This Klunker riding dude originated as an Inktober sketch that I scribbled in 2016 and later worked up in Procreate. He became my first completed piece using my (then) new iPad Pro. I liked his design and was quite pleased with how he turned out painted. But as a final image it never quite felt complete. He felt a little lonely by himself. So he's never joined my Artstation portfolio.... until today!
Whilst leafing through my Jim Phillips and Donny Gillies books I was struck by their shared flair for creating amazing posters and flyers. The range of different styles and graphics mashed together into one cohesive, information packed image was really pleasing to me. I'd seen similar, though far less sophisticated, renderings in a book I have about the history of Mountain Bike Racing. With that, inspiration struck! and I decided to resurrect my Klunker dude and put him in his own event flyer - The Repack Ripper! A race inspired by the glory days of mountain biking's youth when crazy hippies would fly down the steep fire roads of Marin County on ill-equipped-for- speed cruiser bikes.
I had a lot of fun drawing inspiration from both my art heroes and my favourite sport. And, as I have since moved for adventures new in LA, this piece serves as a fond farewell to my previous home of Fairfax, and its a chance to finally call this Klunker Dude piece finished!