If you’re like us, you have a passion for all things having to do with cars. You might collect models, Hot Wheels, old fuel pumps, oil cans, tin signs, banners, or even wall art. If you’re an art aficionado, we’ve got the guy for you! If you’ve ever been to the SEMA Show or PRI Show or seen any of the promotional materials from those events, chances are you’ve seen the artwork of Ed Tillrock.
At the most recent PRI Show, we had a chance to sit down and interview Ed to get his backstory. His booth was constantly met with ooohs and aah’s from passersby while we were talking. We thought you’d enjoy a look into this automobile-obsessed, obscenely talented, and amazingly prolific automotive artist.
Tillrock Inspiration
Ed Tillrock was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Cicero. He’s been drawing for as long as he can remember. He blames his Polish grandmother for his ability to draw. When his parents moved to Cicero, his grandmother often cared for the two-and-a-half-year-old. She occupied the high-strung toddler by having him draw dogs and chickens.
His aunt’s job working for a torque wrench company, P.A. Sturtevant, actually opened the world of automobiles to Ed when he was ten years old. The torque wrenches were featured in all the auto enthusiast magazines then, and his aunt gave him a stack of copies to look through. It was all about cars for Tillrock since, and he still owns some of those magazines.
Growing Up On Route 66
Ed grew up a block away from Ogden Avenue — the beginning of Route 66. He has fond memories there on the historic road and recalls the area as the group’s “hangout drag strip.” He says he was definitely in the “car guy clique” throughout his formative years, as all his friends consisted of gearheads. The teens would often overtake his father’s garage for engine swaps in the middle of the night.
When Ed was 16 or 17, his best friend Don bought a 1955 Chevy Gasser for the engine to swap into his ’58 Corvette. The pair snatched the 283 engine out of the Corvette in the garage while the ’55 waited in the alley. He recalls his dad pulling up in their Chevy Nova and joking about how he probably wasn’t going into the garage that night after seeing the project.
As it turns out, his dad could park his Nova in the garage that night. Surprisingly, the pair managed to get the engine out of the ’55 and into the Corvette as other friends flat-towed the body away. Later that night, they took the Corvette to Top’s Big Boy (a central hangout on Ogden Avenue at the time). They were exhausted and dirty but happy to be there.
His passion for sketching cars often got him into trouble in school. He would get caught by the teacher for drawing dream cars for buddies instead of paying attention. After high school, Ed attended a small Junior College with the initial plan to become an architect. Eventually, he lost interest in becoming an architect and shifted his focus to better align with his skillset, becoming an architectural illustrator until 2008.
Passion Turns To Survival
Tillrock was 55 years old in 2008 when the recession and changes in the industry forced him to change career paths. He lost his business, staff, and even his house. Ed didn’t know what he would do short of a few freelance jobs here and there. During this time, he took up doing pencil sketches of cars as a means of relaxation. Until then, he only created car art on the side and for friends. Ed says having to start over from scratch paved the path for his true passion for taking priority in his life.
Around this time, an internet car community called ‘Hub Garage’ was formed by Scott Whitaker from Dynamat, Chris Jacobs of Overhaulin’, and a few others from the automotive industry and enthusiasts. Tillrock often posted his art on the forum and drew Jacobs’ Plymouth GTX. Hub Garage had a booth set up at the Detroit Autorama and invited Tillrock to display and sell his art in the booth. That opportunity opened Ed’s eyes to his new career in automotive art. He was pleasantly surprised to cover his bills and went looking for other shows to do.
In 2010, he dedicated himself full-time to creating art and broke up with the world of architecture art for good. Eventually, Tillrock found his way to the SEMA Show, where someone in the organization noticed his art. SEMA commissioned him to create pencil portraits for the Hall of Fame inductees, and the response was terrific. Since then, he has done a large share of promotional materials for SEMA in varying styles.
The Tillrock Style
Tillrock’s style has a very dynamic range. Although his photorealistic pencil drawings are some of the most impressive and well-known pieces, Ed doesn’t stick to one type of medium or style. He accredits his pension to getting bored quickly with having such an extensive range of techniques and using different media types. Ed has no reservations about pushing out of his comfort zone to find new creative outlets. He also notes that he likes all kinds of cars, and his passion isn’t limited to brand loyalty.
However, when Tillrock creates a piece of art, he wants it to be the avenue to tell a story or exude an emotion from the viewer, not just a painting or drawing of a car. Attention to detail abounds in almost every image Tillrock makes, including his quick pencil sketches. The feeling he is trying to convey to the viewer in a particular piece influences his style and medium. Many of his works show the element of speed or motion, while others set a mood or take you to a different place and time.
Pencil
Using the pencil, he may create quick sketches with details down to the smallest bolt head or a photorealistic car against a stunning backdrop. His mastery of shading will have you in disbelief that what you are looking at is actually a pencil drawing. You would swear it was a black-and-white photo after seeing the reflections in the chrome and clear coat paint. A dark, stormy sky is so realistic that you are praying the owner got the car home before the bottom fell out.
Oil and Acrylics
Tillrock’s paintings are often a little more surreal than drawings with his bold use of color, but the car still has the same fantastic attention to detail portrayed with the pencil. Many of his paintings feature historic, vintage racers or modern concept cars that seem to melt the background with their speed. Other still car portraits put the viewer into a place or time. For example, the boldly colored “The Hirohata Merc in Palm Springs” shows the car parked on the lawn poolside next to a mid-century house with palm trees. It will have you feeling the warmth of the sun on your face and wishing you were sipping a Mai-Tai in the late-’50s.
Ed is thoroughly thankful for where his art has taken him and all of the commissions he’s received in the process. He prefers corporate work but has done private pieces for the right clients. He painted a Shelby Daytona coupe for the Eyes on Design car show poster and got to sign several hundred posters at Edsel Ford’s house on the water in Detroit. He’s been able to tour the GM Heritage Center. Of course, he’s very appreciative of his relationship with SEMA and PRI.
Once A Car Guy, Always A Car Guy
Tillrock’s passion for drawing and his love of cars has never waned. He is still as much of a gearhead today as he is an accomplished artist. He’s even passed the car obsession down to his two grown sons, who might be bitten worse than himself.
As far as what you’ll find in Ed’s garage, he has a 1936 Chevy Coupe. After keeping it stock for a few years, Tillrock noted that the outdated technology nearly killed him a few times with ancient brakes and shocks. He kept the body stock with paint from the ’40s. After giving in to the modification bug, it was upgraded with the help of his sons to a massive 396 engine featuring an Edelbrock dual carb setup. It has a Ford 9-inch, Heidt’s front end, and Wilwood disc brakes all the way around. He built it to drive and took it on the Hot Rod Power Tour in 2001.
As we said, both of his sons are into cars. One of his sons, Ian, is a Mercedes technician who owns a couple of 700-800 horsepower range AMGs, and a 1000-hp 2015 Corvette with unique Edelbrock experimental heads. Ed’s other son, Ed III, has a 1968 Chevy Chevelle that he’s kept for a long time and is working out the bugs on a turbo LS engine he just built. He also has a 1929 Dodge Sport Coupe. He noted that his grandson, Ed IV, and granddaughter, Cadence, are also into cars, so it’s certainly in the genes.
Whether working on a car or painting one, there is always something automotive going on in Ed’s life. If you want to follow Ed, he is on Facebook and Instagram, or check out his website to buy a print or a t-shirt! He hits up some of the larger shows, so keep an eye out for him on the road.
