Automotive

1972 Datsun 240Z Cutaway

1972 Datsun 240Z Cutaway © Randal Birkey

Randal once owned a car like this (see photo below) and used his personal knowledge of the car along with his technical illustration skills to create the “transparent” style cutaway line art illustration, focused on the engine and front suspension details. The 1972 Z-car is regarded by many as the best classic year of any [...]

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Concept Car

Concept Car © Randal Birkey

Randal created this concept car illustration in Adobe Illustrator using a Apple Macintosh and Wacom tablet. It is what it is.

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4 Cylinder Engine Cutaway

4 Cylinder Engine Cutaway Illustration

Randal created this cutaway technical illustration of a 4-cylinder automotive engine as a self promotion piece for use in advertising his technical illustration skills in the 1980′s. This illustration was done by hand with Rapidograph ink pens on smooth illustration board.

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Cartoon Car

Crazy Car Illustration

Randal sketched this cartoon car in his sketchbook during an airplane ride from Chicago to Denver. It was done analog… pencil on sketchbook paper… then scanned and imported on a Mac and saved with Adobe Photoshop. Interestingly, a young man named Ani recently contacted him from California and asked if he could use this sketch [...]

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Bob Sharp Racing Datsun

Bob Sharp Automotive Racing

Randal enjoys automotive illustration, especially of racing and hot rod automobiles. This illustration is of a 1972 Datsun 240z racing car modified and driven by Bob Sharp Racing team in the IMSA circuit. These early Datsun’s (now Nissan) were very popular in the early 1970′s, and Randal owned and restored one himself.

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Nascar Sketch for IBM

Nascar Sketch for IBM

Sometimes the early quick sketch or design study turns out better than the final art! This pencil sketch was done by Randal in preparation for an illustration for an IBM publication that featured information about the company’s AS400 product line. The number “64″ on the roof also had significance because the AS400 was being offered [...]

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Mercedes Benz Protoype C-111 Gullwing

Mercedez Benz Gull Wing Concept Car

Randal did this drawing of a Mercedez Benz Prototype Model C-111 in the 1980′s. Based upon a photo of this experimental, Wankel-powered automobile, the illustration was done by hand with ink lines and black wax pencil shading on croquill board. Croquill board has a bumpy surface that when certain types of dark pencils are rubbed [...]

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Exploded View Diagram

Exploded View of Engine Cylinder Head

Exploded View Diagram of Automotive Engine Head Exploded view diagrams are very useful for communicating technical information is an easy to understand manner. They show various parts and pieces of a manufactured item or product in a “pulled apart” manner, with lines and visual aids to help the viewer understand where each part fits, and [...]

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