Environment and hardware starting point

[valvet]

Hallo people. I began to draw various Vehicles, ships and environments. As for learning environments it is clear that i need to draw buildings, nature from real life. But vehicles, i can draw cars from real life, but how about aircrafts and some other human made things? I don't know where can i draw aircraft sitting in front of it:) How you people solved this problem?

[Mirana]

Where do you live? In the US there are many, many airforce and private-sponsored air museums that one can make a day trip to and draw/take reference. Otherwise, you can go out to a toy or hobby shop and buy some models (which are pretty well detailed).

There's always website and book ref too.

[Flake]

If there are any large forces bases near you chances are they have an open day/air show or something, you can shoot as many photos as you want.
My mum has photos from when I was a kid of me in a Harrier cockpit, in an AA gun rig on a Destroyer etc.
There were main battle tanks parked in the city square where I live a few months back, some army recruitment/pimp my army thing.

^Also, museums, websites, books, model kits are good shouts as enthusiasts of this kinda stuff tend to be accuracy nuts.

[valvet]

I live in Lithuania. This is little country. So little army are. What if i draw from photos? Buying models not so good idea because of money.

[Gundersen]

Or you can go to your local airport and draw planes that lands and takes off :)

Also if there is no real life experience you can get, then get books and look at images, google is a wonderful source :P

[Mirana]

You can draw from photos. Take a look at a major photo stock site (like corbis.com) and see what you find.

[valvet]

Thanks for all your answers. I will follow your advise.

[valvet]

Maybe you guys can offer some books about enviroment and vehicle drawing? There are a lot out there about figure drawing but i can't find something about man made things.

[tmbritton]

How to Draw Cars the Hot Wheels Way (http://www.amazon.com/How-Draw-Cars-Hot-Wheels/dp/0760314802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210896135&sr=8-1) is so far the best book that I have seen on drawing automobiles, or any mechanical object. It sounds like a kid's book, but it is actually very detailed when it comes to perspective and starting an industrial design like drawing. It was used as a textbook in the industrial design department at a school where I went for a bit. Plus, it's cheap.

[valvet]

thanks