Need a gift for a guy that loves cars? Give him a custom illustration of his favorite car.
A messy desk is supposed to be the sign of a creative mind. I definitely have a very creative husband.
For his birthday, I wanted to make his work space look nice. Tidying up the desk was the first step, but I also wanted to add something interesting to that blank brick wall behind the desk. Something beautiful and personal. Something that my husband would like. An original piece of art seemed like the perfect thing. Even better, a custom illustration of something my husband loves: his car, a Mini Cooper S.
I found an artist online that will create a detailed custom drawing of any car. His website is called J7Artwork. You work directly with the artist to get exactly the right make, model, and color. He will even add special accessories and other details to the car.
Ordering a Custom Print
I ordered a custom drawing, and email back and forth with him to tell him what I knew about the make, model, year, and color of my husband’s car (a 2009 Mini Cooper S in pepper white). I found a picture of the car to send to him too.
There’s a lot of options on the J7Artwork website for ordering depending on what you want to do with the illustration (frame it, put it on a t-shirt, or use it digitally, for example). I chose a package with a high-resolution image so I could print and frame the illustration. In full disclosure, I received the artwork in exchange for sharing the website in this post, but I bought the print.
After about a week or so, I got a sample of the illustration so I could check it. I’m sure if I was really interested in cars and car stuff, I would have had comments to write back, but, um, it looked good to me.
Framing the Car Print
Once I got the print, I found a white mat and added a blue edge on the inside with a permanent marker because there was a lot of white on white, especially since the car is white.
I spray painted the frame blue to give the space a nice pop of color, then spray painted a letter “A” blue too. The “A” will be an accessory on the desk and tie the picture and the desk together.
I put a masonry screw into the mortar of the bricks to hold the frame. If I ever need to change things around, it’s easier to fill in mortar than it is to repair a hole in a brick.
This framed print of something my husband loves has become the focal point for his corner of the room. I’m really please with how it all turned out.
Now my husband’s desk is all cleaned-up and the framed custom illustration makes the space look finished and decorated. The letter “A’s” help too.
One last thought, if you’re thinking that you have no place in your home to hang a picture of a car, that’s ok. Just get the web package, and it can be a screen saver or an image for an email signature or even a Facebook profile picture. Also, the price for a custom illustration starts at $60, but for $15, you can buy a print of a car the artist has already drawn. The J7Artwork Instagram page has tons of images of cars he’s already created.
Buying gifts for men is always hard for me. They seem to have expensive hobbies that require very specific parts. But for a guy that likes cars, a custom illustration of his car, or his dream car, seems like the perfect gift.