Art
Przemek Wiecek aka Realistic Car Drawings is blowing up on Instagram with his incredible artworks.
Realistic Car Drawings’ Instagram account has 33,000 followers and counting – and it’s not hard to see why.
Polish artist Przemek Wiecek’s feed does exactly what it says on the tin, with Wiecek flaunting his incredible knack for creating photorealistic car-based artworks that frequently cause his faithful flock of followers to double-take.
“Damn dude, you know what you’re doing, keep it up,” comments one Instagrammer beneath a spookily accurate rendering of a Porsche Macan.
“Amazing talent! I used to draw and sketch cars like this when I was younger. You make me want to pick it back up again,” says another, adding the hashtags #inspired and #thankyou at the end. Clearly, Przemek’s work is having a big effect on his fans…
So what goes into making these incredibly detailed artworks? We asked Przemek to reveal how he got started, the techniques and tools he uses, and which pieces he’s most proud of.
So Przemek, how did you get into this?
I’ve been drawing since I can remember. My first love was drawing comic book stories, buildings and characters. Then when I was 25, I saw a perfectly drawn photorealistic Ferrari piece done with pencils, and that was the spark...
When did you first discover your talent for photorealism, and why do you think you're so good at drawing life-like images?
After I saw that Ferrari piece, I knew I wanted to do something like this. I started to work on drawing cars just with pencils, trying to get as close to photo quality as I could. After spending my youth drawing comics straight from my head, this was a cool way for me to focus on all the small details: light shades on the car paint, or the photographer’s reflection in the rim. I really started to enjoy it, and after every piece I felt I was getting better and better at it. I was sure I was doing good work when I got asked by the guy who’d drawn the Ferrari that had got me into this how I made it look so realistic!
How do you go about creating these works?
If I’m drawing someone’s car for them, I firstly try to get as many photos and as much information from the owner about the car as I can. I need a list of all the visual changes added to the car so I can keep my focus on these parts. Sometimes it may be a small stripe on the steering wheel or coloured wheel bolts. If the owner wants a picture of a car he’s about to buy, I’ll try and find the best angles on the web and then add in any changes that the owner wants to make when speccing the car. Then I get all the tools I’ll need for the drawing, like fresh markers in the right paint shades, colouring pencils to get the paint perfectly matched and things like cotton pads for smooth shading.
What’s the hardest part about making the cars look real?
There are couple of things. It’s important to do a good detailed sketch, with all the proportions and angles spot on. Next, you’ve got to match the paint. If it’s something very custom, I might need to do up to 10 layers of markers mixed with colouring pencils. It’s also hard to get a smooth look on grey metallic paint – I’m still practicing to make that better after six years and over 500 drawings!
When I discovered markers, it was like opening the gate for me!
So what’s the full range of tools that you use for these pieces?
I started just using pencils, and then I discovered markers, which was like opening the gate for me! Right now, I use markers to get all the colour on the car, colouring pencils to get even more realistic shades that I can’t get with just markers. Then I also use mechanical pencils – 0.5mm and 0.3mm – for shading and adding small details. For the sketch, I use a normal 7B pencil to get the black tones, which gives everything a nice contrast – even 10 layers of black marker won’t look as black as one good layer of 7B. Then there are the cotton pads to get the colouring pencils as smooth as possible.
For an artist, your Instagram account has got a hell of a lot of followers. Are you surprised by its popularity?
I’ve been on Instagram since 2014 and was very sceptical about it when I started. Now, having 33,000 followers is crazy for me. I’m really proud every time I get a new follower, always trying to reply to anyone who would like his or her car drawn, or would just like some drawing tips.
I drew a yellow Ferrari 599XX for a famous yellow car collector from the US
Have you had any cool commissions over the years?
After six years of drawing cars and sending my works to places like Australia, Shanghai, Dubai, Monaco, Qatar, Malta, Mexico, I still remember all the works I’ve done. But my top one would be drawing a yellow Ferrari 599XX for a famous yellow car collector from the US. I also drew the seven-car collection of a Ferrari Challenge Asia Pacific racing driver from Australia. I’m also very proud of drawing the ultimate Porsche 993 collection in Texas.
So tough question, but what’s your favourite piece of work?
Well it won’t sound very modest, but I like all the drawings I’ve done, so it’s hard to pick one! But I’m a Ferrari fan so I would choose the red Ferrari 360 Modena piece showing the car’s front and rear, which I still have in my small gallery. That, or the drawing I did of a black Ferrari 458 Speciale, which for me is one of the best-looking cars ever made.