Backgrounds: Peterbilt

I picked the highly intimidating Peterbilt truck from the 1971 movie “Duel” to scare Elmo and Sprocket while they were out on a little road trip.  The rusty Peterbilt, which was essentially a partially obscured background prop, was immediately recognized by the readers.  For those who wanted a better look at the weathered and rusted star of the movie “Duel” here are the drawings without the grackles or Elmo obscuring the view.

The front view of the Peterbilt took a long time to color.  I had never tried to draw a rusty, weather-beaten vehicle before this.  I spent way too much time trying different things to get the right look.  Ultimately, I arrived at a good enough technique to achieve the dusty-rusty appearance.  I think I could have done even better if I hadn’t run out of time.  Oh well, it was just a background.

Here is that rear view of the Peterbilt that Elmo and Sprocket had after narrowly missing the truck.  Fortunately, the driver was not in nearly as bad of a mood as he was back in 1971 and gave Elmo and Sprocket a pass.

This is Elmo and Sprocket’s last glimpse at the Peterbilt before it vanished in the distance.