Every Friday I gaze across the many pages of the art thread and find myself more and more drawn to the allure of pinstriping (There is some serious talent on this forum!). I'm not sure I'd e stellar at it, but no other way to find out than to dive in head first. I'm looking at buying a small 'kit' to get started with and if I managed to lay a few decent lines down after a bit I'll consider expanding the selection of paints and brushes. Herb Martinez's Guide to Pinstriping http://www.amazon.com/Herb-Martinez...2441/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316051795&sr=8-2 I'm open to suggestions for the reading material. I saw this on the first page of my search, and it is also readily available at the local art store. Mack Brush Kit (0, 00 & 000) http://www.amazon.com/MACK-Sword-PI...OF7M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1316053804&sr=8-3 1-Shot 1/4 Pint White Paint http://www.amazon.com/One-Shot-Polar-White-Quarter/dp/B001SHD99I/ref=pd_sim_ac_7 I figure this is the bare bones minimum necessary to get rolling. Amazon doesn't sell brushes individually so I'm at their will with buying a set of multiple sizes. The local art story carries 1-shot at a slight premium (3$ over online), but I can get it in hand immediately and no shipping to worry about so I may get the paint there instead. Additionally they did not carry Mack brushes, instead they sold Scharff brushes. Any harm in getting these instead or am I better off sticking with the Mack kit?
Good luck with your dream. There are many, many posts here. Learn to use the search function and do a lot of reading and you will find most of it is already posted and immediately available for taking in. There are a lot of cool sites with striping information on the web. Many of these are discussed in detail on the same threads you can find on the search engines. I am sure others will chime in with thoughts about the brushes and such. Also, if you go to my fotki photo site and scroll down towards the bottom of the listed albums, you will find a pinstriping album with a ton of photos of great striping ideas, many, many of which have been found on the HAMB. They might be a help in just getting some ideas. My son is a striper and has gotten pretty good at it. PRACTICE is everything!
I would like to start also, can you draw? I would think that being able to draw would be an asset. Like most starters, you will have everything around your house/shop striped in a few months practicing, kegerator, tool box, light switch covers, toilet seat..etc....practice makes perfect.
I'm quite good with graphite/pencils, but markers have proven very difficult to master. It is rather disappointing as markers are the core of design and presentation illustration and have great potential behind a skilled hand.
Searching yielded a handful of threads with responses mirroring the sentiments here of, 'Please search as this has been covered'. No thread I found in three pages of results had thorough or detailed knowledge contained within them beyond those choice words. That said, a few minor remarks in them did echo my selection as well as make other experienced recommendations for the beginner with little more than aspirations as their fuel. It seems that a Mack #00, a tin of 1-shot and as many test subjects as you can get your hands on is the most well-regarded method. (Paint everything!). I think I'm going to follow that mentality and see where it takes me. I aim to attend as many local (Florida) hot rod shows as I can over the next couple months so hopefully some well-traveled stripers (or strippers ) will be in attendance to my mental benefit.
IMHO, Alan Johnson wrote THE book on How To Pinstripe. http://www.amazon.com/Pinstripe-Mot...91/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1316102231&sr=8-16
"keep looking" Yep. A most recent thread that comes to mind is titled " striping newbie" and it gives enough tips on types of paint, brushes, reductions, practice material and additional links to get you started. There are plenty of others. Just buy a few things and go at it.
I can pull a good stripe. The hardest thing for me to do is the design. I don't do it enough. Study, study, study. Then practice, practice, practice.
I told the wife's kid to do this. He's a pretty good artist and should be able to do it well. I have an new/old Beugler striper and would buy some brushes that I would let him use. Also a heap-o-cars to practise on. Lets see how far he runs with the ball.
The default search made sifting through threads a bother. I moved to Google Advanced search and found a bit more. For others whom stumble upon this, here is the thread that many mention but which they didn't actually validate: http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=624094 You're right, good information, though some disagree (opinions and experiences will always differ). Due to being incredibly impatient I think I'll buy up some one-shot at the local store (price is a wash after shipping) and get one of their brushes so that I can get to work immediately. I'm holding off on the books at the moment, at least until I've exhausted the free media on Youtube, here, etc.
A couple of 00 macks or maybe a 1 kafka and some 1shot will have you set. buy a big picture frame with glass in it, practicing on glass is tougher than paint, so by the time you master it on glass paint is nothing, and you can take a razor to the glass and have a clean slate each day. Watch some videos (I have the wizzard set) or youtube and such for HOW to do it, and practice the 10,000 lines method. it took me a year of regular practice to be able to handle a brush well, and now 5 years into it i still see myself improving nearly every time i get out the brush. practice often!
Not so much for instruction, but maybe for inspiration, try to get your hands on the dvd, Tales of the Rat Fink. Of course, it is about Roth, but in the extra section there is a bit showing Von Dutch, Big Daddy and others striping.
We'll see how this goes... Still have to pick up mineral oil (to keep the brush) and mineral spirits (to clean up afterward)... then it is off to making a mess of things.
The first thing you should do is to take that brush back where you got it and trade it for a Mack striper, much easier for the novice to handle . The tip on Alan Johnsons book would be a good piece of referance also . good luck
Practice, practice, practice and when you are striping something, practice on another board. If you a nervous with someone standing close by......tell them to get lost. I would NOT keep my paint supplies in the bike unless it was cooled and insulated. Use a wrist band to stop the sweat run-off and my trick is to use a cloth band aid on my "sliding" finger. Some guys cut their brushes to get a clean line.
They are on my desk now -- that pic was taken just outside the store where I bought them. When you mention the wristband, are you talking about keeping drips off the side of the can when pouring into cups?
Stripe on glass to start, this is a must otherwise you dick up a bunch of cool shit. As an alternative to glass you can go to your local hardware and get some plexi. Just wipe it with mineral spirits before it dries. Also, I agree with the above post, take that brush back. It is a longliner made for pulling long straight lines. It will be hard to turn for a novice. Personally I don't use Mack brushes, yeah I know traditional an all. I like the Chico brushes, similar to Mack but light years ahead. I also find myself drawn to the Kafka brushes, his pinstriping brushes, they look like scrolling brushes. I use these a lot for some reason. As for advice on striping. first learn to pull a long straight line, make about a zillion of them spaced about 1 inch apart and then stripe between those lines and then between those and so on. Once you can make a consistent straight line then work on turning it. Try some S curves and then half circles etc. While practicing your brush control get a sketch book with graph paper. And pencil sketch different designs trying to make them as symmetrical as you can.
I never bother pouring into cups. Yeah, sometimes i get a skin on the top of my can from it being open, but use your brain, if its a long job or a hot/windy day, leave the lid on loose so you can pull paint from it as needed. I just dunk the brush and load it on my palate. I know some swear by cupping their paint. Neatsfoot oil also works good for storing brushes, cheap and easy to find at any tack supply/leather shop. If you can find someone around you to watch its a great way to learn, dont just look at the design they make, watch how they hold the brush and "run the brush" through corners and such. For now you can tell observers to beat feet, but if you plan to stripe ever at shows and such, you better get used to a crowd and dumb questions. I actually really like striping at shows now and the crowd, its best when my "assistant" (girlfriend) can come and handle most of the questions though.
Good to know for the future. I plan to pinstripe in the comfort of A/C for quite some time before taking to anything of value that would pull me outdoors (bikes, cars, etc). Google search continues to bring great success as one of Unkl Ian's posts concerning holding a brush in hand came up, which is very handy (no pun intended). http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22374 For those concerned about my brush selection thus far: I did some calling around yesterday and a local sign-painter/striper informed me of where to get proper brushes locally. Even better he picked it up for me since they'd be closed by the time I left work. When I went over to pay for the brush he broke out the paint and let me watch him handle the brush while running a few patterns before handing the brush to me and having me put a few lines down on the glass. It was a great benefit and he left the door open to revisit anytime after getting some practice under my belt. It is refreshing to know there are kind people that are willing to help a complete stranger still exist in the real world; beyond the friendly hot rod forum of course. He also showed me how he reduces paint, sets his palette and cleans/stores his brushes. His method hasn't changed in regards to brush care since he began and some of the ones he pulled out of his kit have been with him for 20 years. With an online order cancelled and a Mack 00 now in hand, I'm setting up my aquarium (that has been fish-free for about a year now) with the drill sheets to start hitting lines.
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