So today I didn’t do many lines as I was in preparation for family and friends visiting for the holidays. Alternatively, I used the time to practice hand lettering on my kitchen wall. I’m fortunate enough to have a blackboard wall into kitchen so that periodically I can put up signs and drawings on the wall and practice.
So just in time for the holidays and time for a little break (maybe)… Enjoy the images.
Well even though I have not done any lines for day twelve I figured it important to at least provide some useful information.
Below you see my main supplies and brushes. I don’t have a lot at the moment, but I believe you shouldn’t need a lot if you care for your things.
I have two 00 MACK series 20 that I use daily and another brand new unopened for later. I have a 00 broad liner for thick lines. A HOT ROD CUSTOMS size 1 brush that I have modified and nicknamed my XX. I don’t like to take away people’s business but the HOT ROD CUSTOMS brushes found on eBay are awful, not only that the seller never gets back to you unless it is to trash talk you. I have a coach liner brush which pulls super fine super long lines and curves. This is a very difficult brush to use and it had sat around more that it has been used. I love this brush and it was my very first brush, but I don’t practice enough with it. Last but not least is my 0000 MACK x-caliber brush for super fine lines and control. This thing is a miniature beast.
Cleaning supplies are isopropyl alcohol 99%, mineral spirits, lacquer thinner, STEVE KAFKA brand brush preserving oil and fish eye reducer fluid.
As for paints, right now I have DorR’s custom formula Sublime Green 1Shot paint, white, and chamois all in the 4oz format. I will be picking up an 8oz can of red and white soon.
I use pearl ex micro flocking for when I want a sparkle in my lines but it is hard to handle.
I’m back at it. My daughter is sick so I had to skip pinstriping yesterday. Today just to get my groove on I started practicing and man does it feel good and motivating. I feel stubborn as I keep pushing, but the more that I push the more logical the path becomes to me. I feel like I see it unraveling before me. I told a friend about the progression and even he told me to be realistic. That’s what I am working on. Keep doing what I am doing and in the meantime keep looking for something to pay the bills. But keep shifting the energy on to this. Keep focus.
One hour and thirty lines. Not my best and I still have energy for another ninety lines.
That new brush i trimmed works well but also has its drawbacks. The lines may be straight, but surface jitter causes little paint build ups.
Small design and small update for now.
Today I tried something new I tried trimming down one of my brushes of which is one of my older non-used brushes that I have. I decided to try this as I saw something recently on brush tip sizes on the Internet. The video talked about brushed hair and brush shaping. The gentleman suggested taking about 1/16 of an inch off the top of the brush and about 1/8 of an inch off the bottom of the brush. Supposedly this gives the brush more control with tight curves. I’ll post more information about this later for now here’s a pic.
Not only that I haven’t practiced many lines. I have done only around two hundred and fifty lines so far. I’ll give a more exact number later.
Every now and then, we don’t have many materials to stripe on or to use. Knowing that, I use a piece of plexiglass donated by a friend of mine to practice on. He actually told me that it’s probably preferred to practice on plexiglass as it has an easy clean up.
This is true. Easy but time consuming. Easy in the sense that the clean up is actually a no brainer. Use pure isopropyl alcohol and a few sheets of paper towels. I use the no name Scott type towels. Let the alcohol sit a bit and then wipe. The time consuming part is that it makes a lot of little paint dust particles that need more alcohol just to wipe off.
“easy, but time consuming. “
So about a half hour later, and my daughter being put to bed to nap, I am all ready to go back and do another practice session.
It doesn’t take much to feel big. Let me tell you that when you are down and you start a blog and you feel like you are all alone out there in the great abyss called the Internet, two people following you after 8 days of posts sure does feel good. Or at least it does feel like what you are writing about and doing is on the right path.
The path I’m on right now is the path to pick my daughter up from daycare. Right now on the bus I see a father and daughter that make me think of my relationship with my daughter. He is patient and she inquisitive. He is animated and she is absorbing. She hangs on everything he is saying and he is giving her worldly knowledge to chew on.
A quick pause as his cellphone rings. He checks the number and weighs out of he needs to take away time from his daughter. Impressive.
On the note of painting today… My friend who I am helping out had me paint crown mouldings with a thick brush and no masking tape. He says to me:
“you want to pinstripe? Paint this freehand. You know ink masters? Well consider this paint masters.”
Well that bastard made me paint freehand without masking tape. Let me tell you it was not easy, it was time consuming, but extremely well done.
Now to pick up my daughter, go home and make supper and practice pinstriping later.
“Practice, because no one really teaches you the real tricks of the trade like how to clean your brushes or how to clean your pallet.”
I was not feeling super today. Puked a few times (it had to get out!) Made supper, and striped a bit. Nothing spectacular, but just enough to get some practicing in. After looking back at what I did…
“I really need to pay my dues”
Everything was crap. But it was still fun making crap! I pulled out my little X-caliber striping brush and practiced a little with that. I almost forgot about how much control that little sucker has. Fantastic 0000 (or XXXX or quad not) size brush. I normally stripe with a double 00 brush and pull long lines but it was definitely a treat to switch it up also. I was also able to revive a real crappy brush (from hotrodcustoms.com) and pulled some single 0 lines. Albeit this was both fun and practice, it was a shit session because I wasn’t a 100% in it due to whatever the hell bug I have right now. Pleasant!
To address a personal issue I have been having being hounded by a friend:
Yes pinstripers are specialized, yes they are a dying breed. Then why do it if not for the money to survive? We will always survive as humans as long as we have the fight and the drive left in us. The money is there and it is definitely secondary. Finding some one who has better words than myself to explain it or that has already explained it needs to get mentioned.
I found out about this guy named Andy Kawahara today. His words not only are inspiring, but they say it all. Unfortunately, to some these words are not the most important thing. To me, they are.
Thanks Andy!
Check out his website too.
http://andyspinstriping.blogspot.ca/
I don’t feel great today and threw up three times when I picked up my daughter at daycare. One of the moms of another child in my daughter’s group was kind enough to dress my daughter and watch over her as I went to puke another time.
All the while, rambling in my head was what my friend said about pinstriping. What are my chances to succeed and realistically make money doing this? Do I pigeonhole myself into something so specialized or do I leave myself open?
I know he is right on a few things, but I feel that he may be right on a lot of things and I’m just trying to figure out how to create the smallest backlash.
In short, I didn’t do any lines today. I’m disappointed and halfway towards throwing up another time.
As with each new day passing and me not making money and not feeling adequate, I feel my confidence level dropping.
I don’t know what I want anymore or what is good for me and my family.
Something got blurred in the mud
and it was me. I am starting to feel like I wasted my whole life.
Depression is starting to kick in like it always does when I loose a job. Every time it happens I feel more and more worthless.
Great, I know how to use computers and I have an analytical mind but don’t have an interest for the field. Well I would if I were working in the government and having a comfortable lifestyle but I question how long that would last.
Maybe all my thoughts are in vain.
What would the bhudda do?
I woke up at 5:00 am only to take care of my daughter at 5:30 am to change her diaper, let her go on the potty and play some video games. Damn video games. I’m starting to wonder if I should just annex the guys as they are not a good influence on me and they always create pitfalls that I end up falling into. Planetside 2 is extremely addictive.
It’s now 7:31 am, and all I did was play video games. I should get the little one up and ready to go. I might be painting today.
I will for sure practice pinstriping when I get home. I want to be able to do 100 lines in one sitting. Which is extremely hard.
;
I think I should get rid of all the coding stuff I have accumulated. Sure I have nice ideas but I have never done anything with them and they are just another ‘thing’ on my to read/practice list. All of this is taking away from my DO list.
“…FOCUS”
Update it’s 12:39 PM have done 91 lines. Stop nine lines short from my one hour goal.
I have also understood how to properly clean, dry, fanout, and re-oil my brush. All of this is necessary for proper brush care. The longer you can keep using the same brush the better.
Montreal Pinstriping 