Art & Inspiration How to get started in pin striping

Idk if this is ot or not, if so sorry.

So all you pin stripers out there, how did you get started and when?
Where could i go to get stuff like brushes and paints to kinda learn how to get started.
Im not looking to make a career out of it, just want to as a hobby for fun and because pin striping is so damn beautiful!

all advise and pictures and info is helpful.

Thanks

Luke

 

I order my brushes from the local body supply place half dozen at a time. Several places to get paint, I get mine from a local art supply store, you can order online from Eastwood, Mooneyes, Speedway, TCP Global, etc.etc.

Check out http://www.pinheadlounge.com for lots of info and links, Pinstriping Masters is a pretty good book. There are also a few DVD's out there and some stuff on Youtube.

Best advice I can give you is get yourself a Mack brush and some One Shot and have at it. If you can find a pro in your area that's willing to mentor you or at least let you hang around and watch you'll be miles ahead.

 

Me niether but I am teaching myself also.Eastwood makes a starter kit.Go to Pinheadlounge website.
When I paint it's 3 coats,1 on me,1 on the floor,1 on the project.LOL

 

www.kustomkulturelounge.com has a good striper's forum
Unkl Ian on here has a good yahoo group.
sketchkult.com had a good board, but its all goofy right now.
http://inflite.tripod.com/ joey madden is a master.

 

I bought some Mack brushes and 1 shot paint from mooneyes..I began practicing on a piece of glass I had laying around..Easy to clean and reusuable..

 

Thanks guys i appreciate it!

RG49MERC- i really like the glass idea, that sounds good.

how many times can you use a brush would you say? and how many should i buy my first order? lol

 

if you take care of it, clean and store it properly, a brush can last for YEARS!

you can start with 1. if you dont like it, no big deal.

 

www.coastairbrush.com is a good place for supplies.

 

Hardest thing I ever tried - totally shit at it - my daughter however just picked up the brush and within minutes was pulling out complex designs - don't you just hate people with god given talent!!

 

also moseart.com

 

You can find everything you need at Nevada Fine Arts in Reno. One shot is expensive, so I'd recommend not buying a bunch of different colors at first. Try to avoid buying red... It's not the easiest color to stripe with and it's expensive. Blues tend to be easier to pull a line with and they cover well.

I learned to stripe in the '50s (without even realizing it, really) as a very young boy by watching my older brother stripe cars in the front yard. I started actively striping in the '60s (there have been a few looong spells where I never touched a brush, though).
I just picked up a brush and started practicing. That's the best advice you'll get...Practice, Practice, Practice. Once you have an idea where your weak areas are then you can ask for specific advice....

 

I started by getting the brushes and paint. Then I would draw lines until I can control my hand. After that I started doing angles and spining the brush making the lines thicker and thiner. After that I tryed to copy someones work until I developed my own style. My final step was creating my own design which was the hardest. Look around online and check out some of the different styles. If you see one you like try to match it. Ed Roth was my insparation with the rat fink art.

 

My favorite brushes are ten year old Macks-clean them good and because I don't use them a lot,I treat them with a little 3 in 1 oil.

 

Thanks guys!
Ruch ill be looking aroud for it once the snow here lights up.

I do small designs and stuff with just a pen and pencil and stuff but im sure with a brush is much different.

 

After you get some brushes and paint, the next thing would be to get "Wizards Pinstriping Basics" http://www.amazon.com/Wizards-Pinstriping-Basics-Steve-Chaszeka/dp/B00063QD98. I am not affiliated with this company, but the video is great for a beginner. You can find the video cheaper elsewhere or you can rent it at http://smartflix.com/store/video/749/Wizards-Pinstriping-Basics thats what I did. You should also give yourself at least an hour a day to practice. Practice makes perfect, I really sucked at first (still not that good) but as long as you stick to it you will improve.

 

So I bought the Kafka kit and picked up some one shot and penetrol and a Mack 00 green. after a few hours of practice the Mack 00 lays sharp clean straight lines but flares in the corners. the Kafka is like pulling wet rope can't get a straight line out of it to save my life but it does great loops and curves. What is the best all around sword to start with?

 

When I wanted to learn lettering and striping about 20 yrs ago, I bought a couple books and a lot of paints, brushes etc. Glass is one of the hardest to perfect nice lines on. It is also the best to learn on. Probably why that's mostly what I do now. I really like doing mirrors....lettering and striping..... I find that I like a particular brush better than others. I save those for my more difficult projects.

 

DON'T DO IT!
Pinstripers are the devil - or at least in league with him!
I tried it, the hardest damn thing I ever did. I practiced, thought I had it down...then tried pulling stripes on a motorcycle tank and fenders I had flamed. Holy shit...dip, dab, pull, wipe off, try again. Not for me. I'll go back to taping off and spraying the pinstripes if I need to...or find someone who's already sold their soul!
I need a drink now just from thinking about that experience...and it's only 9:37 am on a Sunday.

Good Luck

 

You might enjoy watching this video by Herb Martinez. It's got a lot of really great history in the first half. Enjoyable to watch!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7220324099575185021&q=pinstriping#

 

Herb Martinez published a "how to" book on pinstriping. It covered all the essentials in detail. Worth every penny!

 

All three pinstripers I knew would cut their brushes, but each one did it differently.
I use a brush that is at least 15 years old, I cut it and can do basic stuff. Wheels, I use a Beugler roller and a spice rack (to spin the wheel). Practice on a piece of glass, then you can hold it up to the light and see how thick the paint is. If you don't do it a lot( like me) it takes a while to get the feel of the brush and color paint, yes some colors pull different. 30 years ago I tried it and could not pull a line...now..mmmm maybe its the alky.......

 

yeah i have looked up a few vids on youtube like the kafka pin striper and others.
He mentioned about cutting them down.

Hahaha well maybe im just getting started with become friends with the devil wanting to get into this idk??

 

Buy a couple of basic colors,thin with varsol, do yourself a favor and buy some Xcalibur brushes,these brushes are like a custom trimmed Mack ready from the shipping tube. After that you need to set some time aside to practice brush control,don't get discouraged as there will be lots of wipe offa to begin,the best thing you could ever do is attend a panel jam or at the very least watch all of the YouTube videos you can find for technique. I have had friends come over every Tuesday night for the past two years and I'll tell you, they are all accomplished pin stripers because of the time at the end of the brush. I'm just headed to bed after an all day go with the brushes and paint doing final details for the Detroit Autorama show this coming weekend! Good luck, if you need any help or tips, feel free to ask,we're here to help....
See Ya,
Chris "Curse" Stapley.
Percy Boom Panel Swap

 

actually, Xcaliburs might not be such a treat. they are short with small handles. if your meat fisted or have long fingers you might hate them.

if i was going to suggest a "starter pack" i would suggest:
mack series 10 size 00
kafka size 3
Xcalibur size 00
Mack Tom Kelly signature size 1

this group will give you the best of all worlds and let you chose what eels most comfortable in your hand.

i own ALL of the above and i think they all have their place. however, i still have my fave....

 

I would suggest Mack series 10, or I now use strictly kustomshop sword stripers. Trimming your brushes I did that even by direction from a few guys, and just didn't like it. The only trimming you should do in my oppinion is blunting the tip of the brush a little bit. That's keeps the ends of your lines flat. Then again there are some times when you're butting a line with another one where the pointed tip of a line helps. So your call there. Paint wise, use 1 shot, or Kustom Shop striping enamel. I've used both, and am very pleased with the Kustom Shop enamels. And did I mention metric ass loads of practice time?

For Now
1shot

 

just a note:
blunting your brush tip limits how fine you can make your line.

i've always believe that you should ONLY trim away the stragglers right at the tip, leaving the shape of the brush as designed.

HOWEVER, there are lots of guys who trim brushes for various reasons... whatever works.

 

Glad this thread was started,answered many questions i had about pinstriping, I've got some reading to do and some websites to visit......

 

Best advice!
Got me a OO Mac Green & a 1/4 each of light blue & white for Christmas.
striped everything in sight, got a stack of dollarstore 8x11 picture frames for the glass and some $1 pizza pans for metal practice.
If you see a simple pattern online that you like - save it in a file, if you can't save it do a quick sketch.

Practice!

 

glass is good to practice on, but make sure to place it over a dark background. otherwise the reflections and shadows will drive you nuts.

i prefer a toilet seat lid or an aluminum sign blank for practice.

 

ok cool thanks guys.
Ill head over to the place here in reno probably tomorrow and get some brushes and 1 shot and just try it out.