the art of ruddell

A pictorial summary of my engineering, design and artwork from 1968 to the present day!

On the drawing board: During my apprenticeship I spent time in the Jaguar Chassis drawing office, working for the late Stan Paskin, on ABS systems and suspension components, before moving to the Body Drawing Office where I focused on production detailing and full size car body layout.


Working on design submissions from Bertone and Guigiaro in the mid 70s exposed me to the new concepts end of engineering and I began to look for a way to get more directly involved.


After 10 years in engineering I took six months out to consider my next career move. Travelling for several months across the Amazon in South America I made a documentary about life in the rainforest, painted and sketched trees and buildings and made the decision to return to the design side of the automotive industry.


Working in the design studio after a background in body engineering and production meant I approached design from the point of view of manufacturability above everything else.


Development of magic marker rendering techniques, heavily influenced by the artwork of George Thomson and Roger Zrimec: The "underlay" for this sketch was based on a CAD print out of the XJ40, with a model standing in front of the car scaled at 5'8" tall.


Group B Jaguar racing car project: developing the design in M.I.R.A.'s moving ground wind tunnel rig, simulating negative pressure (downforce) under the car with single and double diffusers, and through calibrated model radiators.


The key stages of the design process that we were involved with were concept sketches, engineering feasibility, aerodynamic evaluation, presentation models and photography. This was the meat in the Product planning/Marketing sandwich . . . .


Launch my first series of Limited Edition prints in 1989, the Ground Level Collection, using styling studio marker techniques and featuring Porsche and Ferrari sports cars. Advertising in several car magazines, the prints sell world wide!!


Investigation into using CAD for design as well as Engineering. Using Computervision visualisation tools to create dramatic on screen images.


Fact finding mission to Wavefront in Santa Barbara in 1988, on behalf of Jaguar and Computervision, to look at their high end rendering tools; taking with me some sample CADDS4X models. As my first real exposure to the design software industry, this visit was instrumental in my decision to move into the computer graphics industry.


Using Alias Studio V3.0.1 design software, it is possble to replicate Sir William Lyon's creation of the Jaguar XK120 by creating cross-sectional profiles and blending the body surfaces through them, in real time!! Finishing off with a photo-realistic rendering.


Design consultancy for various companies including Reliant, DCA and TWR Jaguar Sport, using marker rendering techniques.


Launch second series of Limited Edition prints in 1992, the Classic Evolution series; each print is a visual portrayal of the evolution of each of these famous racing cars. Buy from here.


A lot of time is spent ensuring the detail in the pictures is period correct. When it is possible to get access to the original cars - or drivers - it is a huge bonus!


CDI software demonstration: As applications specialist - showing potential customers how DesignConcept3D software would benefit them - this involved trade shows in many places including the Hotel Queen Mary in Long Beach and the CNIT (in Paris la Defense), flying on Niki Lauda's airline and generally going on a lot about how brilliant DesignConcept3D is!


CDI software training: Creating and delivering training courses to enable new customers to get up and running with DesignConcept3D. Working mostly in the USA, France and Asia with customers that are in the automotive, marine and apparel industries.


CDI software development: Bra Design research project with Marks and Spencer, Courtaulds Lingerie and Loughborough University. I visited Queens University in Belfast, Playtex in New York, Triumph in Germany and the China Textile Institute in Taiwan, chasing the elusive functionality that would allow lingerie designers to commence new designs directly on screen in 3D!


CAD for Vintage Racing car creation: Created totally on screen after digitising round the driver as he sat in position on a bare chassis. Hand fabricated in aluminium from plotted out drawings.


IT support for VBE Restorations: Involved reverse-engineering, design, exhibitions, marketing and movie making to promote this leading W O Bentley specialist, made up of automotive industry experts.


Launch third series of Limited Edition prints, iconic Grand Prix cars. These highly detailed studies document the races, the drivers, the chassis numbers and the helmets of each of the drivers who won Grand Prix with them. Buy from here.


Classic Team Lotus F1 Drivers poster: Utilising 3D scanning, 3D modelling, 3D - 2D flat pattern creation for mapping graphics, and finally raytracing to produce the finished images. The posters and T-Shirts continue to sell at Classic team Lotus.


Return to old school magic marker rendering for 2015 marketing campaigns for The Lagonda Club and The Bentley Drivers Club.


Launch my first set of watercolour paintings in 2017; a F1 trilogy based on the 1968 Daily Express International Trophy meeting which I was at. Recapturing the atmosphere of a vanished era of F1 . . Buy from here.


Back where it all started . . on the drawing board, creating Petronella, VBE's interpretation of the 1930 Gurney Nutting 4½ litre Blower Bentley that he built for Woolf Barnato, the 1928 Le Mans winner.


Launch my watercolour paintings website in response to public demand, who seem to like my random doodlings!! Citiscapes, cold war scenes, supermodels, spanish doorways . . . they are all here.


Now officially retired . . the drawing, painting and computer modelling continues: Adding to the classic car gallery with the original Mini, the innovative Chaparral 2C and the World Championship winning Brabham BT24


Computer modelling to help visualise the new entrance and foyer at the Gilbert-Scott Westwood Church. Design a split level welcome desk for the foyer


morning, midday and evening by the ocean in my beachside paintings gallery featuring Torremolinos in Spain, Taghazout in Morocco and Popoyo in Nicaragua - all locations from the ruddell world tour


Some of the things that keep me busy these days: selling my artwork at a Bicester Heritage event, talking about the history of Jaguar Design at a Jaguar Drivers Club meeting and learning to render architechtural radiosity with Alias AutoStudio V11.0.1


Complete a Jaguar Retrospective in 2021, drawing some of the secret projects I worked on in the 80s that never saw the light of day. I was able to source canson paper and magic markers locally, but the coloured "Derwent" crayons available today seem to lack the robustness of their 80s equivalent . . . see The Jaguar Files.