Paint Like A Pro
Turn Your Artistic Skill & Creativity Into Cold, Hard Cash.
The main goal of this website is to help learn or refine the skills to start a custom painting business, or expand your existing paint shop with new tools and techniques. Doesn’t matter if you are a total beginner, or aren’t a master artist: you can get good with a bit of practice, and a ton of tips and tricks. With over 20 years experience as a custom painter and auto refinisher, I want to equip you with hard-earned knowledge to cut your learning curve down drastically. Most importantly, I want to help you make money as a professional custom painter. This ain’t your typical artsy fartsy hobby site, painting nature portraits on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Key Topics:
- Auto Paint: Sanding, Priming, Preparation, and Spraying: Every Step to a Showcar Finish.
- Pinstriping: Grab a Squirreltail Brush and Get Squirrelly with this Timeless Classic.
- Airbrushing: Add Gradient and Dimension to Any Design, Mural, or Logo.
- Lettering: Say It With Style in Custom Lettering.
- Vinyl Graphics: Plot, Print, Cut, Apply: Sticker the World.
- Detailing: Learn how to fix car paint scratches and other defects.
- Rust Repair: It’s never hopeless, even when it’s completely gone. If it’s metal, it can be repaired.
- Metalworking: Dent repair, straightening collision damage, and custom sheetmetal designs.
- Paint Correction: Runs, drips, sags, and orange peel are all par for the course when painting. Learn how to correct common paint issues.
Car Paint Repair and Custom Designs for a Profitable Business
Let us show you how to turn your artistic creativity into a profitable business. Regardless of skill level, I have time-tested methods, step-by-step detailed instructions that will guide you through the many phases of custom paint, on cars and beyond. As long as you have a desire to learn these skills, and the discipline to practice, you can get amazing results quicker than you may realize. Create stunning murals, bold banner advertisements, breathe new life into a rusty old car, and add flair to just about damn near anything that will hold paint.
Automotive Paint
Steps to a successful paintjob start with an overall knowledge of the painting process for any type of material that comes your way. Whether its for antique auto restoration, custom stylings, or collision repair, laying down a nice even coat of fresh paint puts the bow on the repair. Learn tried and true methods for exquisite auto paint.
Pinstriping
Complex in it’s simplicity, Pinstriping is the Art of the Line. With a squirreltail sword brush and paint, it adds a path for the eyes to follow, truly a visual treat that can be as compelling in a subtle line running along the contours, or a complex geometrically interwoven design of multiple colors. From carriages to hot rods, Pinstripes accent and highlight the beauty of lines.
Airbrushing
Infinite creative possibilities await behind the small-yet-mighty Airbrush. A wonder of modern engineering, it is capable of the finest detail, producing perfect gradients for lifelike color textures. Highlights, shadows, and tinting bring a dimensional visual effect to an otherwise flat looking surface. Limited only by the imagination, Airbrushing can be used beyond the auto paint shop, and can put stunning visual nuance on just about anything.
Lettering
Painted lettering can be used to make that imperative first impression for a business. Whether hand lettering a sign with a brush, or spraying using a stencil, Learn the tips and tricks of getting a great looking custom sign, banner, or unique message. Lettering also has an important role in fleet vehicles, making this a great choice as steady work for a custom lettering painter.
Vinyl Graphics
Bright, vibrant and attractive from a mile away, Vinyl Graphics share a wide crossover with paint. Essentially giant rolls of colored sticker, they can be used in combination with painting techniques to make complex designs economical and reproduceable.
Detailing
Bringing paint to a lustrous shine is a marriage of art and science, using chemical compounds and friction to create a flawless finish. Learn about the correct methods of sanding, buffing, and polishing, and how to fix scuffs and scratches, to put the finishing sheen on all your hard work. Bring paint to its peak of beauty using these professional detailing methods.
Rust Repair
The forces of nature are cruel, and automotive sheetmetal takes a special kind of beating. Rust, rot, holes, and decay must be dealt with before any real painting can begin. This is the rough side of being an auto painter, but you can skip ahead a few grades by learning some important principles for competent rust repairs. Rust prevention, neutralization, and removal methods are covered in this section.
Metalworking
Having a solid understanding about the behavior of sheet metal is a fundamental skillset to any professional body repair technician. Learn how to straighten damaged auto sheetmetal, and apply these principles to create custom autobody designs.
Paint Correction
Bad things can happen to paint, caused by factors that are sometimes out of the painter’s hands. Undesirable texture, runs, or dirt can offset an otherwise perfect coat of paint. In this section, learn how to correct paint issues after painting, before sending the car home with the customer.