First time pinstriping - critique?

Well, The "Art of Speed" art gallery I went to the other week finally got me off my ass to have a go at pinstriping. Went to the local art store, picked up a few items, and just figured I'd dive in head first.

When I moved into my house, they left a bunch of nice big panes of glass, and having read that was a good thing to train on, I propped it up on the table and gave it a try. My biggest problem so far has been keeping the width consistant from line to line, but I imagine that will come better with practice. I made a "+" with a stabilo to try and be somewhat symmetrical, only because I was too lazy to grid it.

So, to all the pro's, any advice, tips, tricks, secrets, youre willing to share, I'm all ears.

Here's a crappy cell phone pic of my first time slinging one-shot.

 

You got to start somewhere.....I really fancy having a go myself,just haven't got round to it.
Remember....practice makes perfect!

If you weren't so far away,I've got a truck with a 20' spray bomb paint job you could practice on!

 

well im NO expert but i think its pretty good for your first attempt alittle shaky but that should go away with more practice ,i would think

thats a fairly extravicant piece to start out with also

i think ya dun good

 

pretty good for a beginner. i'm not huge on pinstriping but i can appreciate it when done tastefully and with restraint.

i bought a car off of a friend a few years ago, didn't even want the car, but helped him out because he needed money and the price was right. he had gone through a phase where he thought he wanted to take a stab at being a pinstriper.....first thing i did was sand off the awful christmas tree he slathered on the hood.

 

Not bad but I would suggest that you go for the practice first and do straight lines and swirls, and bends of all kinds. The straight line thing is for learning how to have a line with the same width all the way ( which your piece didn't have ) , and practice over and over and over............

 

Yeah, I should do more practice stuff. But Im a dope. I did a few straight lines and a couple curved ones right before this and just figured I should go ahead and try and see what I came up with.

How different is the "feel" on painted metal, compared to the slickness of the glass?

 

my wife tried to learn and gave up after a month or so~ wish you better luck.

 

I could try for 50 years and it wouldn't look half as good as yours. For my critique for what its worth you did a good job for your first attempt however, with some practice you'll be ready for cars. I like the idea of practicing on windows, never thought of it.

 

The "feeling" on a painted surface is a bit different as it holds on to the brush/paint better than the glass. It also has the habit of holding on to your fingers so they don't slide as easy as u would like ( a dust of talk powder helps ).
Coming back to your fist piece, try to get a flow in the composition and get nice smooth bends, which you will over time as you practice.
Good luck, hope you hang on and don't get tired of it.

 

I'm slightly more stubborn than that

Thanks, and I agree I'm no where close to ready for cars/bikes. And when I do attempt one, I'll try on my own stuff first. I wont feel bad making my stuff look like poo...

 

I figured it would "feel" better on a painted surface, I like the talc idea. I think ive seen some people wrap their guide finger in felt or something like that. I'll try both methods and see what works best. My washer and dryer are pretty old and beat up, maybe I should go ahead and stripe on those too...

 

Go down to the local junk yard and practice all you want.

 

Looks good to me !!

 

Nice start, I have been at it for 5 years now and it still looks like
Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder taught me how to do it !!!! LOL

 

Use a cloth type bandaid...heavy duty, the powder will get in the paint.

 

Looks great to me, I wish I had half your skill!

 

You'vr got a good eye for balance. The brush pressure or maybe loading the brush are in need of work. It could be how thin or thiick your paint is.
Looks good. Keep at it!

 

Now there is a tip I've never heard!
Thanks!


.

 

About 74 times better than my 1st try...which was on a brand new flame job on my own car..couldn't find anyone to stripe them so I gave it a shot.....bad

 

from any old striper..........Practice!, Practice!, Practice!.......actually looks pretty damn good! Keep with it !...The hardest thing I find is the designing of the layout!....

 

Not too bad,
Glass is a little too slick, go to your local home depot and get a few squares of large tile with a smooth suface (alot like a paint job with no texture) and solid color. Clean real well with laquer thinner and it will give you the same drag as a car paint job.
Also for the short strokes in design, a thin long bristled lettering quill wil work best. A striping brush is more for long strokes and dragging long lines!
best of luck!

 

I think you have the gift... a bit of practice will work wonders for you. I would suggest with busy pieces like this that you use at least two colors. For simple pieces mono tone works fine. With large pieces mono tone has a tendency to bring the focus into the shakiness or mistakes in your lines. It comes across better when you change the tones a bit. Once develop a steadier hand you can do what ever the heck ya want as all your lines will be just right. Just my opinion... and I don't really know shit. I do appreciate good pinstripes though and have seen the best work.

 

Thanks, I always wondered if Corky (N. Tonawanda, NY)had cut himself (back in 1975) and asked him about the bandaids.......then he showed me........I was one of the few people he would allow to watch him work....if an owner or someone else would walk up to him he would run a wobble or steak and yell at the person to go away....I learned a LOT from him.

 

Rocky...do you remember the "yellow" house in Millard??????

 

yes your of to a good start!! if your after any tips I teach pinstriping and pass on some info through the email. info@kustomlinez.com

 

It looks pretty darn good to me for a first time and kind of complex at that. I have been reading “How to Pinstripe” by Alan Johnson and still haven’t got past pin striping wheels.

 

I'm teaching myself as well, first tries looked similar. After a few you start to find the paint thickness and brush position you like etc and it gets easier.

 

I definitely have to get more consistent with loading the brush. Some of the lines flowed alot easier from the brush than others, which really threw me off.

I agree another color would have made the piece look better. I only bought one color because I didnt want to spend $ if it turned out I sucked or just didnt like it.

I'm gonna try another one tonight, and I'll post a pic. Maybe I'll try one thats a little less "busy".

 

Definitely looks MUCH better than the first one I striped 35 years ago! Kinda hard to believe anyone ever paid for the stuff I did in the first year or two!

Keep at it and I promise you'll be slingin' with confidence before long!
I have shared a few tips with "newbies" over the years and the most important thing I can say is to practice and have fun with it. I am impressed at how complex the design is. I wouldn't have attempted that as my first shot!

 

My first question is what materials did you purchase? I ask because most art stores do not carry the proper brushes and paints. You will be far ahead using the correct supplies. Most stripers prefer 1-Shot paint and Sword striper brushes. I prefer Mack series 10 blue wrapped. There are other brands. Ray aka Safariknut here has a stripers group on Yahoo with many FAQ's and tech files. Lots of help and several step by step tutorials....

As was previously stated PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Did I mention PRACTICE? Take the time to work on the basic strokes. I know it amy ge tboring BUT with-out a good grasp on the fundimental strokes it makes it hard to get better.

Work on getting a good feel for palletting the brush and pulling a consistant line. Straight lines, left and right curves, S curves etc. All designs are composed of these basic strokes. Once you master them the design work comes easier.

Study pinstripe designs. Decide what you like or don't like about a design. There are many to view on pinheadlounge.com and the Friday art show here.

Remember PRACTICE!

moose