I find white painted trim, like grilles and bumpers, a little more difficult to render than chrome trim. For chrome, you just paint the sky in the upper surfaces, and the ground in the lower surfaces. (This is a gross oversimplification, but it gets the point across.) But white bumpers and trim require a subtler approach. you have to balance the need to convey depth against the color of the bumper. Go too far with the light reflection from the sand and you'll wind up with a yellow bumper. Use too much blue from the sky over that yellow, and you've got some ugly green color. Over rendering can lead to fuzzy edges, which are not so good for representing a glossy painted surface.
How-ever, I believe older trucks, like this Ford, look more truck-like with the trim painted. There's a utilitarian feel to painted trim that chrome lacks. Chrome is fine for the car, which, for some people, serves as a badge of status and identity. It's basically bling, or a silk tie. Trucks, on the other hand, were traditionally built and bought to do work, and chrome does not enhance payload capacity or stump pulling power.
Don't misunderstand me, I love chrome. The lack of chrome on modern cars is partly why they're mostly boring to look at. But if you want to emphasize the working side of a vehicle, less chrome does the job nicely.
10x16 inches, painted in watercolor. Available at Daily Paintworks.
