Pininfarina designer Maurizio Corbi is a master with the computer tablet, but he keeps his drawing chops by illustrating autos the old traditional way: by hand.
– maurizio corbi
Read the entire interview with Maurizio Corbi after the jump below…
You began drawing at an early age…
I started drawing at primary school, I immediately realized that I had great graphics capabilities, already at the age of 10 years. I channeled my passion for design to the car.
Where did your interest in autos come from?
Maybe everything started when I leafed through the magazine Quattroruote. I read that drawing a car could be a job!
You’ve been at Pininfarina for awhile…what has that experience been like?
Almost 24 years spent at Pininfarina, one year before in Bertone, during these years I have lived epochal changes that have changed the world of car design. There were times beautiful and terrible times but this is the life! Now with maturity…live my job with more balance.
What is it like working at Pininfarina? What’s your daily routine like there?
Working in Pininfarina is still very challenging both for the variety of projects, for the pride of being part of a prestigious company.
I fortunately I still have the pleasure and privilege of drawing…not with markers – but with the tablet, however, this is equally as pleasing…
Of all the cars you’ve helped out on, what wast he most memorable…and why?
Perhaps the Ferrari 550 Maranello was the project that I have been more involved. I’m very proud of this.
What’s it like seeing a Ferrari that you’ve illustrated, become a reality?
I must say that this does not happen often…but when it happens it is very satisfying.
What’s your process and technique for drawing cars?
With regard to the construction of renderings for our Pininfarina clients I first sketch by hand. Later I scan [that drawing] and then complete it with Photoshop…using a tablet. My illustrations of classic cars are made entirely by hand using pencils and markers.
What single detail or design element do you obsess the most about?
With professional maturity I realized that it is necessary to focus more on finding the perfect proportions rather than on individual details.
You illustrate by hand, but do you also use Photoshop…
Working on projects for our clients I “enjoy” the benefits of tools like Photoshop. But in my hobby – illustrating classic cars – I absolutely prefer to work by hand. I do not want to lose the pleasure of contact with paper.
You also illustrate classic cars…
There was a turning point in my life when I finally realized that cars that I once considered “old,” I began to see them as “Classic!”
There’s so many things that make a car a classic. In your opinion what makes a car perfect? Is it the engine, interior/exterior, the drive? A balance of all of these?
Yes, I believe that the right combination of good design and great technique makes a car a special car.
Sometimes it happens that due to external factors – like being featured in a film. Some cars can become legendary without being technically advanced.
The most beautiful car you’ve ever seen?
It is not easy to answer, but I think the Ford GT40 and Lamborghini Miura…
Where do you look for inspiration?
The inspiration comes from inside…even if the cultural influences coming from the outside do not leave us indifferent. However, in all this there is something magical.
What’s next for you?
I hope that every day I continue to have the same passion for the cars that I had as when I was a child.
+ Source: Maurizio Corbi
