How to apply beautiful drawings to the car body

The content of the article:

• Advantages and disadvantages of airbrushing
• Required tools
• The complexity of the drawing
• How to draw correctly
• The main stages of airbrushing technology
• Car preparation
• Drawing process
• Some helpful tips

The car demonstrates the status, character and temperament of its owner. Many car enthusiasts want to stand out from other vehicles, so they apply various drawings to their cars. In fact, a whole art arose, which is called airbrushing. Now anyone can make a real work of art out of their car. In this article, we will consider the nuances of applying drawings to the body of your car.

Advantages and disadvantages of airbrushing

Before choosing a drawing and applying it to a car, you need to understand the pros and cons of airbrushing.

The pluses include:

• The opportunity to demonstrate your own individuality, your hobbies, catch the enthusiastic glances of passers-by and other motorists on your car;
• The ability to use drawings to hide small defects in the body, cracks and scratches;
• The presence of a picture on a car significantly reduces the likelihood of its theft. Few people will steal such a car, since it is easy to find it later, and getting rid of the picture is too costly and expensive.

The disadvantages of airbrushing include:

• High cost of work;
• After an accident, a car with a pattern is more difficult to restore;
• Selling a car with airbrushing is usually difficult because not all buyers will like the art on it.

Before you go to the master or apply the drawing yourself, you must take into account all the pros and cons of such art, so that later you do not have to regret.

What tools are needed

Naturally, certain tools are required to apply the selected pattern:

1. Airbrush. It is the main device that sprays paint under pressure onto the surface of the car body. This ensures precise and accurate spraying.
2. Compressor;
3. Connecting hoses;
4. Paints;
5. Different skin;
6. Varnish;
7. Fixer for varnish;
8. Thinner and degreaser;
9. Polishing machine with different circles.

You will also need related materials: film, cardboard, tape, polishing paste, printer, screwdrivers, pliers, wet wipes.

Finding this equipment will not be difficult. All of this is sold in specialized stores. Pay particular attention to paints. Different types of mixes can be found now, but aspiring artists can use the versatile 646 and 647 paints and solvents that can be used to accomplish a wide variety of tasks. In principle, working with car paints is similar to working with regular paints.

Typically, drawings are applied to the hood, doors, trunk lid, front or rear fenders. If you wish, you can paint the whole car.

The complexity of the drawing

Since airbrushing is an art, many nuances must be taken into account in this matter. First of all, a lot depends on the complexity of the drawing that needs to be applied to the car. There are three categories of complexity of drawings, which, in turn, require different training from the artist.

• First category. It includes simple graphic drawings: different lines, patterns, stripes, elementary geometric shapes.
• Second category. In this case, the drawing is limited to one art object, in the creation of which multicomponent paints are used.
• The third category includes complex artistic drawings with multiple objects and an applied background. In this case, all variety of colors can be used. It is important for the master to mix the colors correctly and create a smooth transition of colors. If everything is done professionally, a simple car will become a unique masterpiece.

It should be understood that there are no creative boundaries in airbrushing. A specialist can paint even a large-scale picture on the body of a car. At the same time, it is important not only to be well versed in the existing techniques of airbrushing, but also to know how to mix and apply varnishes and paints correctly.

How to draw correctly

A special airbrush is used for drawing. But when creating an ornament, landscape and animals, brushes and paints are used, and the artist's manual labor is used. You can also stencil if you're using the techno style.

The applied paints must be of high quality, durable and resistant to various atmospheric precipitations.

Naturally, a wide range of colors should be used so that any desired shade can be created. Also, during the drawing, it is necessary to add reflective and light-accumulative paints. To give more strength, the drawing is covered with several layers of varnish, which, among other things, will give the image "depth".

These are the basic rules for drawing. But at the same time it is important to strictly observe the technology of airbrushing.

The main stages of airbrushing technology

It all starts with choosing the desired pattern. At the same time, it is important to determine its theme, respect the proportions, colors, style of the image and ensure its correct placement. It is also important to choose the right background so that the drawing looks beautiful and expressive. After that, you need to understand where it is best to place the selected image on the body.

When the theme of the picture is selected, you should start developing the sketch. Collections of drawings, a graphic tablet, a camera, a laptop, a scanner will help with this. If you are good at drawing, paper and a pencil will suffice. Drawing using Photoshop should be applied to the photo of the car and add fragments of the selected drawing. That's it, the sketch is ready.

Then you should carefully study the nature of the image in order to choose the appropriate way to apply the picture. As mentioned above, each method needs its own tools. If it is “just a sticker” or a decal, then a stencil is enough. If you need to depict various complex objects with smooth color transitions, you will have to use an airbrush and brushes.

It should be remembered that it is important to place the drawing correctly, because what looks great on paper will not always look beautiful on the body.

Moreover, improper placement can "kill" the style of the entire car. Therefore, you need to be very careful when choosing a place to place a picture on a car body.

The computer will help with this. The whole process of modeling and positioning the image on the car body is carried out using a computer.

If you are an experienced professional, you can do it all manually. However, it should be borne in mind that the body has a complex relief and shape. It has different ridges and transitions that can affect the appearance of the drawing. Therefore, it is still better to enter the image into the PC, impose different versions of the painting on it, the nuances of the body geometry. Now images can be presented in three-dimensional form, which will allow you to carefully see and edit all the flaws.

If everything suits you, you can proceed to preparing the car body for drawing the image.

Car preparation

The first step is to remove the door handles, mirrors, headlights, all rubber seals and other elements to ensure uniform application of paints and varnishes.

After that matting is performed. It is necessary to process only the top layer of varnish so that the paint adheres well to the surface. All scratches and small chips should be repaired.You can do the work with special matting sponges that do not leave scratches.

All parts and elements not used by the drawing must be pasted over with tape or paper so that paint or varnish does not get on them. The place where the drawing will be applied must be cleaned of dust and degreased.

Drawing process

First you need to apply the main sketch. As a rule, in this case, stencils are used, which make it easy to make a base. It is advisable to make the very first lines not very bright and more blurred. It is important to keep the airbrush perpendicular to the body surface.

The drawing should be applied carefully and carefully, excluding sudden movements. The hand must be kept calm, but firmly, to avoid smudges. Gradually (layer by layer) it is necessary to display the entire image. First, the base is outlined, and then new details are added.

Success in this business depends on the correct setting of the airbrush. It is necessary to adjust the required line thickness and pressure supply.

The paint should be applied in layers. Moreover, the next layer can be applied only when the previous one dries up. It is important to remember that light shades are applied first, since dark ones are difficult to paint over later.

At the very end, the finished drawing must be covered with several layers of varnish from a spray bottle so that the image is fixed. When the varnish has hardened, you need to start polishing. This is the final step in the procedure for applying the pattern to the car body.

The durability of the drawing will depend on the observance of the technology and the quality of the materials used.

Some helpful tips

1. When applying the drawing, work in a respirator with a high-quality air filtration system. This will help maintain health, as paints and varnishes are quite toxic.
2. In order for the drawing to retain its beauty for a long time, it is necessary to periodically apply protective equipment to it. Be sure to buy protective and abrasive polishes. As a rule, if the technology has been followed, the image will last as long as the factory body paint.
3. If you want to delete the picture in the future, there may be some problems. When applying temporary airbrushing, it can be easily removed using special washable paints. But it is not so easy to get rid of constant airbrushing. You will either have to repaint the car, or cover it with a special film.
4. If the image occupies more than half of the body surface, you will have to reissue the documents for the car, since its color has changed.
5. Airbrushing is considered to be a multi-color car paint. It must not copy the identification livery or symbols of special vehicles. In the passport of the car, the fact of the presence of the image must be noted.
6. Airbrushing, if desired, can be insured with CASCO. In this case, the insurance company will cover all the costs of image restoration.

Let's summarize

If you decide to decorate your car with some kind of pattern, you should carefully consider whether you need it. If necessary and you have certain skills, you can draw a sketch yourself and apply a drawing to the body. If you have never held a brush in your hands, it is better to entrust this matter to professional craftsmen.