...and I painted these two skulls for my friend at the Heavy Metal Designs garage. They are part of a larger wall mural that is used for a backdrop for shooting photos of custom bikes. I'm going to start making time to paint more graffiti...
...after the engine turns have been added to the silver leaf, I outlined the lettering with a #2 Kafka liner brush in dark grey. I wanted the outline to look beveled, so I used black to add a low-light to the outline, and then used a lighter shade of grey to add a hi-light in accordance with the imaginary light source...
...when painting a beveled outline, it's important to always use a very small amount of white for the hi-lights. Use the white sparingly though, too much will detract from the subtle effect you are attempting to create. I also painted a drop shadow using an orange that's a shade darker than the base color. This makes the lettering appear as if it's floating off the surface of the tank, and adds another small trick ingredient to the whole piece...
...and this is the finished product! Notice the silver pinstripe that follows the shape of the tank that completes the bike. The silver stripes are subtle, but serve an important purpose by bringing the lettering color onto the other parts of the bike. The owner was very pleased by his bike's new look, and I was happy because I had something to post on this blog!
A friend had brought me his new Harley to paint because he thought it was too plain looking. His idea was to paint a silver pinstripe along the body lines of the fenders, and write Harley on the sides of the tank. I had all ready painted his wife's bike a few months earlier, and was very happy with the job I did, so he let me use my judgement for how the lettering was to be painted. I suggested using silver leaf for the inside of the letters, and he let me do my thing...
I then use a lettering quill to brush on size. I prefer Rolco brand fast drying gold leaf size. When doing this step, it is very important to only brush a thin even coat of size on the tank. If you use too much, the size will pool up where your brush strokes start and finish, and cause you big problems later when you try to engine turn the leaf...
You must wait for the size to dry to the proper tackiness before applying the leaf. If you don't wait long enough, the size will be too wet and cause problems when trying to engine turn. If you wait too long, the size is too dry and the leaf will not want to stick at all. Knowing how long to wait is something that comes with practice and experience, so I don't have much advice. I'm using loose silver leaf, which is far too delicate to handle with my hands, so I must use a gilder's tip brush to take the leaf from the pack, and apply it to the tank.
I then take a soft haired cosmetic brush and remove the excess leaf. Then I burnish the leaf with a cotton ball to smooth out the wrinkles, and remove any small pieces of leaf that remain. I usually take a blow gun and get all the excess leaf off the bike. You don't want any bits of loose leaf to end up in your clear coat or outline...
Now is the most fun portion of the project, spinning the leaf! I use a small battery powered drill with a spinning tool attached the the end. The spinning tool is a piece of genuine velvet wrapped around a padded head. When the spinning velvet is applied to the silver, it gently puts scratches in the leaf, which then looks like holographic swirls. This technique is normally only found on old fire trucks and lowriders. When done correctly, it's appearance is brilliant and eye catching! 
I brushed in the dice shape, then used the airbrush to add shadows and hi-lites...
...and I really like the striping design on the rear fender...its simple, unique, and old school using the bare minimal amount of lines!
I did this tattoo last night on a friends wife's ankle. I'm not exactly a huge fan of faireys and girly stuff like that, but I still give it my all when tattooing these type of designs...
...and here are some better quality photos of a leg that I filled in an existing flame outline with skulls. I am working on some sketches for another friends leg that will be covered with skulls, girls, and gangster images. Hopefully, I will start that soon...
This is the latest lowrider I pinstriped and silver leafed. It's a daily driver, and even though it needs some work before it's show quality, it's still a pretty slick ride. I gave it the full treatment, with blue silver leaf, and designs inside the doors. The only thing missing is airbrushed murals. These types of jobs are my favorite!
I painted this motorcycle tank for a friend back east a couple years ago. He requested that there would be skulls painted all over the tank, but other than that, I could do what I wanted. So after spraying the tank silver, I painted skulls of varying sizes throughout the tank using black. Then I candied the tank blue, and finally painted silver beveled tribal over it all. I like that you see the silver tribal first, then as you get closer, you notice the skulls ghosted in the blue. Paint jobs that pack a surprise are always my favorite!
Here's another airbrushed panel art piece I did a while ago. This looks like it might have been painted on the side of a van in the 70's! I don't know why this wizard is levitating a skull, but who cares, it looks cool. My favorite part of the painting is the rainbow rays of color behind the wizard, and how the colors are reflected in his hair. I'm not big into fantasy art like dragons, castles, and wizards, but I still like this piece!
...and I painted this panel while in Atlanta working with B. Papa last year. Gangster Franklins were very popular, especially in the "A"!
...and this is my friend Joeys forearm, he wanted some script lettering of his kids names...
My solo gallery show is near, and this is one of the pieces that will be featured. If you will be in the Tucson area, check out the show. The opening is April 4th, and the show will run for one month. There will be a DJ spinning records during the opening, and booze also.....Lulubell Gallery and Toy Bodega 439 North 6th Ave. Suite 187, Tucson, AZ Phone 520-792-1920
The current issue of AutoArt Magazine contains two features on me, one is this how-to article, and the other is an interview and portfolio profile. I like this article on how to airbrush flames that look like they are "punched out" of the metal. It's a fairly easy method of painting flames, and when it's done right, it really looks great. The best part is that it's so simple to do, and requires only two colors! I have some future projects that I'm thinking about documenting for how-to articles also, so look out for those!
This morning I was brought this lowrider to pinstripe. The owner requested that I use the interior colors, and no long lines, only scroll designs. I really hate painting on white, but this is what I had to work with, so I rolled with it. My lowrider striping style has been evolving into a scroll/tribal hybrid that I really like. The owner liked it too! Cars like this are so fun to drive, and even though I only took it for a ride around the block, I want to own one really bad!
Here is an A-frame sign I painted for a friends custom shop. I also designed the logo and his business cards. The sign is a combination of brush painted lettering and airbrushing. I like the old school look of the lettering the best...
I'm still recovering from being very ill, and haven't been too active, but yesterday I added some gold, silver, and varigated leaf and striping to this lowrider...
