speed art. Classic vehicles zoom past forests and desert landscapes, while racing cars aim for first place. “When you’re on the track, and your speedometer reads such a velocity that objects and items around you become a blur, everything passes by so swiftly that you feel the very essence of speed,” writes the artist. “In that moment, there’s nothing but you and the car, racing through space.”
Having mastered his unorthodox tool, Zelenin has taken his creative practice to the next level. He captured a picture of his drawing after every swipe, which he then later stitched together to create a stop-motion video. By detaching certain pieces of rubber, he creates the effect of the vehicle speeding as the wind blows around it while the wheels pick up dust.
To stay up to date with his vibrant car art, make sure to follow Zelenin on Instagram. You can also find prints and original sketches of his work on his website.
German artist Ioann Zelenin has found a clever way to imbue his car charcoal drawings with a cinematic quality.
By working with a wood stick covered in rubber bits to cleverly blur the lines in his compositions, Zelenin creates the illusion of speed.
“I just use a frame stick that I tore from my bed,” he explained. “There is rubber there to hold everything in place, this rubber lubricates the coal.”
With this, his car drawings have been elevated to dynamic speed art.
Classic vehicles zoom past forests and desert landscapes, while racing cars aim for first place.
Having mastered his unorthodox tool, Zelenin then took his creative practice to the next level.
He captured a picture of his drawing after every swipe, which he later stitched together to create a stop-motion video.
“When you’re on the track, and your speedometer reads such a velocity that objects and items around you become a blur, everything passes by so swiftly that you feel the very essence of speed.”
Ioann Zelenin: Website | Instagram
Related Articles:
Nigerian Artist’s Hyperrealistic Charcoal Portraits Perfectly Mirror His Real-life Subjects
Learn the Basics of Charcoal Drawing To Capture the Intensity of Life With Art
Artist Only Draws the Light Cast on Women in These Stunning Charcoal and Pastel Portraits
10 Best Charcoal Pencil Sets For Artists of Every Skill Level
