Car-toons are coming to town — graphic designer brings twisted 2D cars to NYC
Joshua Vides sees things in black and white.
And with the skill of an illusionist and an eye for twisted art, the Left Coaster's handiwork is drawing the attention of funky car fanatics everywhere — from the City of Angels to the city that doesn't sleep.
'I came up with this 2D style that uses black-and-white paint to make a three-dimensional [vehicle] look like its original sketch,' Vides, a 35-year-old graphic designer from Southern California, told The Post.
11 Joshua Vides credited himself with pioneering the 'Reality to Idea' 2D concept back in 2018.
Emmy Park for NY Post
Vides embraces what he calls his 'Reality to Idea' technique to make wild, car-encased art that looks two-dimensional — like it just rolled off the funny pages of a newspaper — and which, depending on the size of the auto he uses for a canvas, can take upward of 200 hours across two months to complete.
And he's brought his comic strip-inspired optical illusions to the Big Apple.
For his 'Check Engine Light' show — a free fête, running through Tuesday, May 6, at 16 Morton St. in the West Village — Vides used nearly 10 gallons of black-and-white paint and spent more than 168 hours transforming a 1995 26-foot stretch limousine and a 1991 Honda CBR 1000RR motorcycle into 'toon-tastic treats for the eyes.
11 Vides, a full-time graphic designer, has applied his 2D painting style to cars, sneakers, designer bags and more.
Emmy Park for NY Post
He's already sold the look-at-me limo — a $10,000 investment — to a local car collector for 'much, much' more money than he spent making the sketchy renovations.
'It's a long process, but I'm super super proud of my work,' said Vides, a former Riverside County, California, firefighter/EMT. He walked away from the firehouse in the early 2010s to pursue art as a full-time gig.
Now a married father of three, Vides said his career switch from emergency response to 2D innovation has 'totally changed' his life for the better.
'I'm really fortunate to tell stories through my art,' he gushed. 'I don't just paint any car — I need to have a special connection to each car that I paint.'
11 Vides was a firefighter/EMT but left his profession in the early 2010s to pursue art as a full-time gig.
@joshuavides
A staunch Y2K-era movie buff, the millennial procures vintage automobiles in working condition — hot wheels reminiscent of cars featured in a few of his favorite flicks — then strips them of their original paint jobs, covers them in white acrylic and decks them out with black details.
His masterful makeover gives each chariot a flattened, yet flashy, finish.
To give the limo a doodle-like redo, for instance, Vides overhauled its interior and exterior with black-and-white colors, plus new upholstery, tires and bright lights.
11 As a kid of the 1990s, Vides always imagined cruising through NYC like Macaulay Culkin's character, Kevin McCallister, in the 1992 hit 'Home Alone 2.'
Emmy Park for NY Post
11 Culkin's limo ride around NYC served as inspiration for Vides' latest 2D creation.
©20thCentFox
11 Vides purchased the limo from a car dealer in San Diego for $3,000 and invested approximately $7,000 in making the renovations, ultimately selling it at a major profit.
Emmy Park for NY Post
He chose to revamp the swanky shuttle, for which he paid $3,000, in a cartoonish homage to Kevin McCallister's sweet stretch limo in 'Home Alone 2″ — a '90s classic Vides watched religiously as a kid.
'The entire project took 144 hours to complete over two weeks,' he said of the freaky face-lift.
Keeping true to an achromatic theme, the trailblazer shelled out an additional $7,000 to expert upholsterers and car detailers, tasking them with producing interior decor that matched his black-and-white masterwork — and created an optimal setting for selfies, of course.
'People can sit inside and get a photo or video,' said Vides, adding, however, that the 30-year-old limo is 'too fragile' to take for fun spins through traffic.
11 Vides' creative process often takes hundreds of hours.
Emmy Park for NY Post
11 Vides said the inspiration to paint the motorcycle came from 'Paid in Full,' a Y2K classic film based in NYC.
Emmy Park for NY Post
The same goes for his picture-esque bike.
'It was actually tougher to paint than the limo,' he said of the early-1990s motorcycle. It's a hot rod like the two-wheelers seen in the 2002 action thriller 'Paid in Full' — another one of Vides' best-loved blockbusters.
11 Vides told The Post that he loves movies from the early aughts, such as 'Paid in Full,' which feature fast cars and bikes.
He paid $2,000 for the cruiser — then spent two 12-hour shifts sanding off its original fiery red paint job.
'I had to take all the panels off the bike and paint each one individually,' Vides explained, telling The Post that repainting an entire motorcycle as a unit could damage its engine and brakes.
'Then, I painted the panels white, let them dry for 24 hours, added the black details, let them dry,' he said of the painstaking process. The final step before packing them up for their cross-country trip was adding clear-coat sealant, a transparent layer of paint that shields the auto's body from environmental damage and adds a glossy shine.
11 Vides has hundreds of thousands of followers online who fawn over his work.
@joshuavides
11 As a creative, Vides is grateful that he gets to make wow-worthy art that bring people joy.
Emmy Park for NY Post
It cost him $5,000 to ship both vehicles from LA to NYC.
But the 2D tastemaker said making his art isn't about money — it's about the freedom of being unapologetically avant-garde.
'I don't stress about success or having a certain amount of people to come to my show,' Vides insisted. 'It's more important that I'm happy with the work I get to showcase.
'If other people like it, that's just kind of a bonus.'
Joshua Vides' 'Check Engine Light' runs May 1 through 6 at the Morton St. Partners at 16 Morton St. Garage. Free admission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
New Yorker dresses as ‘washed up scum' Andrew Cuomo in Mermaid Parade
A man dressed as a bizzare depiction of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo showed up to march in the Coney Island Mermaid Parade Saturday — with a special plea for his fellow New Yorkers. 'I'm trying to get reelected on Tuesday and I thought I'd bring my message to the voters,' the man who only called himself 'washed up scum,' sarcastically told The Post. 3 The man dressed as Andrew Cuomo in the Mermaid Parade insisted people call him 'washed up scum.' Samantha Olander The costume was complete with messy green strings to represent algae the former Governor would have encountered as he washed up on the shore, a torn-up dress shirt — and Cuomo's oversized head. On his backside, the man had a sign that read 'don't rank me,' a reference to the Big Apple's ranked choice voting, where electors place up to five mayoral candidates in order of preference. 3 Voters in NYC can rank up to five candidates in order of preference for the mayoral election. Samantha Olander 'I made the state fill up with as much scum as I could when I was governor and I'd like to do that to the city,' the mystery man said, adding it was his first mermaid parade. Cuomo is the frontrunner heading into Tuesday's Democratic mayoral primary, though surging socialist Zohran Mamdani has been making up ground — cutting the ex-lawmaker's lead in half from just a month ago. The Ex-Governor is ahead 55% to 45% against Mamdani in the latest poll released Wednesday. The heated NYC Democratic mayoral primary has lit a fire under Big Apple voters — twice the number of New Yorkers are turning out for early voting compared to four years ago, data from the city Board of Elections shows. 3 Cuomo resigned as New York Governor in disgrace in 2021. Stephen Yang
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Zombie flick ‘28 Years Later' bites into box office with $14 million take
It looks like zombies still generate big bucks at the box office. '28 Years Later,' the long-awaited threequel to Danny Boyle's blockbusters '28 Days Later' and '28 Weeks Later,' enjoyed a bloody good opening on Friday. The film generated $14 million in sales in its first day in theaters, landing in first place on the box office chart, according to The Numbers. Advertisement 3 Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in '28 Years Later.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection The film is set in 2030, decades after the second outbreak of the zombifying Rage Virus. While essentially eradicated in Europe, the virus breeds Alphas, smarter and more powerful zombies. Advertisement With nearly $11 million in ticket sales on its eighth day of release, the live-action remake of 'How to Train Your Dragon' followed in the #2 slot. The Post said while 'nice,' the film 'doesn't always soar.' Disney's animated flick 'Elio' lands at #3, with opening day box office receipts reported to be $9 million. 3 How to Train Your Dragon took second place at the box office on Friday. ©DreamWorks/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement The film centers around Elio, a space fanatic obsessed with aliens, who lets his active imagination take him on intergalactic adventures. The live action 'Lilo and Stitch' remake, released last month, pulled in another $3 million Friday, for a grand box office total take of $380 million. 3 Elio is about a boy obsessed with space. ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement 'Materialists' rounded out the top 5, with earnings of just under $2 million. The rom-com is set in NYC and centers around a love-triangle involving its main characters, played by Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal.
New York Post
10 hours ago
- New York Post
Scott Wolf returns to social media with photo of kids after filing for divorce from wife Kelley: ‘My forever squad'
It's a party of four for Scott Wolf. The actor, 57, returned to social media for the first time since filing for divorce from his wife Kelley on June 9 after 21 years of marriage. Scott took to his Instagram Stories to share a picture of his kids traveling through the airport. 'On the road with my forever squad,' the 'Nancy Drew' alum wrote on Friday above the shot of Jackson, 16, Miller, 12, and Lucy, 11, from behind. Wolf set the image to Rusted Root's 'Send Me On My Way.' 8 Scott Wolf posts his kids. Instagram/@iamscottwolf 'After 21 years of marriage, I have made the most difficult decision of my life, and filed for divorce from my wife Kelley,' Scott confirmed to The Post on June 11. 'Our children have always been, and continue to be, the loves of our lives and our every priority, so I kindly ask for privacy at this time as we help guide them through this new chapter.' Then, days later, a reported 'family fight' occurred at the Wolf family's Park City, Utah home on the morning of June 13. 8 Kelley Wolf on Instagram. kelleywolf/Instagram An audio clip from the 911 call heard an unidentified female telling the dispatcher that she was 'terrified' and 'needed help' after clashing with her brother-in-law and 16-year-old son. There was also allegations of a 'past-occurred assault' choking incident that transpired at the Wolf residence in March. That night, Kelley, 48, was detained by police and taken to a local hospital to get 'some help' following concerns for her well-being. 8 Kelley Wolf shares her side on Instagram. Instagram/@kelleywolf 8 Scott Wolf and Kelley Wolf attend the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards. FilmMagic Part of the incident was captured on 'The Real World' alum's Instagram. After being released from the hospital, Kelley took to Instagram and alleged that prior to this incident, she was 'held against her will' by friends who were 'worried' about her well-being. 'Which is wild, considering I literally wrote a book on worry (FLOW—look it up),' she noted. 'No one showed up. No one lit a candle or asked a question. They called the cops from a beach town in Florida or somewhere seaside… while sipping cocktails. That's not love. That's control.' 8 Kelley and Scott Wolf with their kids in 2023. kelleywolf/Instagram 8 Scott Wolf and Kelley Wolf pose for a selfie. kelleywolf/Instagram The 'Everwood' actress also claimed that she was the one who decided to end her marriage to Scott. 'I initiated a separation almost a year ago. I've been trying to file for divorce for months, but delays with legal counsel slowed the process,' Kelley explained. 'Yes, the official petition came from the other party, but let the record show: I've been grieving this marriage for isn't avoidance – it's acceptance.' Hours later, the mom-of-three dove deeper into what she has been experiencing. 8 Scott and Kelley Wolf. Getty Images 'To be clear,' Kelley began beneath a picture of herself,' I'm currently in my car, parked at my home. I am not in a hospital. I was discharged with zero substances in my system, No diagnosis, No family history of mental illness.' And yet…,' the life coach claimed, 'I was handcuffed, bruised, and offered strong medications like lithium and Seroquel— Against my will. Let that sink in.' Although Scott is on a trip with their children, Kelley alleged she wasn't made aware of their travel plans. 8 Scott Wolf, Kelley Wolf and their kids. kelleywolf/Instagram As she put it, 'Meanwhile, husband he filed for divorce this past week, even though I've been trying to file for a legal separation for 9 LONG months, appears to have taken our three children to Boston— Without informing me. I'm currently trying to locate them so I can meet them there. I've barely seen my kids.' 'Getting divorced is hard enough without the public weighing in on my every move,' Kelley added. 'Enough is enough.'
