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'Before'
Work is about to start on this beastie. It's a GSXR1100 engine in a 'Hard Up Choppers' Wormburner custom built frame. Running gear and front forks are from the GSXR, though the exhaust system most definitely is not. This bike is road legal, but has a 'seriously' throaty exhaust note.
I had various ideas for the artwork on this bike. Initially I was going to do a design based on Japanese 'Yakuza' tattoo artwork in fine etched silver leaf.
Then I thought about doing a film themed design on it. Films like Terminator, Lost Boys and Lord of the Rings sprang instantly to mind, but I didn't really want to go down the same route and style of graphic work I tend to do on the guitars on this bike. So in the end I decided to just do a basic straight forward play about job with the airbrush. Next to no masking, just drawn out where necessary with a paintbrush and white paint and airbrushed, simple and comparatively quick.
The video below shows most of the painting stages of the bike and the finished result.
The video runs for just under 15 minutes, so it's not short, but it is nearly all in there beginning to end. I'm afraid the video clip at the end of it isn't that great, but all the still images are high quality, so can be viewed clearly at full screen size. Hope you enjoy it.
'After'
Anyway..............heres how it was painted........ Painting Stages
With the tank, rear fender and electrics box all prepped and ready to go, here is the petrol tank ready for the first paint of the project.
I'm using a reference image for this start of this project, so here I've marked out some reference points from the original onto the tank as a guide.
Then it's a case of starting to build up the image.
With a bit more work it's starting to look a little bit better.
Once it was starting to look more how I wanted it to look, it was time to start playing about with it slightly.
Coming together at this stage.
Then it was all toned back a bit to give the feel I wanted for it. Still needs some tweaking before it's right, but I'll leave that until all the work going onto this tank is done. This whole tank will eventually be painted over in a candy apple red, making everything that you see here as white, red against the black.
Then it was on to the sides of the tank.
First the outline is roughly painted in with a paintbrush.
The design slowly building up.
Don't do that many skulls, so this is quite a change for me.
Starting to airbrush in the detail here.
Still lots to do on this bit, but coming along quite nicely (and quickly) now.
I'd almost forgotten how nice it was to just play about with the airbrush.
So much quicker than all that messing about with masking.
This section is now nearly done, just toning in to do once all the sections are painted in.
And then, onto the next section........
Carrying on the skulls theme on the other side. Very roughly marking the design out in white paint.
Going to be a bit different this side though.........
Not been able to work on this for a few days, so keen to get back on with it now. Okay, so back to slowly building the design up.
Should be lot's of scope to get some real depth into this side.
Here it is pretty much roughed out in white paint. Time to start airbrushing it in now.
Even though only had brief spell on this project this afternoon, some progress has been made and here the start of the skull is painted in.
With the skull starting to take shape,time to fill in all the brambles.
And this is where I'm leaving this for today. Tomorrow will see the rest of the brambles painted in and some shadow applied, this should start to give the whole thing a bit of depth.
Managed to get a bit done on this section again today (the red is a reflection off of my heater - it's not paint).
And this is where it's ended up at this evening. Still got to get the balance right between the highlights and the deep shadow to get the real depth into it, but it is taking shape. Just noticed looking at this ............ gotta paint the little man on the thorn in too!!
With a few final adjustments that is this side of the tank almost finished. Having done this side and then comparing it to the other side, the other side looked a bit flat So also done a bit more work on the other side to give it a bit more depth, and it too is looking better though didn't take any piccies of that today. Just got to go over the main demons face on the top of the tank now so that it matches in with the sides............ and that'll be the tank ready for the first lacquer coat.
With all three of the images on the tank tweaked and matched up a bit better, it was time for the first clearcoat. Amazing what a shine does to paintwork!
With all the black tones flattened back behind the clearcoat the image becomes much sharper and clean looking.
This fairly rough first clearcoat was then rubbed back with 800 grade wet and dry.
Then the red tint was added over the previously white detail work and the tank given it's second coat of clearcoat. A lot smoother and shinier and starting to look quite reasonable at this stage.
Unfortunately, the lights in the spraybooth do tend to create a lot of reflection, so these piccies aren't the best...........
But I'd just shot the clearcoat, so wasn't planning to move it!
Couldn't resist taking some piccies though.
Next stage is to rub this second clearcoat back again............
Then the tank will be ready for it's final clearcoats and buffing up.
Here are a few pictures of the almost finished tank just prior to final buffing up and polishing.....
Next stage really is the starting of work on the 'Wormburners' big rear fender. More Demons, lot's more detail and a sexy lady to come.
'The Rear Fender Painting Stages (Click the Image)' Last Updated - 1st April 2011
Click on the Image above to see the Rear Fender Painting Stages.
All artwork, images and text are Copyright © Jim Fogarty 2002-2011. All rights reserved. All artwork shown on this website is protected by international copyright law. No image on this website may be used for any commercial or non-commercial purposes without prior written permission from the artist. |
