Truckin' Radical Renderings

Shaven lives in Sulfur, Louisiana-an unusual mix of words until you realize that Shaven is the nickname for Benjamin Powers. His town is named after the chemical and mining ventures that put the city on the map. A young guy, Shaven has been freelancing as a designer for a short time now. He flips between designing and his day job, juggling assignments like a short-order cook during a lunch rush.

Squeezed for time, Shaven resurrected a rendering that he did a while ago and freshened it with modern design cues. This 'bagged and body-dropped '97 Chevy 1500 is for Ren Robinson. The '07 Tahoe front end integrates well with the truck's body lines and is accented with a billet grille. Suicide doors are shown just starting to spread their wings. And is that metal flake in the blueberry body paint?

Designing was just another name for daydreaming on Shaven's part. His dad handed down a '94 Toyota Extra Cab to him right after Shaven got his license to drive. Not satisfied with the stock truck's boring styling, Shaven snapped a pic of the pickup, sat in front of his computer, downloaded a trial version of Paint Shop Pro 7, played around with ideas that might make the truck look better and started to learn how to design in the process.

Of course, that first project doesn't stand up to concepts like this one. A Chevrolet Equinox never looked so good. The vehicle's name suggests a day of equilibrium, one not weighted toward style or utility. However, Shaven tips this Equinox toward brilliant silvers and candy reds that can only be appreciated in forceful sunlight. It's dropped to the rockers on 20-inch BAD K-5 wheels. The front end is stripped of its bumper and dressed with a new grille and notional diamond logo for the "huh?" effect.

CONTACT
Benjamin Powers (aka Shaven)
(318) 715-0144
Shvnem@yahoo.com