This is the final part in a series of three articles. To read part 1, click here. To see part 2, click here. 

Pony Cars

Several products associated with the Pony Cars stamps are available from the USPS here.

Vrrrrrrrooooooom …

The sight and sound of hot muscle cars will reverberate across the country more than ever (at least in our mind), thanks to a set of five Pony Cars Forever stamps. Just be sure to buckle up and drive safely!

The latest set in the America on the Move series was formally dedicated at a first day ceremony August 25 at the Great American Stamp Show in Sacramento, California.

The Pony Cars pop with bright detailed artwork created especially for the stamps by award-winning motor specialist artist Tom Fritz, of California. Sun appears to glisten off shiny fenders and bumpers as the cars speed along open roads. The images are so real (they look like photographs!) you can almost hear the roar of the engines and maybe even a squeal of tires.

Zack Bryant designed the stamps issued in panes of 20. Greg Breeding served as art director. Fritz, a native resident of California, helped dedicate the stamps.

“Fritz’s ability to capture light, speed and emotion is simply unparalleled and, with this, he manages to tell wonderful stories,” wrote Eric Gallina for the Formtrends website. “Fritz paints honest, beautiful and evocative images that dance off the stretched canvas …”

“The entire project took about five or six months,” Fritz said about creating the stamp artwork. “A lot of time was involved in nailing down the initial concept sketches/designs. Researching and making all of the necessary arrangements for the vehicles I used for my reference took the most time. Once my brush hit the panels, the painting goes pretty quick; maybe 20 to 25 hours of actual brush time, if that, for each.”

A pony car is defined as an affordable American car that’s compact, highly styled with a sporty look and high performance. Some consider the 1964 Ford Mustang as the initial pony car. A 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 appears on one of the five new Pony Cars stamps, alongside the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, the 1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT and the 1969 AMC Javelin SST.

This is Fritz’s second set of stamps for the USPS. He also created the artwork found on the Muscle Cars stamps of 2013. The Muscle Cars and Pony Cars stamps are the third and fourth issues in the America on the Move series, which started in 2005 with the ’50s Sporty Cars stamps, followed by ‘50s Fins and Chrome in 2008. Art Fitzpatrick created the artwork for the first two sets.

Fritz, whose artwork is featured on the cover of the Postal Service’s Quarter 3 Philatelic catalog, offered a very detailed look inside the creation of the stamps via a Q and A. The following is an excerpt from the interview, read an alternative version of the Q and A with extra photos here. 

When did you start working on the artwork for these stamps?

I didn’t waste any time. The designer, Zack Bryant, reached out to me via email on January 7, 2015, asking if I’d like to collaborate on the development of stamps celebrating the American Pony Cars. At that moment, I was hours away from jumping into the van to work my 13-day show at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale. So, while at the show, I started casually canvassing friends and attendees about what they thought were the most popular of the pony cars. Even before the project was locked down, I was already doing my research. 

A compilation of the sketches Tom Fritz made in creating the Pony Cars stamps.

What was the assignment?

I was provided a list of seven suggested cars, which would somehow be narrowed to five for the stamps themselves. The list of seven included the Plymouth Barracuda and the Pontiac Firebird [which didn’t make it]. There was a degree of flexibility in determining the specific year and model for each of those listed.

What did you use for your modeling?

The USPS uses a photo research service that was able to locate examples of each of the vehicles. Based on my approved sketches, properly licensed reference photos of each were acquired and passed on to me.

Can you tell us the basics of the creation process? These are all oils on panel? And did you move them onto digital for fine-tuning?

I started by making five-or-so sketches of each car from varying angles. Once the final sketch was selected and approved, the photo reference was collected. Each of the final oil-on-panel measures 18 inches by 10 inches, proportional to the aspect ratio of the final stamp. I cut the panels out of masonite, primed both sides and applied my paint. Digitizing and manipulating my images on a computer isn’t part of my process. When the panels were completed and approved, I signed each on the reverse side and handed them over. 

As you and the art director proceeded, were there any adjustments to the artworks? Anything big or anything you can share?

No, not really. There were a few minor “detail” issues we had to address, but nothing major. Zack Bryant and the entire crew I worked with are consummate professionals and brought a lot to the table.

About how long does it take to create one of these individual pieces?

The entire project took about five or six months. A lot of time was involved in nailing down the initial concept sketches/designs. Researching and making all of the necessary arrangements for the vehicles I used for my reference took the most time. Once my brush hit the panels, the painting goes pretty quick. Maybe 20 to 25 hours of actual brush time, if that, for each.

Switching over to a little background. You certainly have embraced the genre of motorized transport art (how do you define your specialty? – from motorcycles and cars to locomotives, planes and ships. But were you always into this area? You studied art in college – were there other areas you were drawn to as well?

I don’t like to pigeonhole myself, so I just call myself an artist. If you look at the broad spectrum of my work, you’ll notice that color, figures and landscapes play a significant role – I love all things “visual.” A vehicle will usually play a supportive role in a painting or be the primary focus. I have a particular interest in making pictures of transportation-related subjects because I don’t see the imagery I want to see anywhere, so I have to make it. 

My schooling focused on commercial art and illustration, with an emphasis on figurative work. I was initially targeting a career in animation. Well, at just about that time, the animation industry went through a downturn and found itself hanging on for dear life. I needed work because starving to death can be a real nuisance. And freelance wasn’t quite cutting it. As things go, one day I found myself in the defense industry as a junior technical illustrator, drawing battery lugs. I never looked back.

“No Scaredy Cat,” by Tom Fritz.

I see horses, a rabbit or two, and plenty of people in your paintings, but do you paint any non-motorized modes of transport, like bicycles or wagons? 

Yes, I do. I’ve used bicycles as props or supporting cast in my works. They have a place and time in telling a story. Wagons, too – they seem to go well with children. The subject of my very first official oil painting, executed when I was 11 years old, are the 20-mule team Borax wagons that are still parked today in front of Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley. 

Do you always use California or Pacific landscapes in your backgrounds?

Here in California, we have incredible lighting which offers up plenty of colorful settings! My backgrounds are generally abstract compositional foils for the subject. I treat it in terms of masses and shape that lead the eye through a painting. Of course, the background can offer historical clues to the story, texture, mood and relate time-of-day or certain lighting situations – like sunsets.

What’s your basic color philosophy?

If there’s one thing my paintings have in common, it’s this: my colors tend toward bright and bold. It’s no accident. I’ve experimented with color theories and different approaches. It’s just that my eye craves a certain quality of light to evoke exciting moments done with exciting vehicles that took place here in the luminous, intense sunshine of southern California! So, my palette consists of high-intensity spectrum colors. I tend towards analogous mixes. I’ll use grays for shadowing and distance.

Would I be correct in calling your general tone romantic? Or, maybe a cross between realism and romantic?

Perhaps? I don’t spend much time considering where my work lies among all the “-isms,” so I’ll leave that to the critics. Concerning realism? I studied photo-realism in college back in the ’70s and created a few works, enough to discover how quickly bored I was with the soul-less, styleless, uncritical copying of a photograph. I have a looser hand. My brushwork tends to show. I love juxtaposing one color against another. I’ve heard my work described as realism softened by impressionism.

Are all of the colors shown true to the time of manufacture or are these more like customized paint jobs?

I used colors that were true to the time of manufacture.

OK, on to individuals. The first is the Mustang. Is this at sunset (and would the coloring change if it were sunrise?) 

Your question brings up something I wanted to call attention to: You’re doing exactly what I want my audience to do – complete the “story” in their mind’s eye. You’ve told me already it feels that way to you. In my mind, I think we’re about an hour before sunset. This is usually referred to as “The Golden Hour” when light-play goes crazy! Shadows lengthen and come out from under the car, color palettes get warmer, light bounces and slides and sneaks into the eyes, and haze and dust create all manner of dramatic effects. You may also not have noticed that I’d turned the headlights on until I just told you now! This not only highlights important identifying details but also sparks the light-play and the car’s personality!

The colors may change if it were sunrise – oh, sure. I might opt for a cooler palette as mornings tend to be a cooler time of day. Maybe introduce more purply-oranges into the background…

Because of the natural light you used, it’s a bit difficult for me to distinguish the exact color of that Mustang. Some shade of yellow?

You got it right! In 1969, the Ford Mustang Boss 302 was available in only four colors. This was the Bright Yellow, and my example also displays the ‘C’ stripes on the door. It was also available in Calypso Coral, Wimbledon White, or Acapulco Blue.

Postal Service-provided photo of Challenger.

The Challenger. Love this purple – is there a specific name for the color? This is the one car that gives us some smoke. Is this from hard braking (looks like the brake light have come on)?

Mopar automotive stylists were responding to the wild tastes of the buyers of performance cars of that era. In 1970, the Dodge Challenger came available in this purple, called “Plum Crazy.” Other color choices included names like, “Go Mango”, “Lemon Twist”, “Panther Pink”, and “Sassy Grass Green”!

The Camaro. That’s an amazingly deep green, very cool. Does that white detail on the hood have a specific title or is that your own customizing? 

The color was called Fathom Green. I included the white “Sport Stripes” because they were signature on the Z/28, however, the car could be ordered with the stripe delete.

The Cougar. That grille – almost really from an earlier era of big grills. And I love the lines on the road. It looks like there is a second set of interior road lines. Is the car running on a track or a beach?

The color the 1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT is wearing was called Burgundy Poly (for polychromatic). The lines on the road are merely a rhythmic device that helps bring movement. It’s how I designed the picture space, using various marks composed to express the motion I placed the car in. It could be taking place on a track. Or on a twisty road somewhere. Is that the horizon of the ocean behind the car? Or a lake? Or perhaps distant woods in the background? I don’t know.

The Javelin. Now, this is a fantastic orange.

In 1969, American Motors Corporation offered a “Big Bad” color option on its Javelin. Three colors were available. “Big Bad Orange” – which you see on the stamp, – “Big Bad Green”, and Big Bad Blue.”

Four of the cars are taking some pretty hard curves. What do you like (or dislike?) about creating a scene of a vehicle on a curve? Are curvy shots any easier or harder to create than a vehicle on a straightaway?

This is a great question I’ve never heard before! First, what do I LIKE about creating a scene of a vehicle on a curve? The challenge! There’s so much going on there! Tons of details that will give the viewer an indication of the drama you’re portraying – they’re all clues. Is the vehicle accelerating, coasting, or braking through the corner? Is the curve banked? I know centripetal and centrifugal force transfer into the chassis and suspension. Gyroscope effects that need to be overcome. Tires start to deform and scrub. And then there’s the driver… who’s got to control the 11-pound blob on top of the neck that’s getting pushed around by all of this. The driver’s head positioning says a heckuvalot about what’s going on in the cockpit!

You used front views on three cars and rear views on two. Can you explain your thoughts on using those views on the cars? Was there anything specific that prompted your choice of the two rear views?

When the project was first assigned, I was asked to start sketching portraits of the five cars and imagine visual ways to capture the spirit of what made pony cars so popular. They were sporty, high-performance-oriented cars, so anything I did should be exciting, dramatic, flashy, and maybe a touch … dangerous? We explored some novel ideas but eventually agreed that having each car depicted in its own individual compelling lighting/color scheme and dramatic angles would also translate into a compelling package when arranged onto the pane. And through it all, I had to maintain “visually quiet” areas for the textual elements to knock out of. Having some of the cars coming and some going heightened the effect. And, some of the cars have cool details that can only be shown in a rearview! 

 How exactly do you make the sun glint off these vehicles?

Honestly, by carefully controlling the light-to-dark aspect and color temperature of the colors I mix, where, and how I apply them. I’m not using any special, top-secret galactic formulations of unobtanium paint or anything like that. Just off-the-shelf tubes of oil paint like everyone else.