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TOONS CARS: “THE EYES ARE THE HEADLIGHTS, AND THE MOUTH IS THE BUMPER AND GRILLE”

26.11.2020

When Kirill Volodin looks at a picture of a car, he doesn’t just see four wheels and a body. He sees a face. Using his impressive graphic skills, he brings these pictures to life with cartoon eyes and mouths that give each car its own character. His work hasn’t gone unnoticed. He has built up a remarkable social media following and takes commissions from car lovers all over the world. Recently, he gave a “Motul” VW Golf a makeover for his Toons Cars Instagram channel.

TOONS CARS: “THE EYES ARE THE HEADLIGHTS, AND THE MOUTH IS THE BUMPER AND GRILLE”

Kirill, how did you get the idea for Toons Cars?

Every car, truck or other vehicle has its own "face". The eyes are the headlights, and the mouth is the bumper and grille. For example, if you take a look at the Mitsubishi EVO X you will see aggressive design features. Whereas the Mazda MX-5 is quite cheerful and content. Each vehicle is individual, and I wanted to breathe life into their pictures and give positive emotions to the car owner.

Kirill, how did you get the idea for Toons Cars?

What's your process for creating the artwork?

People who want such editing, but with their own car, contact me via Instagram. They send me a photo, describe their desires, pay, and I start working! I can make any emotion for the car, any eye colour, add any character or movie hero. I am ready to embody any wishes of the client. I’m very attentive to the processing of photos and devote a lot of time to details. Once the photo is ready, I send it to the client and always get positive feedback [laughs].

What's your process for creating the artwork?

Where do you get your inspiration from?


When I see an original photo of an interesting car, inspiration comes by itself. I just love to do what I do, and I am full of inspiration. I do not have to look for inspiration, it finds me itself.

You've built up quite a big social following and now have an online shop. What would you like to do with your brand next?

That's right! I will try to develop this further. I am very interested in what will come next. I also have a lot of creative ideas that I will try to implement in the near future. Follow me to not miss that [laughs].

Where do you get your inspiration from?


What's your favourite creation so far?

Oh, I love all my work obviously, but especially interesting pictures that are from unusual and original situations. For example, a photo of a crashed Toyota GT86. I saw this photo on Instagram and I found out that the owner of this car was a little upset about the accident, so I decided to support him and make this art. His reaction made me happy.

What's your favourite creation so far?

Can you talk us through the Motul work you've done?


I found this photo of a VW Golf with a Motul livery on Instagram and I really liked it. I thought, “what can I do?”, I noticed a large Motul sticker all over the hood of this car and I decided that it would be fun to make a sticking out tongue like she really likes this oil! And this is what happened.

Can you talk us through the Motul work you've done?


Do you use Motul products in your own vehicles?


Yes, I do! This spring, I became the owner of a Japanese scooter that had to be serviced before use. I am very attentive to such matters and try to choose only the best. For the scooter engine I used Motul 10W40 Scooter Expert, and for the gearbox Motul 80W90 Scooter Gear. I’m very pleased with the results. The scooter began to run much quieter and without extraneous noise.

Did this start as your hobby and have you now turned it into your job?

Of course! It started as a hobby for me. I just wanted to bring the car to life in the photo and give positive emotions to its owner. But very quickly this hobby turned into what I live, develop and get inspired by.

Toons Cars on IG

© Pictures: Toons Cars, Larry Cheng

 
Do you use Motul products in your own vehicles?