I have a 1960 T-Bird and I am getting ready to do a paint job on in. I will be doing all the work myself. I was looking for some advice, pics, tips for doing a panel paint job. The two colors I am thinking of is purple and silver or a red and silver with flaked panels. I have painted two cars in the past but with the hotrodflatz paint nothing with a clear coat. Any advise or opinions would be appreicated.
Just accentuate what is already there in the body lines. Look up every Larry Watson photo you can find. Here's my Starliner.
Like Kirk said, use the bodylines as a guide for the panels. Nothing too sharp, everything soft and smooth. That car has alot of lines to work from so it shouldn't be too hard to picture it. Are you looking for advice on the layout or more for the spray technique?
I wanna hear some more suggestions for general layout ideas/etc... doesn't have to be vehicle specific for me.
I like to treat the car like a topographical map. (Thats a map that shows elevation, word of the day calender...haha) You want to accentuate the areas that are above or below the main elevation on the car. Thats basically how I treat layouts like that.
The Larry Watson T-Bird is what inspired me to buy a square bird. But can you improve on that layout? I really don't want to copy it. I can see what you are explaining about bring out what is already there Larry Watson did it perfectly. Now my question, with the body on those t-birds being so busy and not mimicing Larry Watson should I keep the panels to the roof and back pillars. Just looking for opinions.
Depends what yopu plan to do within that panels. For instance lace inside panels just on the roof and C-pillar won't look bad but what about the rest of the body? 99% of the things that look god on certain cars has been done already and if not, there's a reason for it. Just plain panels would be a little plain on only the roof and C-pillars, IMO. I wouldn't worry so much about cpoying his design as I would about making my car look good.
Awesome Point my friend! I think people including myself focus to much on trying to be original. But everything worth doing has been done before. I will keep your advise in mind. It would be a shame to let all those body lines go to waste. Thanks Again.
The lines do a pretty good job of laying out the sides. You could still get creative with the Hood, Roof and Trunk. Go back to the Pick of Watson's bird and check out the hood again. There is potential to do something different.
This is NOT Watson's 'Bird! This is Richard Glymph's beautiful tribute to the Watson style paintjob. Richard is another truly talented painter!
Whatever Obi-Won. Point is, the side lays itself out. The hood, roof and trunk are open to interpretation. Kind of like Kirks car. Take some pics and start sketching in lines.
40panel348, I met the guy a couple of times last year. I knew it was not a Watson car but the paint and the detail are just great. That is actually a 3 color paint job. He actually masked the trim line around each panel and painted to look like a pinstripe......I am very impressed with his talent and the car. The yellow fleetline behind it is almost as beautiful...he painted that as well. Thanks for getting his name for me.
Lots of good responses so far. Take your time with the layout and plan on going through alot of tape with trial and error panels. It's always best not to go against bodylines and natural curves. Let the panels flow lengthwise so your car looks longer and lower. But sometimes a car's lines will mess with you. Panels don't always look straight, even when you follow the car's own lines. Sometimes you have to tweak a line a little bit or veer off of a bodyline to trick the eye. Also, think about fading the panels. If you're gonna do panel fades, make sure that your panels are big enough. Give yourself enough room to allow for the fade line and the panel color in good proportion. Too small or thin panels tend to look funny when the fades are applied. They look too filled in and from far away they just look solid and break up the flow. Don't do too much. Be careful when you start adding a bunch of shit inside the panel. It can go from classy to tacky RIGHT AWAY. Alex and Kirk got away with it. But that's because Alex is a master and they both have high taste levels. Their candy coverage evened that car out so nicely. Alex really did wonders with those panels. But it's kinda like the "don't try this at home" type of deal. I like striped panels. A LITTLE striping goes a LONG way. Some guys get too carried away. Granted, Watson was known for throwing it ALL on one car too. He striped the shit outa his cars. It works on some cars and doesn't on others. You're lucky enough to have a bird that has been done before and you can follow other examples and avoid others' mistakes to make your own creation. Good luck. Here's mine. It took Donnie and I two weeks to get the panels right. The hood kept fucking with us. So did the thin panel right under the beltline. My Olds has some wacky lines that really fool you. Doesn't look like it, bu they're there.
Hey Eryk! The Olds is Bitchin'! It's funny because when this thread was first posted, I had just been talking on the phone with Richard Glymph since I'm going to be Panel Painting the old Edselero.
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