How to Design and Apply Automotive and Motorcycle Paint and Graphics: Flames, Pinstripes, Airbrushing, Lettering, Troubleshooting & More (Motorbooks Workshop)

by JoAnn Bortles

Learn how to tackle all types of automotive paint and graphics projects with this photo-rich reference by award-winning custom painter JoAnn Bortles.

How to Design and Apply Automotive and Motorcycle Paint and Graphics covers the most popular custom painting stylesand techniques in an easy-to-understand format. Step-by-step examples of projects are accompanied by handy tips and tricks features, as well as photo galleries to provide examples and inspiration.

Writing for hobbyists and professionals alike in an accessible, easygoing style, author and award-winning custom painter JoAnn Bortles presents both traditional and modern techniques and tools, from low tech to high tech, making it easier than ever to obtain professional results on your hot rod, muscle car, truck, or motorcycle.

In addition, Bortles includes content that has not been properly addressed in existing custom painting books, with chapters devoted to painting muscle car rally stripes, lowrider graphics, and creating plotter-ready vector drawings for stencil work.

With details on tools and materials as well as how to design paint jobs and test paint techniques, you will learn how to design and apply:
 

• Both traditional and realistic flames
• Ghost effects
• Multilayered graphics
• Two-tone paint for cars and motorcycles
• Lace paint
• Gold leaf
• Free-hand and tape pinstriping
• Patina effects
• Logos and lettering
• Clearcoats
• Troubleshooting

All the information is designed to enlighten both automotive and motorcycle applications and includes the most popular paint and graphics out there.

Whether you are experienced with an airbrush and masking tape or simply aspire to lay unique paint and graphics on your vehicle, How to Design and Apply Automotive and Motorcycle Paint and Graphics is the ultimate one-stop resource for instruction, ideas, tips, and techniques.

The Motorbooks Workshop series covers the topics that engage and interest gearheads. Written by authorities in the subject matter and illustrated with color photography, Motorbooks Workshop is the ultimate source for how-to know-how.

• ISBN13: 9780760369524
• Publish Date: 22 March 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc
• Imprint: Motorbooks
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

How to Design and Apply Automotive and Motorcycle Paint and Graphics is a volume of how-to information in the Motorbooks Workshop series; this one by JoAnn Bortles. Due out 12th April 2022 from Quarto on their Motorbooks imprint, it's 224 pages and will be available in paperback format.

The books in this series are all quite good and comprehensive and cover a myriad of themes, many (most?) of them are technical and aimed at repair and restoration. This one is a little different and has a different aesthetic aimed at artistic finishes for cars, motorcycles, and other surfaces.

The author is deeply knowledgeable and adept and writes very well and very accessibly. The introduction covers the background basics including fundamental design work and testing designs. The following chapter tutorials follow thematically: tools & supplies, two-tone (prismatic) paint, rally stripes, flames, graphics, retro, lowriders, pinstriping, gold & metal leafing, lettering, patina, plotter stencils, clear coating, and troubleshooting. Tutorials include bullet lists of very specific tools and supplies, descriptions, and well written step by step directions.

The photography is in a class by itself. The pictorial tutorial photos are crystal clear and beautifully arranged without hands or shadows in the way. This is a very well done book for its intended purpose (teaching readers how to get started with decorative paint and graphics on metal surfaces), but it's honestly worth the price of admission -just- for the drool-worthy photos of gorgeously finished cars, hot rods, muscle cars, vans, and motorcycles. All the photos include captions stating make/model and special info about techniques and materials used.

The author/editors have also included a short resources and links list as well as an abbreviated index.

Five stars. This would make a great choice for public or school library acquisition, home workshop use, and a welcome gift for car enthusiasts. The photos are clear and detailed enough that it will also be a good inspiration resource for people thinking about custom paint jobs for their own projects to be able to point and say "something like this" if they're getting custom paint.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.