CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

megan — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:15:32 GMT

yes i mean nice webby A+A+A+A+A+A+A+A+ love cars

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Andy Blackmore — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:02:16 GMT

small world indeed!

Antonio - I WILL have to take you up on that offer. I was only half joking about drifting. I do get it :)

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Tom Wheeler — Fri, 30 May 2008 10:05:43 GMT

Cheers Bryn, i don't think i'll bother then! HAHA!

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Bryn Alban — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:23:02 GMT

Antonio speaketh the truth, until you've witnessed drifting first hand its quite easy to dismiss it as just some hooligans skidding around in cars. Get yourself to a drift event and blag a passenger ride with a good driver and you'll be left adrenalin filled, gasping for breath and hooked. I was skeptical at first but then once I felt what it was like there was no going back, it truely has changed my life, I dunno where I'd be without drifting right now, once I knock of work for the day its time to go do some spannering on my two drift cars then at weekends its time to hit the road to get to drift events, its not a sport, its a lifestyle and a drug.

retribution; I started my career whilst at university really, I stumbled upon a free downloadable 3d modelling program called Zanoza Modeller where I picked up the basics and started producing some pretty rubbish looking cars for a game called RACER. Then I moved on to making cars for various mods for the EA F1 series of games at which time one of the members of the then SBDT mod team spotted my work and asked if I wanted to help them out on the F1 '77 mod they were working on at the time. SBDT then turned into the commercial venture SimBin Development Team where I worked part time for them whilst finishing off my last two years at university. I must've done something right, as soon as I'd finished my final year I was offered a full time contract by Ian Bell and since then I've worked under him and the new company Blimey Games. Everything I know about modelling is self taught and learned. I've never sat in a classroom to be told what vertecies and polygons are. Be prepared to sit down and work and hone your skills, build up a good portfolio of high quality work and get your name out there. Its a competitive industry these days and pretty ruthless if your work isn't of the highest possible quality you are out the door. Hope that spreads some light on it.

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Dave Beasley — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:39:48 GMT

Hey Andy, great article. I'm also ex Cov and managed to con my way into the RCA. after that, I did a stint at EA in Surry with Lee Robinson...do you know him? He's ex VW now an art director I think. At the mo, I'm a senior designer at Pininfarina having come from BMW advanced and Mini with a quick blast at Volvo. I'm coming to Vancouver in August - any chance to buy you a beer and chat shop?

email me at d.beasley@pininfarina.it

BTW, I have a classic cooper here in Turin (as I Brit, I feel it's my duty..Charlie Crocker would be proud) and it's bloody marvelous on the alpine roads. If you want to get hold of a new 500, let me know. I'm sure I could find out how...

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Antonio Alvendia — Fri, 30 May 2008 05:15:17 GMT

Andy, if watching videos and reading stuff about synchronized swimming and/or drifting isn't quite your thing... come out to an event and take a ride in a car! Then let us know what you think! (not about swimming, about drifting).... anyways when's the last time you saw someone wear a shirt that said "synchronized swimming changed my life?" =)

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Tom Wheeler — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:33:01 GMT

Interesting to see your similar backgrounds and that you should all be checking this site within a couple of weeks of launch, pretty spooky!

I've always toyed with the idea of getting into the gaming industry in some way but have never known where to start. I have a strong background in design and digital media and a huge passion for cars. How would you recommend looking out for roles in the industry and especially with companies that work in the racing game genre we all love? Any positions vacant where you are?

Andy, maybe you should consider a re-issue of the pencil cases, you could be onto a winner! ;)

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Rod Chong — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:33:44 GMT

Andy I used to work with Bryn too you know on GT Legends... small world indeed!

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Bryn Alban — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:33:07 GMT

Gulf McLaren F1 pencil case FTW. I also had the TWR XJ220 pencilcase too. :)

I moved back to Wales after living in Coventry, the beauty of my work with Blimey Games is that I can work anywhere so its nice to be out in the countryside and enjoy the cheap insurance costs and low crime rate. Hence why I now own too many cars and have too many projects!

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Cole Trickle — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:15:12 GMT

Hey Bryn, I do, he is a Level Designer and a colleague. I worked closely with him on DiRT but I then left Codies to work on SEGA Rally. My studio has since been bought by Codies so I will be working with him again in the near future. They have just finished developing GRiD, I believe it is released on Friday. I think if I ever left Cov I would never go back... but it is close enough to my work for me to not really need to move (although I really need a place with a garage so that I can get a 'proper' car to love and cherish without fear of vandalism).

It is indeed a very small world, we all had the same Mclaren F1 pencil case too it seems.

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Bryn Alban — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:22:09 GMT

Cole, do you know Jason Evans? He's been working on DIRT and GRID I think, I've met him a few times now, his father and my father were both rally nuts in their youths and used to do a rallies together. This seems like a very small world at times.

I've not been back to Coventry since leaving there in 2004. I lived over near the skydome during the first couple of years before moving up near the stadium for my final two years. I remember being thrown out of Browns because I was wearing a cap and I refused to take it off - bad hair day and all that!

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Cole Trickle — Thu, 29 May 2008 08:17:25 GMT

Bryn, Andy... I also went to Cov uni. Started on Automotive Engineering Design but lost my way and at the time thought I would never get to work with cars. In the end I graduated on another course and started working for Codemasters as a Quality Assurance Tech. 6 years down the line, having briefly tested the waters at SEGA, I am a games designer working on motorsports games such as Colin McRae Rally so my dreams of working with cars have come true.

I still live in Cov having stayed in my student house, Browns is still there, so is the ring road :)

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Tom Wheeler — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:40:52 GMT

Cheers, Andy...

Apologies for taking over your comments section ;)

Look forward to seeing more of your posts soon, especially the ones with a design related twist.

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Andy Blackmore — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:15:08 GMT

German CD's? I've found them to be inaccurate. Now I search the net, there are a few sites out there. Also check out car brochures. If they are a pdf, you might be lucky and be able to bring the line drawing direct into Illustrator.

Sometimes, I will work on a 3/4 view for the 3d look, but I rarely work a 3d model now. too time consuming. Although much of the work is in 2D you have to have a 3d mindset at all times.

sleep well :)

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Tom Wheeler — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:11:31 GMT

Cheers Andy, do you use the blueprints off those cd's you can buy for sign-writers??? Or is there a better resource for these? How do you make the transition from flat art in Illustrator to a finished 3d livery, do you use 3d software for that?

I'll stop prising your trade secrets from you now and get some sleep!

All the best... Great to speak to you.

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Andy Blackmore — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:50:11 GMT

Bryn - Small world eh. Good old Cov' memories of Colin Campbell, Browns and that bloody ring road!

Retribution - Thanks, that has reminded me that I have that pencil case somewhere, must find it :)

Illustrator (or something vector) is the best software for creating liveries, then with the aid of blueprints and logos (you can extract many from pdf's ;) ) you can create something fairly quickly. Ideally, add a little shadow and highlight and what would normally be a stale drawing can come to life. Personally, I like to use the bodylines on the car and to integrate the number panel if possible.

Some good examples here:- www.ten-tenths.com/.../forumdisplay.php and on deviantart.com

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Tom Wheeler — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:40:58 GMT

This is fascinating Andy, I am a graphic and digital media designer now, but growing up have been informed and inspired by your work without ever realising it! I used to have a pencil case/tin in the shape of the Gulf Mclaren with your livery over it!

I am quite jealous of your body of work and would love to get into vehicle livery design myself. Even as a hobby. Coming from a print design background I consider myself proficient in Illustrator / Photoshop etc but I am not sure where best to start for vehicles. Without giving too much of your working process away do you have any tips, software you use etc?

re: CAR LIFE>> IT ALL STARTED WITH A CRAYOLA!

Bryn Alban — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:28:03 GMT

Wow.. its like a weird parallel vortex of my life/career. I went to Coventry University, I originally wanted to do Transport Design but headed into Automotive Engineering Design instead. When studying for my degree I was asked to join the fledgling SimBin Development Team to work on their first racing simulation game, GTR. Then I moved to Blimey! Games and have been working there for quite a few years now. I also design some car liveries in my free time, mainly for drift cars in the UK and I also build my own cars too and help my mates out as much as I can. It really is like I'm living your life, strange.