Pen & Ink Truck Drawings

RonG

Well-known member
I have a brother that can do that,my next younger brother.He is rich and retired after he sold his sheet metal shop,Merrimack Sheet Metal up in New Hampshire.
I never could understand how a person could make his hand do those things but it seems like whatever he was thinking he could create.I used to ask him to draw things for me when we were kids,he just took it for granted I guess.Yes,very nice work.Ron G
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
Thank you. I have been drawing since I was 4 years old and perspective at 6. My dad ran a sign shop, and I worked in that also.
Freehand lettered a lot of truck doors. Those were the days, no more freehand custom sign art anymore or very little.
I wished the pictures had come out bigger when my wife and I put the images in the thread. Maybe I can enlarge those.
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
Just curious, are these drawings of actual trucks, meaning were you drawing from a photo or truck in front of you or creations of your mind?
 

RonG

Well-known member
My nephew used to haul the lumber from my uncles sawmill and he had three of those GMCs with inline Detroits in them,I don't know which engines they were at the time but they made a lot of noise.I thought that they were a good looking truck back then.The big Internationals were pretty good looking too.Again,good work,keep posting.Ron G
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
Just curious, are these drawings of actual trucks, meaning were you drawing from a photo or truck in front of you or creations of your mind?
I draw some from photos and some from memory. But only one truck is how it actually looked the KW. The GMC was
setting in a junk yard and was pretty beat-up. The T was a single screw as was the jimmy. Almost all are creations.
 

Steve Frazier

Founder
Staff member
The Pete cabover was the one that prompted me to ask, it's a unique setup.

Ron, most GMCs like that I've seen have had 4-71 Detroits in them. They were rated at 160hp which is actually quite high for trucks of that vintage.
 

RonG

Well-known member
I wanted to say that Steve but I was pretty young at the time and didn't think that would be enough engine for that big truck based on what we have these days.They sure were loud and there wasn't much flat ground in Maine where I grew up and you could hear them for miles.Darlene says that they were cousins,not nephews.My uncles kids.See if we can find an old K8 International to draw.This brings me back to my childhood because Gil,my brother used to leave these works of art around.Ron G
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
The pete with the three axle pull trailer and drop axle wasn't uncommon years ago. The northwest states were changing gvw every so many years.
So that set up would have been in the 96,000 gvw range. And that GMC had a 6-71 in it more than likely an old two valve head which were known for
dropping valves.
 

RonG

Well-known member
I suppose I thought it rediculous but I remember hearing that those Jimmies engines were 3 cylinders.Can it be?I have run a lot of equipment over the years with 3 cylinder Detroit 2 strokes in them but in a big truck?I'll bet someone will know.Ron G
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
I suppose I thought it rediculous but I remember hearing that those Jimmies engines were 3 cylinders.Can it be?I have run a lot of equipment over the years with 3 cylinder Detroit 2 strokes in them but in a big truck?I'll bet someone will know.Ron G
As far as I can tell by the info I have, the GMC's of that era only had 4-71 or 6-71 inlines offered. It would be so slow you would grow a beard by the time you reached the top
of a hill with a 3 cylinder detroit.
 
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RonG

Well-known member
Well,if it were geared right....lol.....they were awfully slow with all those board feet of lumber stacked on them.I remember hitch hiking to Aroostook county to pick potatoes one year and I heard one of Sunnies (my cousin) trucks coming in the distance,I knew what it was that I was hearing,my goodness,I heard it a long time before it got to me.No,he didn't stop for me,he was working for Sunny and didn't know who I was.It would have taken an hour to get his road speed back up.Ron G
 

RonG

Well-known member
Well,if it were geared right....lol.....they were awfully slow with all those board feet of lumber stacked on them.I remember hitch hiking to Aroostook county to pick potatoes one year and I heard one of Sunnies (my cousin) trucks coming in the distance,I knew what it was that I was hearing,my goodness,I heard it a long time before it got to me.No,he didn't stop for me,he was working for Sunny and didn't know who I was.It would have taken an hour to get his road speed back up.Ron G
I realize this post was a little silly but I clicked post before I thought about what I said.Grow a beard is right.lol.Ron G
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
My wife thought it important to mention that a piece of my art work crossed the desk of Mark Pigott CEO of PACCAR-Kenworth Seattle.
I will try to make the story short.
My brother was dating a women who was over european finance at Kenworth, her office was two doors from Pigott's. It was thanksgiving
and that's where I met Annie the finance officer. Because she worked at Kenworth I brought along a pen and ink drawing of a 1951 KW
to give her for her office wall. She was speechless almost--OH MY GOD we have been looking for someone like you for six months to do
a special add for our anniversary coming up. She showed Mark Pigott monday morning, He liked my work and told Annie to run it down
to marketing. She was or I was too late. The deadline was the friday before and a contract had been signed for a photo spread and ad.


Truck Shop
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
On these two pen and inks I had 40 hrs each, a lot of measuring to get the lay out correct . I threw away the first two roughs of the Star
and on the third try I ended up with what I wanted.

IMG_NEW.jpgIMG_0001_NEW.jpg
 

Truck Shop

Well-known member
I've spent hours and hours to get to this point or level of art work. I don't fish or hunt and could care less about sports. And even If people don't care
for my art work, it brings me happiness. And because I have trained myself to scrutinize things, the guys I work with in the shop hate it because I'm
always finding work to do- Something doesn't set right or things don't line up-angles are off. Drives them nuts.

The other thing is people only know how to do things like my art work electronically any more, It's instant gratification now days. And that is sad:(

Thanks-Truck Shop
 
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