Art / Painted Vans

[Luisito]

"Honey! I'm hoooome! Guess what I bought today? A whole vat of Penetrol! You excited honey? Are ya?"

***

You know what? You guys are awesome. I'm so happy to have stumbled across this forum... though most links bring you back to it! Anyway thanks for all the info. Seems there's a lot to know.

So I was thinking of doing a "mural" (or should I say "vanal") because as I mentioned earlier I'm a painter and I think I could pull off a pretty good one. I even got a white van because it makes a good base colour. But then yesterday I stumbled across something I'd never heard of before - people doing art on their vehicles with SHARPIES. And not just any vehicles, Lambos and BMWs and MX5s and the like. Check this out:

http://graffart.eu/blog/2010/12/sharpie-art-cars-pack/

and this:

http://graffart.eu/blog/2010/11/lamborg ... e-markers/

I'm finding myself salivating and thinking, I could do this...

So apparently these dudes sharpie right on the paint, after a thorough cleaning. I still can't get an answer on how you would clear coat something like this (thanks for your answer to that). What do you think?

[nxski]

Those sharpie jobs look amazing! Black on white would be a great contrast too!

Leave it to Falco to come up with a clearcoat soloution...

[FalcoColumbarius]

Well, okay... 250% determination. Epic.

Vantoon: I think if I were to go down that route I would get a roll end of newsprint (sans ink) from the local newspaper printer; cut pieces out to match panels; lay them out in ordered groups on the floor ~ or staple them to the wall so you can conveniently step back for the objective view point; make your cartoons, as it were; pour some chalk powder on the backsides of the cartoons and smooth an even layer across the surface.

Wagon: Remove any furniture on the van that might get in the way (mirror gantries, bambie bars, skids &c.); clean surface of wagon with a degreaser like "Tumbler" or even a higher grade lacquer thinner, with lots of keytones; sand surface of paint job with... say 1200 W&D (consistently); place chalked cartoons on respective panels; trace cartoons so a light guideline is on the surface; remove cartoons; purchase a BIG box of sharpies (I think I'd go for the double ended ones ~ bullet on one end, chisel on the other); dress like a Maori and listen to this while giving birth to your masterpiece, loudly.

Clear Coat: BASF Glasurit; 1.3 tip; wet load/wide-ish fan; down draft booth with appropriate half mask respirator.

That's my take on it... smiles.

Falco.

[Luisito]

Wow, you know your stuff Falco!

I think I'm going to freehand the sharpie drawings... maybe a couple of stencils but mostly just me, some sharpies, and that music you recommended (nice!). I'll prep the surface... some very light and fine sanding and a really good clean.

And then yeah, I'll clear coat it as you suggest...

I'm feeling like my Deli is going to be called Moon Unit... :)

[FalcoColumbarius]

Wow, you know your stuff Falco!...

It's just a rumour.

Free hand is cool and considering the nature of the pattern and that no one is likely to see both sides at once ~ I just suggested the cartoons so you don't have to change your mind part way through, and probably because I like symmetry ~ so I would like to see it on the wall first. In fact I was thinking about doing the basic outlines on the cartoons and fill in the details, ad libitum on the wagon. Either way this is a tres cool project that I am sure even Frank would commend and applaud ~ with a bullet!

Will you do a photo essay on this project?

Falco.

[Luisito]

Absolutely I will do a photo essay on this! I've done a few on paintings I've done in the past: http://virilesoulcreations.weebly.com/how-i-paint.html

Right now I'm actually chomping at the bit to get started on the sharpie art van... I'm just holding back and getting info so I don't mess it up somehow. What kind of sharpie to use, how to prep the surface (if at all beyond a clean), and esp. how to protect it, i.e., a clearcoat. I took it for a wash today... wow, it was DIRTY!

I'm not wanting symmetry at all... I mean the general feel will be symmetrical but the content will not. And I'm good with just freehanding... in fact I really like it that way.

Now to find a place who will clear coat this thing for me once it is done! And do so INEXPENSIVELY!

[FalcoColumbarius]

....Now to find a place who will clear coat this thing for me once it is done! And do so INEXPENSIVELY!

There is a couple of old sayings that come to mind...

• Good labour ain't cheap, cheap labour ain't good. ~ A.Nonymouse
  If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. ~ Red Adair

I'm sure you have it all under control and I really look forward to seeing the photo essay ~ I just might learn something.

Cheers!

Falco.

[Luisito]

Behold! I give you: MOON UNIT!

I've put some pics of my Deli up on my website to track its evolution - just two for now, one of the van and the other of the first piece of art (a frog just oozing with mojo). Check it out:

http://virilesoulcreations.weebly.com/moon-unit.html

Pretty cool, huh?

I've been trying several kinds of sharpie and different base preps on test patches... so far this is the list in descending order of goodness:

1) The best seems to be the oil-based paint sharpie. It goes on relatively smoothly, is quite opaque, and dries to a hard enamelesque finish. Disadvantages are that it occasionally stops flowing, and that if you apply direct focused pressure, it can scrape/chip. This is followed closely by...

2) The "industrial strength, UV, heat and water resistant" sharpie in the red label. Goes on smoothly except that it occasionally runs dry and then you have to talk real nice to it and buy it bonbons to coax it back into flowing with delicious black mystery ink. It also tends to streak a bit, but I'm sure I can find a way to get around that. Much further behind is...

3) Regular sharpies. Deceivingly easy to use, my abuse test (rubbing it with my wet fingers, nails, and t-shirt) reveals that it would fade quickly with time.

I also tried dry sanding with 800 grit... all sharpies seem to go down more easily when the surface is NOT sanded. I'm going to give this thing a very thorough wash with something intense to degrease it (not sure about full-on degreasing tho). I think this whole project is different from your usual paint job and kind of defies the normal rules. Learning as I go along, research and trial and error!

More updates as they happen...

[FalcoColumbarius]

also tried dry sanding with 800 grit... all sharpies seem to go down more easily when the surface is NOT sanded. I'm going to give this thing a very thorough wash with something intense to degrease it (not sure about full-on degreasing tho). I think this whole project is different from your usual paint job and kind of defies the normal rules. Learning as I go along, research and trial and error!

That's why I suggested the 1200, 800 is too coarse for what you are doing in my opinion.

You need to degrease for these reasons: The wagon is twenty years old ~ you can be sure that at one point there was a wax job on the paint. Spraying a clear coat onto that will be like building a house on a beach without foundations, it won't anchor; also the general grease & grime from day to day use, pollution in the air.

Having said that ~ what quality and finishes do these paint pens come in? I was thinking that it might be cool to use a finish in the pen that was similar but different from the existing paint finish so you would have the benefit of light reflection. If the paint pen is resilient enough ~ perhaps you could get around clear coating altogether. Are you going with black pens or have you thought about using a different shade?

Falco.

[Luisito]

Hmmm yeah... for some reason I thought you'd suggested 800 grit but obviously you didn't - for some reason I pulled that # out of my head when I got to the store. I'll try 1200.

The paint pens do seem pretty resilient. From what I've been reading, some sharpie cars fade with time but those tend to be the regular sharpie types. The oil-based paint pens and the industrial ones are much more resilient, or so it seems. The paint/ink doesn't tend to chip or fall/flake off... the real risk seems to be fading. So yeah, if I have a pen that is actually UV and water resistant (as promised by Sharpie!), then perhaps there is no need to clear-coat. In any case if there is fading, I don't see why a touch-up wouldn't work.

I'm going to go with black pens with some colour highlights (mostly red) here and there. I'm pretty busy with other stuff so I haven't had a chance to move on the project... next week looks very promising though.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Just a thought in my head: I remember one of the "pen" pictures involved a grey BMW. I had this thought about a grey pen on a grey background, of course the odds of them being the same grey are extremely remote ~ so I figure that it would be subtle, the same way pearl in the clear is subtle, you dig? Anyway that thought was brought to you by my head.

You have a plan and black over white with red highlights sounds stunning. Looking forward...

Falco.

[jessef]

If you're going to sharpie it, do NOT sand it. The sharpie loves the smooth clearcoat. There's a sharpie'd MX5 in our neighbourhood and he advised against any sanding at all. Just a clean surface to start with.

You have another option which is what I would do.

Instead of sharpi'ing on the paint, get some satin clear vinyl, make the body cuts, lay it on and sharpie on that. Then UV coat it.

That way you have a sharpie cool looking Delica without the Sharpie on the paint 'if anything happens' down the road.

Those one's you posted in your links are vinyl w/ sharpie.

[Zavgor]

I just bought my Delica yesterday and already bent driver side step and added several scratches. Can't imagine repainting it because it will be a deterrent for taking it offroad.

[FalcoColumbarius]

If you're going to sharpie it, do NOT sand it. The sharpie loves the smooth clearcoat. There's a sharpie'd MX5 in our neighbourhood and he advised against any sanding at all. Just a clean surface to start with.

Regarding 1200, it is fine. 1200 Is more polishing it than sanding... we are not talking about 220, Jesse, 1200 is a step before the cutting wax, this is the route you take when you are looking for the "Wet Look". It does, however, give a fine key for the clear coat to anchor to, which is better than nothing. 1200 Shouldn't cause any grief with a sharpie.

Falco.

[Luisito]

Went camping over the weekend and I love this Delica... It was cool to take it some places other cars wouldn't go, and I just like the feel of it. I found it a bit unnerving how much it would roll on turns and higher speeds, felt like I was going to tip and all that, but I guess that's just from driving a sports car which handles so sweetly. Anyway I couldn't resist so I sharpied a small orangutan on the back, pics to follow.

RE: Sanding. I did a test... tried sharpie on a sanded and non-sanded section, and then subjected both samples to much abuse involving rubbing, scratching etc. Frankly it didn't seem to make a difference except that the sanded surface seemed to retain more sharpie. On the other hand I had a harder time applying the sharpie to the sanded surface. So, I'm going to go with a very light sanding with the 1200 but not sweat that part too much.

RE: Vinyl. Thanks for the suggestion. It is interesting, but I have no idea where to go about getting satin clear vinyl for cars or how to apply it - any more info?

The MX5/miata guy... that's not Mighty Mike Niemann, is it?