Some more pinstripe practice!

A little more practice goes a long way. Yesterday I got a couple new brushes in the mail... one of which is a Kafka brush. These things are all the rage apparently, so I thought I'd try one. $14 investment isn't too bad. What can I say... It's Ok, but not great. Probably because I'm used to the Mack brushes already. The Kafka can definitely do some things the Macks can't easily do, but not better and not faster. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool brush... But it made me like the Macks so much more after trying it. Luckily, I also ordered a new Mack 10 series #00. I didn't use this one because it's new and it's a back up to the other #00 I already have. So instead I grabbed the #00 I already had and whipped up a couple quick panels. After trying the Kafka, these Macks are butter. Fast. Consistent. And straight. Love. So here are these 2 panels. One is Vermilion and Bright Red on an obscurely painted panel... the other is Black and Ivory on a gold painted panel. I've even started signing my name with the same pinstripe brush I use for the designs... makes em tiny, but legible.

Fun Fun Fun!!!

Even more pinstripe practice

At the end of each day I've been trying to spend just a little time getting pinstripes down on something. The last couple days culminated into this panel. I started by spraying Rustolium Florescent Pink on a blank white panel... then layed out the gold size... then applied gold leaf... then engine turned... then airbrushed in a little black here and there (just to see what it would look like)... then I outlined everything in dark magenta (to keep the initial contrast down)... then added some more to the design using process blue... then finally I made a lime green to border the whole dealy. Another panel made it all the way to the end! Yay! And good thing, because I'm trying to have as many as I can for some upcoming shows. I'm also trying some new stuff, so these panels make good practice and excellent education.

More Pinstripe Practice

I swear I have a regular job with many many many hours every week devoted to my jobs. However, in order to maintain my sanity and keep up with practice, I try to as frequently as possible break out a blank panel and experiment on it. Today's experiment was a combination of things. Not all panels make it to the end like this, but this one did. So I started with a panel painted really bright orange. Next, I used a stabilo pencil to draw out the design I wanted to fill with gold leaf (faux). After the design is done, I brush in a mix of Sepp brand Gold Leaf Adhesive, a little 1 Shot Imitation Gold (for tint), and a drop or 2 of Mineral Spirits, using a Mack 10 series #1. I brush it in freehand instead of using tape to outline the design- I find that in each subsequent step not having the tape edge helps a lot. Now the gold leaf adhesive (or "size") has to setup to its tacky point... with this stuff it takes between 3-4 hours. After the adhesive is at its proper tack, I applied loose leaf gold leaf over the entire design. With loose leaf there is a bit more mess, but I feel like the leaf lays smoother. Once the leaf is well pressed into the adhesive, I clean off the excess with a make-up brush and careful rubbing. As soon as I was done I took a drill equipped with a velvet end and turned the leaf. Faux gold leaf doesn't turn really great, but it turns Ok. Even this isn't the best example. Once the engine turning is done, I use the same Mack 10 series #1 to brush clear coat over all the leaf. The brushed clear will go a little past the leaf, but with no tape edge leaves no built up edge to outline. After the clear was set-up I outlined everything with 1 Shot Process Blue and added a little to the design as I went along including some floating borders using a Mack 10 series #00. Once the blue was dry, I went back in with 1 Shot Aqua and added a little more to the design and to the straight lines using the same brush. Even tho the gold leaf didn't come out exactly the way I wanted, everything else came out great. Outside the colors really jumped. So here's a panel that made it alllllllllll the way to the end!

Some Pinstripe Practice

Whenever I have enough time to break out the brushes, I try to put them to good use. Lately I've had a lot of good use for them. But for once I just wanted to practice. While waiting for some gold leaf size to tack up a few days ago I did a few small pinstripe pieces on paper. I also set up a little stop watch to try and get myself to be conscious of time as I was practicing. Each piece has 2 colors, so there was the time to lay out the 1st color, plus the time to clean the brushes and mix new paint, plus the time to do the second color. Each color took about 15 minutes to do and each piece was completed in around 30 minutes. It was also neat to just do something without the worry of who it's for or likes and dislikes. Magically, these designs were quick, simple and soothing.

Pinstriping is FUN!