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Any budding ww2 jacket artists out there?

Maj.Nick Danger

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StraightRazor said:
Like I said, I'm a huge fan of Elvgren, but Petty to me is king. This is probably my favorite one of his. I'm working my way through Amazon looking for the best Petty and Jacket art books...

Was my first jacket painting from a while ago. My take on the Memphis Belle theme.


MemphisBellepainting.jpg
 

shoeshineboy

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I know a lady who is a pinup model, that if you guys need pictures or subject matter, she would enjoy this tremendously. She is a real nice person, and very accomedating. I think she would enjoy one you guys doing the retro art of her.

I know that if I had the extra bucks, I would ask you to paint me a jacket. Maybe by this fall. But take a look at www.thetinagrant.com. If you need a picture, i am sure she will send you one.

I am not trying to promote her website here. She will answer her e-mails and tell her that Mark the shoeshine boy told you to write her.

Keep posting the artwork guys, I really have enjoyed it.

Best Regards,

Mark Easter
 

shoeshineboy

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major danger

I e-mailed Tina and told her of my find in here. I hope that she will pop in to take a look. I am only a fair cartoonist at best. I can paint a room white....maybe. So I admire folks who can paint. I have studied art in school but just as a hobby, which included anatomy. To me, Tina has some marvelous legs...sure she has other outstanding features as well...and one for sure and I hope if you paint her you can capture her wonderful personality. I could see a bomber now with "tina grant-the kansas city bomber" what a plane that would be.....

best regards,

mark the shoeshine boy
 

Maj.Nick Danger

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Never heard of ironing the paint to make it permanent. You have to use an old towel or something in between the jacket and the iron to prevent scorching I think?
However, I do know that you should remove all traces of the leather finish in the areas to be painted to ensure a good bond to the leather. Also learned that you can use fine sand paper to rough up the leather a bit and create some tooth for greater adhesion.
Never did learn to use an airbrush though, :rolleyes: I can see how it could save quite a bit of time in painting large flat areas of color.
 

HAMMER

New in Town
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Ironing

Yes, thanks, the towel in between the iron and jacket sure is important. Airbrushing saves a lot of time and creates some interesting effects. I had only worked in conventional brushes and oil before this. Just got the airbrush a month ago and jumped in. I'm sure it will take months or years to really get the hang of it. I used a combination of home made stencils and freehand. Thanks for the tip of lightly sanding the leather first. All I did the first time was use some alcohol to clean the leather of conditioners or whatever.

There is also an acrylic medium that should be mixed into the paint, or at least the final clear-coat finish that reacts with the heat of the iron to fix the paint even stronger. All of this, though, is not really necessary if you're not going to wash or otherwise clean the leather. T-shirt painters, of course, need the wash-proofing more.

Regards,

Hammer
 

shoeshineboy

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striaghtrazor,

have you tried to paint on leather yet ??? I really liked your sketches....

major nick,

Have you taken a look at tina grant yet ??? could one of you guys paint her on a jacket ???

mark the shoeshine boy
 

Maj.Nick Danger

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shoeshineboy said:
striaghtrazor,

have you tried to paint on leather yet ??? I really liked your sketches....

major nick,

Have you taken a look at tina grant yet ??? could one of you guys paint her on a jacket ???

mark the shoeshine boy

Yes, as a matter of fact I did. :arated: I could paint her on a jacket,and how! ;)
Do you want to commision a jacket? Let me know via PM if so.
 

Maj.Nick Danger

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HAMMER said:
Yes, thanks, the towel in between the iron and jacket sure is important. Airbrushing saves a lot of time and creates some interesting effects. I had only worked in conventional brushes and oil before this. Just got the airbrush a month ago and jumped in. I'm sure it will take months or years to really get the hang of it. I used a combination of home made stencils and freehand. Thanks for the tip of lightly sanding the leather first. All I did the first time was use some alcohol to clean the leather of conditioners or whatever.

There is also an acrylic medium that should be mixed into the paint, or at least the final clear-coat finish that reacts with the heat of the iron to fix the paint even stronger. All of this, though, is not really necessary if you're not going to wash or otherwise clean the leather. T-shirt painters, of course, need the wash-proofing more.

Regards,

Hammer

I also learned another great tip for greater paint adhesion. Works especially well if you should happen to have trouble getting paint to stick even on a sanded surface. The trick is to first brush a little water onto the area you are to paint. Let it soak into the leather, then apply a very dilute (about 75% water and a little medium) color mixture. Capillary action will draw the paint down into the leather fibers and form a very stable base on which to further develop your painting. Sort of the same principle as "fat over lean" that we use in oil painting.
 

Maj.Nick Danger

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Well, not exactly new. But since you asked.

I dug up this pic of the first jacket I did for myself. Based on an actual nose art design with a Varga girl. Still my favorite, I think, for it's simplicity of design and the fact that the slogan has many possible meanings.


Jacket0.jpg
 

penfencer

Familiar Face
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Maj. Nick, Your jackets look great. A couple of questions-

I don't see any brushmarks. Do you build up the work with thin layers? Have you ever considered using gesso as a ground?

Is there a margin for error there? How do you deal with a mistake? Acrylics can be pretty unforgiving once they dry.
 

Maj.Nick Danger

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Thank you for the compliment.

penfencer said:
Maj. Nick, Your jackets look great. A couple of questions-

I don't see any brushmarks. Do you build up the work with thin layers? Have you ever considered using gesso as a ground?

Is there a margin for error there? How do you deal with a mistake? Acrylics can be pretty unforgiving once they dry.

You are too kind.:)

In answer to your questions, yes I do indeed work in thin layers to avoid unsightly build up and brush strokes. I have thought about using gesso to establish a white ground layer to paint on in the manner to which I have always been accustomed. I have always painted in oil on panels or canvas with a white ground prior to my excursion into nose art. But I abandoned the idea of using a white ground layer as I know that if the paint becomes too thick, it will be more prone to cracking and then possible flaking.:eek: A white ground layer could have it's uses though to achieve certain effects.
At first, working on the dark ground color of the leather was strange to me, but I adapt quickly and after a while I really began to like it. If some of the brown tones of the leather show through, you can use that to your advantage to render the darks in fleshtones, hair colors, etc.



As to errors,.......I NEVER make a mistake! :eusa_doh:



Okay, just kidding! :) If you get to an area that you are having trouble with and it needs to be erased, you can use common rubbing alcohol to wipe the paint off even after it has dried for a day or two. I had to do that to the face on my "Worth Fighting For" jacket due to the fact that the paint was getting too thick in that small area. Made her face look kinda hideous with a lumpy build up of paint! And I couldn't very well have that! As to touch ups in the final stages, I mix the color of the jacket's finish, and use that to clean up any rough contours where I have painted outside the lines. I just paint right over those little inconsistencies.
 

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