1939 BUICK REFLECTING '29 FORD MODEL A

I took the reference photo for this painting last September. I wasn't sure I wanted to paint this car because I only have two thirds of the car showing. However, I was really challenged by the reflection of the Model A in the side of this 1939 Buick Special.

I started by masking off all the areas that would remain white. I then did a light blue-gray wash over the entire car. I added some bright blue across the fenders, around the door, on the roof and on the hood. I gradually did layers of gray for the Model A until it began to turn black. I add the two figures at the left.

Next I started successive layers of an indigo, Van Dyke brown and cerulean blue mix on the Buick body. In most areas i did 5-6 layers. Once the body color was done I began working on the back wheel and the inside of the car. My penultimate task was to paint in Gary's Coffee shop in the background. The reference photo didn't show this, but since I'm going to display this painting at Gary's, I thought it would be a nice touch to show the shop in a painting.

Finally, to finish the painting, I softened edges, cleaned up lines, scratched in some details, and added another layer of paint to the body of the car.

It seems all my paintings have areas I don't care for and others that I do like. This one is no exception. I struggled with the front wind shield. The reference photo was no help and I wanted to have some reflection. In the end, I gave up and left it alone. The parts I like best are the rear wheel area and the reflections in the back side window.