Painting graphics (pics)

Today after some reading about making graphics on model cars I started experimenting with masking and painting graphics with my own design.
I´ve always liked the flame/tribal ones so I started sketching. I got a lot of inspiration from this site (http://www.modernimage.net/html/car_decals.html).

This was just a test so I did´nt really bother making everything look perfect (yes I removed the masking to early...). I´m really satisfyed with the result and I already have some crazy ideas for my future projects. Here are the pics (higher resolution here (http://www.fredrik88.fotopic.net/c383145.html) ) :

1. First I made a quick drawing of the car (put car side against paper) and marked out some limits. After that I drew my pattern and applied the tape over it, then I cut out the pattern using a razor.

http://images3.fotopic.net/?iid=ys55wr&outx=600&oq=0

2. Apply the template to the car (took me some time and you should be very careful) and mask rest of the car.

http://images4.fotopic.net/?iid=ys55wt&outx=600&oq=0

3. Start painting! The color I´ve used is Tamiya TS-51 Telefónica Blue straight from the can (I did´nt even bother heating it up). As you can see the edges are´nt razor-sharp because I was too anxious to see the result...

http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=ys55wu&outx=600&oq=0

http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=ys55wv&outx=600&oq=0

4. Maybe I´ll do a flame-job on my S2000 in the future, we´ll see about that.

http://images5.fotopic.net/?iid=ys55w6&outx=600&oq=0

Hope this can be some inspiration for modellers to start experimenting more on their own, this was´nt at all as difficult as I would have imagined. I like graphics on some cars, some definitly look better without them but I think they add like a "3D-look" to the car. If you are skilled in drawing there´s almost no end to the possibilities.

Thanks for looking,

/Fredrik

Good "How to" I might just have to put graphics on my Rx7 now.

Lil'budman

Hi Fredrik!
Cool project, I love to see you guys jump out in to thin air trying out new techniques. Looking fancy enough for me. I still have to gather some courage to do something like this. The one on the rear fender almost looks like a shark, I think :iceslolan
Gott nytt år!
Niclas

Nice Fredrik! It looks very good indeed. i might try that some day.
Gott nytt år!

After you put the masking on the model spray a light coat of clear on to seal the tape before the next color, it eliminates potential for paint bleeding under the tape.

After you put the masking on the model spray a light coat of clear on to seal the tape before the next color, it eliminates potential for paint bleeding under the tape.
Thanks Veyron, I´ll keep that in mind when it comes to the real deal. I´m kinda stuck in the flame-theme and I just felt to show you some of my sketches (yes I know there is a perfect forum for this but please...). I was thinking of making a kind of "old school" muscle car with traditional flames on a gloss black base (with a green "candy" effect :naughty:) now how does that sound?

The kind of finished Honda S2000 sketch (sorry about the wheels... :p );

http://images1.fotopic.net/?iid=ys5b53&outx=600&oq=0

Mustang on fire;

http://images2.fotopic.net/?iid=ys5b5f&outx=600&oq=0

I did´nt explain how to make the template for the other side of the car but I figured that you probably would come up with a good solution yourselves.

Happy new year everyone and happy modelling!

Gott nytt år!

/Fredrik

After you put the masking on the model spray a light coat of clear on to seal the tape before the next color, it eliminates potential for paint bleeding under the tape.


Good idea. I'll try that next time. good tutorial!

I do a lot of wild paint jobs and i use the tape method ! i also do it in a differnt stlye , paint the color that you want the graphic to be then apply the tape ang do you next color ,and then add more tape and the finial color that goes on will be the body color ! that way there wont be any bad areas of paint on the most seen part of the body and you can always fix the graphic area here a look at 1 of my wild paintshttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v624/Davidminidreams/a356654a.jpg

keep working on your paint work ,the celica looks good !

Hey man that Civic (?) is off the chain! Totally awesome, du you have any more pics of it? Although I think you should paint the window trim, maybe that is too late now but with a paintjob like that, who cares?
How did you do the dark grey "cracks"?

/Fredrik

I have a question Davefromminidreams? I saw this car in the Contest cars Heartland model contest page and it says that you used gel pens as well. How did you us them I have tried and they dont write on plastic for me?