Basic Pinstriping Techniques: Tips & Tricks for Beginners

Beginner pinstripers often make the mistake of skipping the simple stuff and going straight into trying to make overly complex designs with every color in their paint box. Enthusiasm is admirable, but this approach can lead to disappointments and giving up. Having a solid understanding of the basics will set you up for more advanced pinstriping designs down the road, but you need to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run. This article is to introduce basic pinstriping techniques that beginners can master with practice and patience.

Question: How do you pinstripe for beginners?

Answer: Practice, patience, and a willingness to learn some basic techniques are really all you need to get started pinstriping. For supplies, one sword brush (size 0) and one or two colors of water based pinstriping paint are the basic tools to get practicing.

Key Topics:

Pinstriping Tools & Materials	Lists the necessary tools for beginners, including brushes, paints, and surface preparation materials.
Surface Preparation	Emphasizes the importance of preparing the surface before starting to ensure the best results.
Basic Pinstriping Practice Techniques	Describes fundamental strokes like the straight line, curves, and how to create designs.
Learning to Pinstripe	Further learning, design inspirations, and resources for beginner artists.

Essential Tools and Materials

Before attempting the techniques, understanding and gathering the right tools is step one. The primary instruments include cleaning materials, pinstriping brushes, and high-quality striping paint. Selection of the correct brush size and type (e.g., sword or scroll) is paramount for achieving precise lines and curves.

Pinstriping Brushes

Choosing your first pinstriping brushes, aim for the middle range. Brushes come in various sizes and shapes, each offering different line qualities and widths. Generally these are numbered from size 5 all the way down to 000, largest to smallest respectively. For beginners, a medium size 0 brush provides a good balance between control and versatility. One sword brush, one scroll brush, and one lettering brush (sometimes called a lettering quill) all at size 0 make up the ideal starter set of pinstriping brushes.

Pinstripe Paint

Solvent Based Enamels

High-quality pinstripe paint ensures smooth application and durability. Solvent-based sign painting enamels are the most common paint used for pinstriping, due to their bold colors and durability. Sign paints such as One Shot Paints are some of the most durable paints on the market, lasting decades and often outlasting the base material they are painted on. Only when the foundation itself starts to fail does sign paint start to degrade. It’s so strong that it can seize the lid onto the can permanently if not cleaned off the brim. Pinstriping and airbrushing go hand in hand, and you can expand your designs by grabbing the Best Beginner Airbrush.

Water Based Acrylic Enamels

Water based acrylic enamels are also entering the striping scene, since some localities have strict environmental regulations. Water-based paints are easier to clean up, and usually non-toxic. While oil-based options offer better flow and adhesion, water based sign paints are perfectly acceptable. They do take some getting used to however, as they flow a little differently than traditional sign paints, and lack the durability of something like One Shot. For practicing indoors, water based paints are a great option since they lack the odor and fumes of the solvent type.

Preparing the Surface

A clean, smooth surface is vital for ensuring your artwork doesn’t flake off the first time the car gets washed. Perfect surface cleaning involves using solvents or detergents to remove any dirt, grease, or wax. The worst possible contaminant, silicone, requires special cleaners and must be completely removed to ensure proper adhesion. This foundational step cannot be overstated for achieving professional results that last years or decades.

Surface Cleaning Pinstriping Supplies:

Here is a list of some cleaning supplies to get you started. Click the links in the list to buy the supplies from Eastwood.

• Degreaser or Pre-Painting Prep Cleaner (breaks down grease, wax, oils, and silicone)
• Lint-free Prep Wipes or Microfiber Cloths (don’t use paper towels, since they are loaded with lint)
• Tack Cloth (to remove dust and particles after cleaning.)
• Adhesive Remover (for removing patches of adhesive left by old decals or trim)
• Nitrile Gloves (to protect your hands and prevent oils from transferring to the surface)

The last two cleaning items you always want to have is a spray bottle with 50/50 rubbing alcohol and distilled water, and a spray bottle with just plain distilled water. The rubbing alcohol/water mix is a great final cleaner, and spraying water on the underside of a body panel and the floor will eliminate static and cut down the dust.

Paint Pro Tip: Fiberglass panels can be tricky to pinstripe because they tend to promote and hold a lot of static. Static has a terrible phenomenon of drawing the paint from the brush before it touches the surface, pulling and puddling in random directions. To combat this, add a couple of pieces of string or wire to the panel, then to the floor. Soak the back side of the panel with water, including the string or wire, and spray some water on the floor. This seems to “ground” the static. I don’t understand the science of it completely, but it does work like a charm.

Basic Pinstriping Techniques to Practice

Even the most complex and wildly insane pinstripe design can be broken down into three fundamental elements: straight lines, curved lines, and design symmetry. These simple visual building blocks are the cheat code to capturing the eyes of the viewer, hypnotized and unable to break their gaze from the allure of lines and patterns. Keep things simple, don’t over-complicate the artwork just for the sake of it. Three simple straight lines and a couple double S curves are enough to make a stand out design, and it doesn’t take a ton of practice to get pretty good at it. It’s really down to learning the feel of it, which makes practice doubly important.

Fundamental Pinstripe Design Elements

• Straight lines: The shortest distance between two points, artistically speaking. Practice drawing lines on a flat painted surface or a test panel before moving to a customer vehicle. Lines can be painted parallel or cross one another, using different widths to create infinite patterns.
• Curved Lines: Curves add dynamism to your design. Practice drawing arcs and loops on a glossy painted surface, focusing on maintaining consistent line width and smooth transitions. Curves can range from subtle bends to full circles, so play around and experiment.
• Symmetry: This is what raises the artwork from a doodle to a design. The visual impact of symmetry in pinstripe designs further locks the eyeballs of anyone around. Asymmetrical pinstriping will create a chaotic, disjointed look, so strive to have centerpoint symmetry in all your designs. Everything you put on one side of the vehicle should match on both sides and appear even and balanced no matter what angle you are looking at it from.

Basic Pinstriping Strokes

1. The Palette Stroke: This technique ensures the brush carries the optimal amount of paint, preventing drips and ensuring consistency in line width by using a palette. Dipping the brush into the paint cup, then into the thinner, smear the brush in a pulling motion, flipping the brush from side to side, pulling the flat sides of the brush through the paint puddle. The bristles should be well loaded, about half way up, but not to the point of dripping saturation.
2. The Pull Stroke: The fundamental stroke of pinstriping, this involves loading the brush with paint, anchoring your hand for stability, and pulling the brush towards you to create a straight line. Whether short straight lines as part of a larger design, or long continuous lines spanning the full length of the car, you must pull the brush towards you to make consistent straight lines.
3. The Curve Stroke: Focuses on maneuvering the brush to create smooth, continuous curves, the building block of most freehand designs. This is achieved by spinning or twisting the brush slightly to either side. The sword brush can bend, curve, and spin across surfaces, and getting the feel of this in the brush is similar to learning to steer a car. At first you might be a little jerky and oversteer into a ditch, but eventually it becomes second nature, muscle memory takes over and you just cruise, baby!

Learning to Pinstripe

Patience and practice are key to learning pinstriping. Internalizing the feel of the brush, how pressure effects the line width, how the brush handles when steering, are all things that can only be gained through practice. As far as patience, it really doesn’t take that long to get a handle on the basics and start doing some cool looking designs, particularly if you use stencils or masking tape. Start with simple designs and gradually move to more complex patterns as your confidence grows. Don’t skip the basics!

Basic Pinstriping Ideas

Look for inspiration in classic car designs, nature, or even calligraphy. Line and dot patterns of all kinds can be adapted into your artwork. Sketch your ideas on paper before applying them to your vehicle. Create half the design, from the centerpoint outward, then flip and trace it to create perfect symmetry. The natural curves of the squirrel hair of the pinstriping brush handle natural shapes with ease, so leaves, petals, feathers, and other natural shapes are a perfect starting point for aspiring pinstripers.

Starter Pinstriping Kit

A pinstriping kit of basic tools and brushes can be a great starter pack, as well as some paints and cleaners. Kits often include a variety of brushes, paints, and sometimes stencils for practicing designs. If you’re new to basic pinstriping and looking for a reliable art supplier, check out Dick Blick’s Pinstriping Brushes & Tools.

Workshops and Tutorials

Consider attending workshops or following online tutorials to learn from experienced pinstripers. They can offer valuable tips and feedback on your technique. Pinheads are some of the friendliest people in the automotive world, and love talking shop with fellow artists.

Source: How to Pinstripe by Alan Johnson