Automotive Art

Joe Petrali "land speed record" painting

2012-01-27T06:33:00.003-06:00

Here is Joe Petrali onboard his record setting "knucklehead" Harley Davidson. The year was 1937. On March 13, this EL Factory Streamliner established a land speed record, racing up to 136.183 miles per hour on the hard-packed sands at Daytona Beach, Florida. The speed run was conducted to promote Harley-Davidson's new "Knucklehead" engine. Harley racing team rider Joe Petrali was aboard the bike for the record run. Petrali left Harley in 1938 to join the team that helped Howard Hughes build the Spruce Goose airplane.

The original acrylic painting is 16"x20". Prints will be available. Contact me if interested.

Hope to do some more in this series soon. Nate Grice

Atlas Oil Scratchboard

2012-01-13T06:24:00.002-06:00

Here is my most recent scratchboard. The original is 8"x10". I have wanted to do something with the Atlas Oil Tools dragster for awhile now. So after I finished a few commission christmas presents I knocked this one out. I wanted to make one to look in "motion" so to speak. It turned out pretty cool. I will have prints available for Autorama in Detroit next month. Hope to have many new pieces done this year! Nate Grice

T-Shirt Art

2011-10-14T09:39:00.004-05:00

Here is my collaboration piece with Single Finger Speed Shop. We used my original scratchboard design and put it on a tshirt with our logos. It turned out great! I have had wonderful response to it at recent shows. I have some available for sale. They are $15 a piece plus shipping. The colors are brown, ivory, and orange.

Nate Grice

Recent pinstriped projects

2011-10-14T09:27:00.009-05:00

Here are some of my recent pinstriped pieces. The tub was for a best friend of mines little boy. He is a definite gearhead! He enjoyed it a lot!! I made it for him to store all his hotwheels in, or use it as a drum, Ha. The other is a commissioned bottle and a commissioned hotwheel car to stripe. Nate Grice

Commission Pencil "Cuda"

2011-09-08T06:41:00.004-05:00

Here is a recently completed commission pencil drawing I did for a friend. It is a beautiful 70' Hemi Cuda. It was recently showcased at the Mopar Nationals in Ohio last month for http://www.bighemicustoms.com/ It is black on black. This was challenging to keep the reflections look real and make it to look like a black car. It turned out great! I actually didn't want to give up the piece, but its now in the hands of the owner. I had a great time with this one. I am open for more commission work if interested. Email at nategrice@gmail.com for more info. Nate Grice

Pinstriped Pieces

2011-07-01T09:32:00.009-05:00

Here are some recent items I have pinstriped. Some are sold. Brought them to local shows and people seem to dig them. I keep trying to practice and continue to get better, as with most things I do. I hope you enjoy them also. Send me a email if you're interested in having me make you something or want to know if anything I have done is sold yet. I have a variety of colors to choose from. nategrice@gmail.com Thanks for looking! Nate Grice

The gold piggy bank was recently my first piece I shipped overseas to the U.K. Very excited abou that! Also the dodge hubcap and V8 hubcap are sold. If interested in having something striped send me an email.

"Nanook" Scratchboard

2011-06-02T14:13:00.002-05:00

Here is my latest scratchboard. It is 8"x10". I have always like this image and wanted to draw it. I decided to try it on scratchboard instead. I just got prints made hot off the press for my next show this weekend. I will be at Sins of Steel in Michigan. If your in the area stop by, it will be a great time. You can also order prints by emailing me at nategrice@gmail.com . They are $15 for a 11"x14" print. Hope you enjoy! Nate Grice

70 Challenger Painting

2011-06-02T14:06:00.003-05:00

Here is my latest painting. One of my best friends was recently married. His wife asked me to make him something special with his car involved. I wanted to do a pencil drawing but was limited on time. I really like how this turned out. I painted it gallery style also, with the image rolling around the corners. It is acrylic 16"x20". He recieved it at the rehearsal dinner from her. He was totally shocked and loved it, as did she! I am honored to make them a cherished piece of art that is personal! Let me know if there is something I can make for you!

Nate Grice

Thanks Chad and Sally!!

Board track Painting

2011-05-06T05:55:00.002-05:00

Here is my latest painting of a board track racer. It is acrylic 18"x24". I decided to use the same color scheme as the roadster painting. It turned out great! I had some prints made of this and sold out what I brought to the show last week at Vintage Torque Fest. I will be having more prints made soon. Email me if interested. The original painting is $400. It is painted around the edges also for the gallery look. I also painted a cross for torque fest for charity. It is done mostly in one-shot. I painted a coupe, a stromberg, and a copy of "Brown Dog Welding" motorcycle creation made of nuts and bolts. Also pinstriped a hubcap which was laying around the garage that I sold. Hope you enjoy!! Working on new art soon!! Summer's Busy!!!

Nate Grice

New Paintings!!!

2011-03-30T07:26:00.002-05:00

I have never been into painting much, but bought some canvas and gave it a shot. I really enjoyed doing these two pieces. Painting definitely relaxes me and is gratifying when completed. I will be doing more paintings in the future and hope to do commission work for these as well as pencil and scratchboard art. If you have any questions feel free to send me an email.

The first painting I did was the F.E.D. shot of the driver. It is 18"x24" gallery style canvas.

The second one of the roadster is 16"x20". I call it "Heading Home".

Hope you enjoy. Nate Grice

Art Show coming UP!! Boneyard Art Festival

2011-03-30T07:00:00.003-05:00

Make sure to leave your calender open on April 7th. I'll have all my artwork on display for purchase at http://www.dollarjava.com. I am part of the Boneyard Art Festival. See the following link for more information. http://www.40north.org/events/2011_Boneyard_U_of_I_Campus.html The coffee shop is located at 51 E. Green Street in Champaign. I hope you can stop by to check out my originals and say hello and get a great cup of java! I'll be there on Thursday from 3:00-10:00pm. The gallery showing opens up at 7a.m. if you stop by earlier. I'll also be on site Saturday the 9th and Sunday the 10th from 10a.m. -2p.m. Hope to see ya!! Nate Grice

Ready to Run

2011-02-25T07:17:00.002-06:00

I tried something different on my scratchboard on this one. I was trying to see how fine of lines I could make for highlights. It turned out great!! The original is 8"x10". It is for sale. Prints will be made also. Contact me if interested. Thanks for looking, Nate Grice.

New Skratchboard!!

2011-01-30T10:14:00.004-06:00

Well I finally had a few minutes to make some new art this year. It is my first finished piece of the year. I have lots of great ideas brewing in my head for this years new pieces! I have been busy working on remodeling my bathroom and other projects. Hope to make more cool pieces soon. This one is a scratchboard done 5"x7". I can't get enough of "FED's" front engine dragsters. Hope you find it inspirational to try and make some art of your own. It is a blast!! Thanks for looking, Nate Grice

Fireman Rememberence Pencil Drawing

2011-01-30T10:04:00.003-06:00

This is a commissioned pencil drawing I did in December of 2010 for a christmas present. A guy I used to work with "Barney" wanted me to draw his late fathers fireman gear for his mother for a present. I was honored! It turned out great and everyone loved it from what I hear. It was drawn on bristol paper 11"x14". I didn't get a chance to have it scanned so the picture is just from my camera but shows pretty well. I have fun with these because the diamond plate is challenging. This piece means a lot to Mrs. Kaufmann and others. I hope you enjoy it as much as they are. Thanks, Nate Grice

Negative G's

2010-10-13T16:29:00.003-05:00

This is my latest pencil sketch. I call it Negative G's because that's what's happening. When the driver pops the chute, the negative g-force pulls your chin to your chest instantly. The drivers I have had a chance to talk to, say its hard to describe the impact on your body. Its like nothing else. To be able to drive one of these is on my bucket list! I love nostalgic drag racing and "rail" cars. You may be seeing a lot more like this to come. The original is drawn 11"x14" on 100lb. Bristol Paper and is framed for $250. I also have prints made of this one for $20 each that are also 11"x14". Everyone that saw this at the Hunnert Car PileUP this past weekend thought it was killer. Hopefully you do also, send me an email if your interested in prints of anything I have done www.nategrice@gmail.com . Thanks for looking!

I included a progress shot of this picture as well. Nate Grice

55' Gasser Skratchboard

2010-08-25T05:55:00.003-05:00

This is a 8"x10" skratchboard of two 55' Gassers. I did this one for John Cooper of Indy Road Rockets car club. They put on a great car show called the Road Rocket Rumble and I was an art vendor there. I do have prints left of this if anyone is interested though. The Culbertson shop is the clubs hangout and that is why I put it in the background. The closer is sponsored by Culbertson and locally owned, the farther one is owned by John's wife. I really enjoyed doing this piece knowing that it meant something to them. Thanks for looking, Nate Grice

"Full Throttle" PENCIL Rendering

2010-05-10T07:54:00.002-05:00

I wanted to try something different and see if I could make a pencil drawing look like its moving. It was both challenging and fun! I hope to do more like this and make a drag racing series. The original was drawn on strathmore 100 lb. acid free paper 11"x14". It is for sale, framed and kustom matted for $400. Prints are available for $20. Let me know if this is something you like. Thanks for looking. Nate Grice

Newest Skratchboards

2010-05-10T07:44:00.003-05:00

These are my most recently hand made skratchboards. One of them is my favorite so far and that is the salt flat scene. I have wanted to do something with hotrods mixed with classic bikes for a while now. It was done on 11"x14" board. It was a lot of skratchin, I think it would've been easier to start with paper and do it in pen, but what fun would that be. It is for sale, original is $175, prints are $20. The other two are 5"x7"s and both originals are $75. Email me if interested.

***The truck original is sold***

PENCIL Rendering Commission

2010-04-09T08:01:00.002-05:00

This is my latest commissioned PENCIL Rendering. The client http://www.tanksinc.com/ wanted a tanker truck w/his companys name on it along with a vintage gas pump. The picture is 11"x14" on Bristol Board. Thanks for looking, Nate Grice

Hot Rod Skratching

2010-03-19T06:01:00.002-05:00

Here's another new skratchboard design. It was done 8"x10". The original is for sale for $100 along with prints for $15. Email me if interested. nategrice@gmail.com Thanks for lookin! I hope to have some new pencil renderings up soon.

New Skratchings

2010-03-11T08:11:00.002-06:00

Here are a few new skratchings I recently finished. One is Ms. Metals 53 that I did with pencil in the post before this. The other two are a triumph bobber and a ford shoebox. They were all done 8"x10". They are all for sale. The originals are $125, prints are $15 each. Send me an email if interested. nategrice@gmail.com

Ms. Metal's Kustom 53'

2010-02-21T18:51:00.003-06:00

This is a PENCIL drawing of Ms.Metal's Kustom 53' Chevy. She can do some amazing things with metal. She also makes kustom car and hotrod accessories, and jewelry using automotive items. She fabricated all the kustom parts on her 53 and made it her own. The car is awesome non the less to see in person.

The drawing is 11"x16" in pencil. I will have a limited run of prints made that will be signed by myself and Ms.Metal with kustom matting. The prints will be $50 without shipping. If interested email me at nategrice@gmail.com Payment is available thru paypal or check. This picture was the most time consuming of any I have done so far and I think it was totally worth it! I hope you all enjoy and if you have some free time check out her site. www.ms-metal.net

Skratch Board

2010-02-18T18:07:00.003-06:00

I thought I would try something out of the box and I picked up some skratchboard. These are on 5"x7" board. I think it is a lot more challenging to work with these since you have no room for error. I am used to having my eraser right there to correct any mistakes. I hope practicing on these once in a while will make me a better artist. These are for sale also. They are $50each. I will be trying larger ones in the future. Thanks for looking, Nate

***The 41 Plymouth and Dragster are SOLD***

Craftsmanship

2010-01-29T12:43:00.002-06:00

This is the interior of a 1931 Ford built by Voodoo Larry of http://www.voodoolarrykustoms.com. He is an awesome car builder. I finally got my chance to see the car in person at Hunnert this past year. I am going to his shop tomorrow to show him the finished piece and have him sign some prints. I can't wait. There will be a limited edition for the prints that come with custom matting for the signature. The picture was drawn 11"x14". It was done in pencil. Thanks for looking. Nate

Teaching Wisdom

2010-01-08T09:02:00.002-06:00

This is a pencil sketch of legendary car builder Gene Winfield. I wish I had taken this shot, but I borrowed it with permission from a hotrodder off of the H.A.M.B. When he posted this shot, I had to draw it. The original is drawn 8"x10". Prints are also available for this drawing. Thanks for looking.

"Kingren" Fire Drawing

2009-12-30T08:23:00.005-06:00

This is a pencil drawing of a local firefighters apparel. This was also a Christmas gift so I could not post it sooner. When I first started this piece I thought it would be fairly easy except I have never drawn diamond plate. It was challenging to say the least! I really like how it turned out. Although I enjoy drawing automotive related things this was a lot of fun as well. I have to thank Justin Withers for letting me in the firehouse to setup the gear to get the picture. The picture was drawn 11"x14" on archival paper.

Harley Davidson Pencil Rendering

2009-12-30T07:41:00.002-06:00

Here is the finished pencil rendering I did for a client. I'm not sure the year of the Harley but I really liked it, wish it was mine! This was drawn for a Christmas present for a client and she told me to just draw whatever I wanted for the background. This is what I came up with. The coolest thing about it I thought was I decided to throw in a old gas pump with the eagle on it and her boyfriend has that for a tattoo. She said he really liked the picture. I hope to do more motorcycles in the future. It was challenging with all the chrome and hardware but fun!! The tin is partial raw metal with grinder marks on it with blue painted flames over it. Sorry I had to wait to post as I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Thanks for looking.

My car buddies

2009-12-22T08:30:00.002-06:00

This is a picture of my car buddies that were in my wedding. I drew all of their cars for them in cartoon style for a present. They all thought they were awesome. I just stumbled upon this picture so I thought I would show something different. I will be posting two new pictures as soon as Christmas is over and I am in progress of a couple more great ones. Thanks for being patient, Nate

Close up of current project

2009-11-29T17:55:00.002-06:00

This is a close-up of a current project I just finished, I can't show the whole drawing because it is a commissioned Christmas gift for someone. I can't ruin the suprise if they happened to see it on here. Sorry, will post as soon as I can, I really like this one!!

Pencil Rendering " 67 Lemans"

2009-10-08T18:27:00.004-05:00

This is a pencil rendering of a 1967 Pontiac Lemans. I was contacted by the owner at a local car show recently and he wanted his car drawn. I jumped on the opportunity and this is what I came up with. The car is white so I didn't know what I was going to do at first to show reflections and depth, but I am happy with what I did. He loves it and is going to take it to shows with him. The size of the drawing is 11"x 14" on illustration board. I hope to do more for clients in the future. I am on the list for a local art gallery and am participating in a local art show soon. Let me know if there is something I can do for you. Thanks for checking it out!

Pencil Drawing "Pearl Harbor"

2009-10-08T18:23:00.002-05:00

This is another pencil drawing of a picture from Pearl Harbor while being attacked. These servicemen were trying to get this plane moving and off the ground. The picture was found on a lost camera and developed recently. I had to draw this picture when I saw it. I think it is really neat and tells alot. Hope you enjoy!

Pencil Drawing of 70 Fury

2009-09-23T04:56:00.002-05:00

This is a picture of my friend Radar's 1970 Plymouth Fury from "Drag Week". I just did this for him as a gift, he really thought it was cool. I enjoy doing these and may do more in the future.

1950 Chevy pencil drawing

2009-09-10T21:00:00.002-05:00

This is a pencil drawing made to look like the computer did it with pixelation. It turned out awesome I think. The picture is of my Grandpa's Chevy. This picture was taken at my wedding. This is the car that we drove off in. It is very special to me and my grandpa takes a lot of pride in it. I just wanted to try something different with this piece. I may do more like this in the future just to change it up a bit. Size is 8x10". Hope all enjoy!

In Memory "Big Jim"

2009-08-28T11:24:00.003-05:00

This is a pencil sketch of James Schaefer's 70' Duster. He was a big member of the River Valley Mopar Club. He passed away Monday August 17th, 2009. He was in process of converting it to a 5 speed automatic to be featured at Monster Mopar Show in St. Louis coming up. I haven't heard if some of the club members are going to take it now, I hope they do. Well I drew this picture as a memorial for him and will give it to the club president so he can pass it on. I am glad I had the chance to meet him and talk to him about his Duster and get ideas for mine. Now we will all have to wait to see him again. It really puts into your mind that you never know the last time you will see someone.

"Lonely"

2009-08-19T22:04:00.003-05:00

This is a pencil rendering of a 57' Chevy in the weeds. I borrowed this picture from an artist on the Hamb Art show. With permission I couldn't wait to draw it, although it took me a lot longer to find time to work on it, here it is. This piece was challenging for me. I am thinking about doing a tri-five series now. If only there was more time in the day. This was drawn 8"x10". Prints are available for this picture as well others. This one is $50 for a 11"x14" print on high quality acid free paper using a giclee process.

Pencil Rendering

2009-07-24T12:24:00.000-05:00

This is another pencil rendering I did of a 53' Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible. I took the picture at World of Wheels in Indy this spring. The car is owned by Bob and Diana Cossin in MO. The car's nickname is "Lil Darlin". I wanted to do an extreme close-up but still be able to tell what it is. I love drawing chrome reflections and this one had a lot. Thanks for checking it out! Nate

Pencil Rendering

2009-06-26T11:23:00.000-05:00

This is a pencil rendering I did of a bobber. I really enjoyed doing this drawing.

Pencil Rendering

2009-06-16T13:48:00.001-05:00

This is a pencil rendering that I did for our local Fire Department Harley Davidson Raffle. They really enjoyed it. The Fire Chief was really shocked, I didn't tell him I was doing this for them and I gave them a nice framed print to have for the Firehouse. It was the most time consuming piece I have done so far, but was well worth it. I plan on making more soon. Hope you all enjoy as much as I do! Prints are limited to 150.

Do you want a picture?

2009-06-15T11:03:00.000-05:00

If you would like a custom picture drawn or would like to buy a print of something I have done, send me an e-mail nategrice@gmail.com
I am open to ideas for new drawings. I have been getting a lot of good pictures at some recent car shows and will be making new pictures soon.
You can buy prints starting at $15 and up depending on the size you want.
I would be happy to make you something memorable to display at a show, your wall, garage, or a one of a kind gift for someone.
All artwork can be framed upon request.

Paying Respect

2009-05-28T08:03:00.001-05:00

I have to thank all the artists on the Hamb "Jalopy Journal" and Hub Garage for inspiring me to continue with my art and work on getting better with each piece. I forgot how much fun I have when drawing and creating something unique. One artist in particular that I would like to thank is Ed Tillrock, he does some amazing things with a pencil. I hope to meet him soon. Well just saying thanks again to all the great artists out there and who knows maybe I'll inspire someone else to get drawing! www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/moparz

Six Pack

2009-05-28T07:54:00.000-05:00

This is the first one I started really using color in. It is done in prisma color colored pencil. I also have a version in black and white. I still can't decide which one I like better. I plan on attending a lot more car shows and drag races this year, so I can get some cool pics to draw.

Ford Flathead

2009-05-28T07:43:00.000-05:00

This was my first time try at a motor pic. I really had fun doing this piece, it inspired me to do the cutaway of the hemi which is a couple posts before this. I have always enjoyed drawing whole cars before but now I am partial to these. I hope to do a lot more in the near future.

My background picture

2009-05-28T07:24:00.000-05:00

This is a motor shot I took from a car owned by John Cooper of Road Rockets in Indianapolis. I saw this car at the Hill Climb in Newport, Indiana last year. If you haven't been there before, you won't be disappointed. Well I started this picture before I went to the World of Wheels show in Indy this spring and I saw the car again and talked to his son and that gave me the inspiration to finish it. It is the first one I have drawn to try and make it look like it was a photo shopped picture. I was happy with the turnout. I have received a lot of good comments about it so far. Let me know what you think about it.

Getting my feet wet

2009-05-28T07:18:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog and I'm hoping to have my own website soon, but for now hopefully this will help people see what I can do. I am a self taught artist. I really enjoy drawing automotive art, I just got back into drawing a couple years ago and started messing with color, but now I am enjoying just black and white renderings. Who knows what I'll stick with or maybe just try to get better at both. Well this picture is my latest creation, it was drawn on a sheet of computer paper. I am ready to move up to a bigger surface so I can get in even more detail. Hope everyone enjoys it. It is a 1965 426 Race Hemi Motor, cutaway version.