Django Studios Shirts

New Shirts available now! Visit the website to place an order.

Django Studio Tshirts

Artwork for new Django Studios Tshirts! I've wanted to do this for awhile, but never could find the time. The '36 Ford is of course my ongoing period correct pre-war cabriolet project. And who doesn't love the P-38! The only  US fighter in production from Dec 7th through VJ Day. Details coming soon...

Tis the Season

Here is the new artwork for the Hot Rod Chassis & Cycle Christmas HAMB party. I went with a '56 Ford this year. Details on the party below!

It's time for our 5th Annual Christmas party, on Friday December 21st at 7pm! Spend a few hours seeing old friends, making new friends, and looking around at the various projects. Bring a dish to share. Hope to see you there!

View the HAMB thread here.

Hot Rod Chassis and Cycle
59 Factory Road
Addison, IL 60101

630-458-0808

[url]http://www.hotrodchassisandcycle.com[/url]

SEMA wrap up

Monday morning, back in the office, back from SEMA. What a week! We met the winner of the Raybestos Roush Mustang, from Oak Lawn, IL and he was extremely excited. The Raybestos campaign also won awards from the Women's Board for the 3rd straight year, for best QR code and Best B-to-C website for Raybestos Garage. Met lots of great people, reconnected with friends from around the country and had way too much fun for "work".

HAMB calendar artwork

Here is a sneak peak at the cover for the 10th annual HAMB traditional hot rod and custom calendar. I wanted to do something special for #10, and this is the first time I have used illustration (mine or otherwise) in the design.

Nick Curran Cancer Benefit 45 and CD Graphics

I was asked to create some cd and 45 record art for fellow roots musician Nick Curran Benefit project. Nick has Tongue Cancer and these 2 songs were written as a way to help raise money for his medical bills. Since my band had played a benefit show for him previously, this was an easy decision to help graphically. The concept was that it was a 45, so we chose to use a graphic .45 revolver as the graphic.

Broadway Bob Memorial Drags Weekend

Here is a logo and ad for a new vintage drag racing event at historic Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove Wisconsin, to honor Broadway Bob Metzler. The show is Oct 12-13, 2012. Should be a good time!

Zombie Apocolypse!

Patch design for the Aurora Sportsman Club's Zombie Shoot on September 20, 2012. Check it out if you're the Zombie killing type...

Melrose Corvette New T-Shirt

Here's a new Tshirt design I just completed for Melrose Corvette featuring a new ZR-1 Corvette. Give them a few days to get them printed, but stop by their online store and they'll be happy to sell one to you. Tell them Chad sent you...

Melrose Corvette

Here is a catalog cover I did for Melrose T-tops back in 2009. They liked my Pileup art but wanted something more modern. This is what I came up with.

Torque Racing Brake Fluid

This is the new logo and packaging for Torque Racing Brake Fluid. I was asked to help build the look and feel of the brand from scratch and this is where we ended up. I was asked to use primary colors, simple but beautiful design and to create something that would look good going around a corner on a race car as well as look sophisticated off the track. The label was designed in such a way to allow product expansion. I think it turned out great.

Ol 927 on PBS

Check out this episode of History Detectives where Wes Cowan searches for the history of a 90th BG veteran's patch, with a surprise appearance by our girl, "0l' 927", the Commemorative Air Force B-24 that has the nose art that I designed and painted with help from my Dad, Sean Cowger and Mike Hede.

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/video/2261437792/

Doolittle Raiders Pledge Drive

I'm donating a copy of "Aleutian Tiger" and "You Can't Keep A Hot Rodder Down" to Warbird Radio to raise money for the Doolittle Raider Reunion in Dayton Ohio at the National Museum of the US Air Force. It's the final official reunion for the 5 remaining Doolittle Raiders. Money raised will offset fuel costs for the 20 B-25 Mitchell Bombers in attendance as well as paying for the trip of a Chinese woman who helped one of the crews escape the Japanese. Keep in mind that the Japanese killed 250,000 Chinese in retribution for helping the Americans escape. If one person in a village was suspected of helping the air crews, the entire village was murdered... everyone. Go to the Warbird Radio website or the Warbird Radio Facebook Page for more details!

Eat like a King with Smithfield!

Here is the new Smithfield Richard Petty Motorsports #43 show car Hauler that I designed featuring Aric Almirola, the 43 car, and the King, Richard Petty himself. Pretty cool to be working on a project involving the King after growing up watching him race every weekend on TV as a kid!

Show Me!

This is the art from the original CAF "Show Me" B-25 circa 1986-2002ish. I've always loved this art, and this is my second time illustrating it. The first was hand painted on a B-25 model of Show Me for 4-H, that I took to the State Fair in '87. I would love to know who painted the original, (and why they didn't do the repaint.)

I think she, myself and a piece of shiny aluminum will have a date this summer...

73rd Bomb Wing B-29 Flagship 500 Print

Here's my newest art print to be available soon. It's called "You Can't Keep A Hot Rodder Down". I found a photo of this little modified on Saipan in "An Unofficial Pictorial History of the 500th Bomb Group", published in 1946, and I was intrigued. I looked for information on who built it for several months but never could find out any information, even from the 500th BG Association. It looks like it has elements of a Japanese Type 95 car, and aircraft wheels and tires in the front, but who knows what else. Unlike the ETO, the guys in the Pacific had very little to occupy their free time. And like any hot rodder would, this guy found a way to pass the time. The foreground B-29 is "Flagship 500" which survived the war after 11 combat missions (named "4th Marine Division" on the starboard side) and is on display today at March AFB painted in 500th Bomb Group markings, but named "Three Feathers" which also carried the number Z Square 49, hence the confusion based on available information at the time. The background B-29 is Z Square 42 named Supine Sue, which at the end of the war had amassed 48 combat missions and 6 Japanese kills.

Welcome to the new site

Yes, the new site is finally finished! Have a look around...