How to hand paint a design on a car

• This topic has 29 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 19 years, 4 months ago by
  
  VieSaintSo.

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• May 27, 2003 at 11:30 pm #983347

  I sometimes get asked to paint something on a door or side of a truck but never tried. Any advice on how to do it?

  CEN

  May 28, 2003 at 10:59 pm #1010931

  First thing that you must do is to prepare your surface. Most modern paint finishes consist of clearcoat over a colour base, and in addition, the use of polishes and waxes on the surface of the paint will seriously affect the work if not removed.

  Firstly, wash the area to be painted with a strong detergent, such as Dawn. This will remove most surface treatments. Next, using a very fine wet-and dry abrasive paper, you must take sand the area to be painted, Do this very lightly, as you only want to give a “tooth” to the surface. No more than taking the shine off the paint will be required. Then go for it!

  "We must not be too ambitious. We cannot aspire to masterpieces. We may content ourselves with a joy ride in a paint-box. And for this audacity is the only ticket."
  Winston S. Churchill

  May 28, 2003 at 11:22 pm #1010918

  Oh rats I put the message in the wrong forum again. Thank you for prep instructions. What kind of paint? Auto retouch paints? Cans of enamel? I have an airbrush which I was thinking of using for background. Haven’t tried detail with it. Might try a mural on my junk van. Maybe I could sell it as a work of art. Can’t sell it as a vehicle. Don’t want to ruin someone elses truck learning.

  CEN

  May 29, 2003 at 12:00 am #1010938

  Cen, I’m going to move this to the acrylic forum…might get more replies there.
  carly

  I by no meens, am a air brush artist but I have read a couple of books and magazines on the topic.

  I would check out an airbrush magazine from a book store and write down some of the books listed in one. Perhaps buy a few magazines too. You may want to talk to an airbrush artist; I usually see them in shopping malls.

  al

  Try...try not! Do..or do not! There is no try. Yoda, 'The Empire Strikes Back'

  It's not how you stand by your car..It's how you draw your car....You better learn that.

  
  
  Moded fm JaRule, 'Fast & Furious'

  http://www.saenzartworks.com

  I work for a sign company and we use computer cut vinyl on all our stuff. But, I do know what kind of paint you need to do it the old-fashioned way! One-Shot Lettering Enamel or Chromatic Lettering Enamel is the type of paint you want. They are oil based and can be thinned with mineral spirits for use in your air brush. Most paint stores should have the OneShot brand. Remember “lettering enamel”, not the bulletin paint, (although that might work too?). Yes, remove any wax but you shouldn’t have to scuff up the clearcoat. And if you screw up, use Easy-Off oven cleaner and start over!

  Show us pictures when your done!

  Good Luck,
  Cindy

  Yeah, but what about protecting the painting once you are done? My bro is starting his own custom built chopper business and I was going to do some artwork on helmets and gas tanks but all the videos I have watched on the subject make it seem like a lot of work for nothing but zigzaggy multicolored lines. Also, I have tried painting with an air brush and if there is anything else more annoying in the universe I don’t know about it. You constantly have to clean the airbrush and if, like me, you only got one of those paint bottles you gotta clean that too everytime you want to switch colors. That might be fine for zigzaggy lines but not for ‘wizards and warriors’ types of ‘Boris Vallejo’ art.

  Not to mention the harmful chemicals in the paints that get put into the air by the air brush and the chemicals that require the use of a mask when clear coating.

  If anyone knows of an easier way to paint on vehicles I’d like to know because I am not giving up my brush for an airbrush.

  I thought about trying to use my artist acrylics on vehicles and then trying to find a protective finish that wouldn’t react with the paint. I’ve been told by several people that they think the paint would react with clearcoat and bubble up. My painting technique is like airbrushing in that the final product is very smooth and there are no brushmarks. If I could just use my brushes and my paints I could make some money.

  Any ideas??

  

  Most hand-painted graphics are airbrushed. There are some really talented pinstripers that hand-paint some very complicated designs. They all use the lettering enamels I descriped above.

  Some links that may help?

  http://disc.server.com/Indices/65186.html

  http://www.theletterheads.com/

  http://www.autoartmagazine.com/kool%20links.htm

  http://www.chriscruz.com/MURALS.htm

  Oh, and about using Easy-Off Oven Cleaner to remove stuff, test first to make sure it doesn’t remove the automotive paint. And be careful, even a little drop on your hand hurts.

  May 31, 2003 at 12:40 am #1010919

  The fumes are what stopped me from trying it. I got deathly ill from using sculpmetal in high school. The teacher put me in the supply closet so the other kids wouldn’t have to breath it. I quit the project and the teacher wanted me to finish but I told him my father said stop using the poison. I saw on the internet how the pros had controlled environment to keep the bugs out of the paint and were wearing gasmasks. But there is a demand for it. I thought of making wood signs that could be attached to vehicles so I could use acrylics instead. Maybe there is some nontoxic paint that could be baked on with a hairdryer. I don’t even like to use oils.

  CEN

  May 31, 2003 at 12:52 am #1010930

  I thought about trying my drybrushing technique with some airbrush paints that are not as toxic and are acrylic: Createx Auto Air. There is some mention of having to heat set with a hair dryer… I am not certain what clear coat would work over it but I know I am not going to clear coat it myself and as a starving artist I sure as heck can’t afford to pay someone else to do the clear coating.

  Too bad. I just discovered a pipe has busted behind my bathroom wall and I have no money to fix it. If I could paint on vehicles and junk like that for my brother I could make some money for food and much needed repairs.

  Cheers
  

  

  I’m in sad shape moneywise too. I can tell you how to fix a busted pipe. I plumbed two houses.

  CEN

  May 31, 2003 at 11:31 am #1010934

  Here’s an idea. Try painting on a magnet material that is made for using on vehicles. It’s like a big sheet of refrigerator magnet. It comes on rolls 15″ to 30″ tall and can be cut to any length. Find a local sign shop that does vinyl lettering and they would be able to sell you whatever size you want and would even have scrap pieces you could test your paints on. Then you don’t need to have the customers vehicle while you paint. Only problem is if you do really beautiful work they could be stolen off the vehicle, but hey, that would get you repeat orders! You could recommend that your customer take them off the vehicle when being stolen is a possibility but tell them to store them flat. I’ve never tried to paint on it but it a has a matt white surface that looks as if it would be receptive to acrylics. I’ll test a scrap next week and let you know.

  May 31, 2003 at 11:48 am #1010921

  Thanks. I don’t know if it would be good to put art on magnetic sign due to theft problems everywhere. Could you test some acrylics on the vinyl lettering material. That way an artist could paint one of a kind paintings and buyers could stick them on their vehicles. Wouldn’t work on curved surface though unless the vinyl could be stretchy. Nothing like art right on the metal but that is very costly.

  CEN

  June 1, 2003 at 11:54 am #1010910

  Good morning.

  I am an airbrush artist, and I am getting ready to start a business building and painting custom electric guitars and basses, and custom-painting cars, vans, boats, motorcycles, accessories (helmets, jackets), etc.

  I’m buying a new airgun next month, and my first round of paints in August. A good friend of mine is already disassembling his Kawasaki, and I’m going to paint the frame, both fenders, side panels, gas tank, helmet, and his leather jacket.

  I have four cars, and another motorcycle, lined up to do after I finish with the Kawasaki.

  Non-toxic waterbased paints are now available for this, paints which will work with the same urethane final coats that have been used for years.

  Check this out:

  http://www.autoaircolors.com/

  K

  Forcing the waveform to collapse for two decades...
  http://www.syntheticskystudios.com
  Hilliard Gallery, Kansas City, "Small Works", December 2019

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• The topic ‘How to paint murals on trucks?’ is closed to new replies.

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