During my college years, my love for the classic car began to grow. I was studying creative topics in college, such as photography and graphic design because I was interested in the way things looked and how they could be perceived. I began looking into classic cars online, expanding my knowledge of my aesthetic preferences and building a dream car in my mind with the intent of saving up to be able to purchase one of my very own in the future. One day, I came across something quite different, which later became known as … the Space Lemon!
Whilst browsing, I came across a small city car produced in the 70s, which was intended to be a replacement for the Fiat 500: the Fiat 126. This little motor was far more creative than the standard paint job on the market; it was bright yellow with shiny silver stars decorating its panels. Due to its small size, yellow colour and added astronomical details, I gave it the sweet but quirky nickname I felt it deserved: the Space Lemon.
This little car sparked a real change in my passion for classic cars and brought the idea to mind that a car is not just a wagon to take you from A to B, nor is it just a prized possession to show off at car meets. Whether new or old, it is a slice of personality and every single one is different, much like their owner. If a car is nice to look at on the road, could it not also look nice on paper?
Inspired by the Space Lemon, I purchased a small scale model of the Fiat 126 in yellow and took photographs of it from which to draw. After experimenting with different ways to achieve a pleasing outcome, I pushed my watercolour pencils and fineliner pen skills to a new level. My love for illustration, creativity and classic cars merged into one; a style that I felt truly my own had finally come to light!
The original drawing was given to a friend as a gift in a frame. I felt proud of my hard work and wanted to share it with others. The Fiat 126 began to get a lot of recognition between friends and family, and within the next few months, I was being commissioned to draw bespoke pieces for individuals of their own “Space Lemons”.
