Aaron_the_Illustrator

Hi Gavin, Pretty much what Dave just said - it was more of a general introduction to myself and the relevance of some of my artwork to the Z-Car community, however I tend to ramble on a bit, and in retrospect it looks like I doubled up on a bit of info! Dave, I'm glad you received your calendars and posters! It would have been nice to meet you in person, but it was a good day nevertheless and I got to talking and discussing cars with other enthusiasts, as well as generating a little interest with regards to my drawings.

Hi folks, My name is Aaron, and I live in Perth, WA. I introduced myself in the appropriate forum yesterday, but I would like to share with everyone here some of my recent work. I'm a part-time illustrator and graphic designer and a father of two, but drawing cars has been a hobby of mine since my earliest childhood—I think i could draw the Holden logo before I could write my own name! About 18 months ago I decided to return to drawing cars, as I hadn't even picked up a pencil for over a decade! I wanted to re-ignite my passion for drawing that I had all those years ago, and sure enough it was like riding a bike. Initially I started off with quick sketches (5-10 minutes) and gradually increased in size and detail over the following months. I decided to start sharing my drawings online, and created an Instagram account @drawsyourcar. Originally, I started by drawing mainly European cars—BMW, Mercedes, Fiat, VW etc. but before too long I discovered the classic "nostalgic heroes" — Japanese models, particularly from the 1970s. The Japanese "aesthetic" really appealed to me - a philosophy of somehow distilling the prevailing styling and design trends from Europe and America into unique vehicles in their own right. Some were a little more garish than others, but generally the Japanese approach during this period has resulted in tidy, somewhat compact and refined designs that to this day lend themselves well to modification, customisation and restoration in equal measure. I was particularly drawn (pardon the pun) towards Nissans and Datsuns, and I created a series of drawings that charted the evolution of two significant models from this period—the Nissan Skyline GT-R but more importantly (given present company) the Nissan Fairlady Z—the "Z-Car"—from the original S30 models through to the current 370Z. I would dearly love to one day own a 240Z, as this has undoubtedly become one of my favourite cars—my favourite Japanese car by any account! I recently met with the local WA Z Register at their annual display, and shared my artwork and drawings with some of the members there, even selling a few calendars and art prints! I was made to feel welcome as I set up a small table adjacent to their stand, and enjoyed talking about cars in general, Datsuns and Nissans in particular. If anyone reading this post was there, thank you! The reason I created this post is to share with you the drawings I created, and also to let you know that I have posters and a calendar of these drawings available from my online store. I have attached the S30 drawings to this post, but the rest can be seen here: Z-Car Drawings - (imgur album, 12 images) Here is the poster at my store, with a little more information: Z-Car poster Since there were twelve drawings, I decided to design a calendar, too. I have made an A3 wall calendar for the year 2016. This would make an ideal christmas gift, for example! 2016 Z-Car wall calendar For anyone interested, I have added a discount especially for forum members: enter the code AUSZCAR to receive 20% off posters, enter the code FAIRLADY to receive 15% off the calendar. Please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and feedback. The calendars have been printed already but they're strictly limited in numbers—I only had 25 made, and there are about 19 left. Cheers, Aaron P.S. There is one caveat: In the calendar, the "Fairlady 240ZG" is labeled as simply "Fairlady ZG" - perhaps there should be more Datsun enthusiasts editing Wikipedia articles!

Hi folks, My name is Aaron, and I am a part-time illustrator and graphic designer based in Perth. I'm 35, a father of two and I've been drawing cars for as long as I can remember! About 18 months ago, I decided to devote more time to this hobby, and started concentrating on drawing cars again after having spent too many years away from the sketchbooks. I set up an instagram account: @drawsyourcar and started sharing my drawings with others; and gradually built up a following from other like-minded individuals, artists and enthusiasts. I originally focused mainly on European cars, but soon discovered the beautiful Japanese classics from the 1970s from Nissan, Toyota, Mazda and of course, Datsun. Classic Japanese metal such as the Hakosuka and Kenmeri Skylines, Celicas, rotary Mazdas and last but not least the beautiful Fairlady Z. I turned my attention toward the Fairlady Z and created a series of drawings—12 in total—that charted the evolution from the original S30 models through to the current 370Z. Personally, my favourite would have to be the original S30, in 2-seater guise. Recently, I met up with some of the members of the local WA Z Register at their display, and was able to share my artwork with them. It was at the suggestion of some of them that I contact the forum here and share my work with the wider Datsun community! I would dearly love to own one of these someday; until then I'll have to be content with vicariously experiencing build threads and restoration stories on forums such as here! I've attached some of my Fairlady (and other Japanese classic car) drawings here, but I'll create a thread going into a little more detail in the General Discussions section in a little while. I have both a Z-Car poster, and a 2016 calendar available for sale. Suffice to say I hope you enjoy my drawings, and if you would like to share your thoughts, opinions and feedback, go right ahead! Cheers, Aaron Perth, WA