Pinstripers...Is it a Hobby or a Business?

I pinstripe for the art and for the friendship of other artist. My real job is a high school teacher. Subject: I teach Intro and Advance Airbrush to 9-12 graders. I sometimes travel to other States to teach workshops and have always found that Pinstripers are accepting people with a common outlook on life, to have fun. They accept you as a friend and are willing to share. I look forward to meeting many fine people along my path.
For those of you that don't think your work is up to your standards, remember two things: People have asked you to grace their car or bike, which they have put a lot of time and sole into, so they already like your work. Second remember this quote: "Better is one's own path, though imperfect, than the path of another, well make".
After 25 years of airbrushing I am still in awe watching the magic of good airbrushing and pinstriping. Everyone of you are tops in my book.
p.s. It was good pinstriping with you at the Starbird show H3O, you have a lot of tallent. ( I was the big guy with the poney tail)

 

Just a hobby for me, but after enough practice and effort, with a little talent, the hobby can pay for itself. I mostly just sell panels here and there, I have people who want me to stripe stuff, but at this point, I won't be putting my brush down on a 10K paintjob or anything. I also do some airbrush work, and again, it's mostly my own stuff or for friends.........usually broke friends.

 

I started doing lettering then picked up pinstriping,moved on to custom paint and grafix and am now for the last three years doing a little woodgraining. I've been in this business over 30 years ,and still love all aspects of my work .

 

A really good airbrush artist is likely to cost you the same amount as buying the trim. If it's cheap there is a reason why, Either they are a buddy of yours or they know what their "Crap" is worth. I saw a 57 Chevy that had ALL the side trim airbrushed on and from 5 feet away you almost couldn't tell. But the airbrush job alone cost the guy $3500, and that didn't include the rest of the paint.

 

I have that problem as a Professional tattoo artist. I learned many years ago, charge what you want for the job. If they really want your work they will come up with the money.
If they don't have the money you want for the job then either show them what you will do, for the amount they have and blow them away with quality and take pride in what you do or......tell them they have to advertise for you, never tell anyone the price, and blow it out of the water. When their buddy's come around hit them up for the real deal. Never do less of a job than you would want for yourself. These are my personal guides for my artwork and I have been happy with every job for years.

 

I've been striping for about 5 years now. Right now my dream would be to go full time with my factory job going in the toilet soon and all. My friends tell me to go full time and other people say get a regular job and stripe on the side. There are only about 3 maybe 4 stripers in my area and i'm doing the best i can to get my name out there as much as i can. Its a little slow going but i do have about 3-4 jobs lined up now. My friend's father is my best customer. He buys and sells bikes and Rods all the time. I've stopped getting upset with him once i pour my heart into a job and he goes and sells it. But i still put my heart into each job even though sometimes my heart may not be in the job to begin with.
Like Sinistercustom and 00MACK I too look at my work when i'm finished and am never 100% completely satisfied. I want to point out the bad spots but i've learned to stop doing that. I've never had one complaint about my work and that goes back to what SC said, "As long as he customer is happy."
So to answer the question right now its a side thing. I just try to take as much work on as i can. But now with my newborn son here, its a little harder to just step in the garage when i feel like it.

Brian

 

For me its kind of a sideline ...i have a muffler shop ...thats my full time job but i enjoy striping on the side its kind of nice to have a change of pace every onece in a while ...striping is fun but i want it to stay that way''' i think if you did all the time you could get burnt out:

 

Full time for myself, has been for over 25 years, just like any other business you have to treat it as a business. Have done a lot of different things along with striping like signs, dirt track cars, and so on but when they start to not make a good proffit cut it loose.

The shop stays more than busy almost allways, but we are a full custom shop and do not just stripe, we do full paint, airbrush graphics, lettering, tons of gold/silver leaf, and just about any graphics package the budget wants, also do a lot of antique restoration for collectors like coke boxes, coolers, vending machines, signs, and just about anything that sits still, it is still fun because every day is something different and a challenge, and as Mikey said I control the hours and schedule so some days that when the motivation is lacking kick back and enjoy life, Hell I might be dead tommorow so live for today and tommorow is allways a bonus. and the wife don't complain about going to car/motorcycle shows, because that is Networking...HAHAHA
like I tell all the kids never quit playing with the crayons because now instead of getting in trouble for doodling on the walls and such, I actually get paid to draw all over peoples stuff. What a great life..

Magic

 

i striped all through high school, so i never had to get a job at a grocery store or whatever, i graduated and kept on striping, but i like to be able to a lot of different things pertaining to art, so i went through an apprenticeship and now im a tattoo artist, but im still striping as much as i can, its not that popular were im at, but its getting there.
tattooing is my main income right now.

 

I do custom paint work full time. Alittle stripeing but mainly candy paint and flakes and stuff. It's hard man, you really have to be in it to win it. There are ups and downs. For me haveing a shop means my overhead is much higher and hard to compete with guys doing it on the side, but i also have more time to put into the cars and I do it everyday all day so it's better quality and done faster. It was nice haveing a steady job and doing it on the side for extra cash, haveing health insureance vacation/holiday pay bla,bla. But doing your own has it's perks too, just a bit more stress full and hecktic at times.

 

I've done my own stuff, but am too scared to do someone else's. Especially with them staring at me while I'm working. This is my car that I did the flame job and the trunk, then traded it for a 55. I miss this car.

 

I do a little bit of everything. Vinyl lettering, hand painted lettering, Pinstriping, carved signs, gold leafing, airbrushing, etc., etc. Between everything, I am paying the bills. I never got into the lettering / striping business to get rich. I do it because it is who I am. It's a lifestyle for me. I have been fortunate that I have been able to make a living at all of the above. I also live cheaply, (efficiently). No car loans, credit card debt, etc. I have worked in a couple of sign shops, and also for the University of Fla. (doing signs) for a couple of years. Been self employed for the last five years. While working for others, I always did "side jobs". It just evolved into where I am at today. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't been handed to me. I have had to hustle to survive. But it has paid off. My artistic abilities have taken me around the world. Literally. It has opened doors for me, and I've met people that I never would have otherwise. So I am very grateful for this gift I have been given. I am very happy with where I am at with my life as a Lettering / striping artist! My moto is "anything to keep from getting a real job"!