What kind of paintbrush?

I don't know anything about pinstriping detailing, so no help there.

But... we used to use thin tapes to make lines in drafting. For example, solid lines, or dotted lines, ot dashed lines, in various widths, and some of the tapes, usually the solid ones, came in various colors. Alas, I can't remember the name of the tapes, and an online search is getting me nowhere fast.

I don't think I want to use any kind of tape.

I just need to make really fine lines. On painted wood. Kind of like a highlight. I don't know if I need to use a brush with long, flexible hairs or one with short, stubby hairs.

Maybe I need to run take a quick photo of what I'm trying to do.....

I hope you'll be able to tell from this photo, it isn't a very good shot, the paint isn't quite dry so it looks a bit blotchy....

What I did was spray paint these flames on this dresser. To get them to stand out better I want to trace along the lines with either red or yellow or orange. So I just want a thinnish line. The flames are actually just a bit larger than this in real life.

I may add some other color too. I haven't decided yet.

Very cool!

I think pretty much any thin brush will work -- some sort of animal hair is probably better than plastic. I did something similar to that once, trying to think of what brush I used -- I think it was just one of my watercolor brushes that wasn't in the best of shape anymore. Sable, probably. It was a medium-thick brush in terms of watercolors, thin in terms of furniture painting.

I dunno, it strikes me as hard, and even harder with the wood's texture. Hard to get a consistent amount of paint on the brush, of whatever type (I'd try stubby/flat brush first (forget what they call them.) Makes me think of markers instead. They used to come in fabulous colors and fresh markers flow rather well. They're water based or organic chem based, those being noxious to work with. Not even sure they still make those.

I haven't fooled with the pen brushes much, not sure about a clean continuous line.

Thanks, soz. It's turning out better than I thought it was going to. Once it's finished I'll post a photo.

Markers are a great idea!! A fattish sharpie might just do the trick. I wonder how they go on over paint.

I guess I'll need to hit the art supply shop and stock up on a variety of things to try. I have a fair arsenal of brushes but they're mostly junk style since I'm more of a wall painter than a real painter.

I'm not worried about the dresser at all so I'm willing to try some different things. If worse comes to worse I can paint the whole thing black and call it done!

Found this:

http://www.misterart.com/g8957/Sharpie-Paint-Oil-Based-Paint-Markers.htm

Cool! Thanks, soz. I hope I can find them individually since I'll be needing quite a bit of red. I'll bet they sell those at Michaels.

mo's gonna love this room.

If you can find something that is more opaque and really sticks in white, I'd recommend getting that + a color. First make the line white, then go over it in the color you want.

Mo is already loving this room. He really doesn't like change so we've made sure that he is very involved in the process.

The only thing I was pretty insistent on was the bunk bed with the fold out futon sofa underneath -- just more practical in a small space. He wanted the bunk but wasn't sure about the sofa. His friend, Eddie Haskell, pronounced it "WAY COOL" and immediately started begging his mom for one so now Mo likes it.

I really think I can go over the silver much like I could go over white since it isn't very dark.

I haven't abandoned the idea of paint althogether yet. There is this little ridge between the black and the silver from where I placed the stencil (I will NEVER make another stencil, that thing took hours) so paint would probably stay in the lines pretty good.

It might be cool to tip the flames in red and fade out to yellow.

I have to make up my mind by tomorrow since that is the only free morning I'll have until next Tuesday.

Ah, that ridge would help paint...


I guess I wish you'd go to a real art supply store instead of Michaels...

Well, the art supply store in Eureka was a mix of engineer/architect's supplies and art supplies, and had lots of choices for this kind of thing, and. everybody who ever worked at the store was an artist... seems the same way here, the one time I went to the 'real' store, though the one here is primarily for artists more than engineers.

Back in yesteryear when I used to use markers all the time, you could get fantastic individual colors, not in some set. Haven't checked lately.

Backing up, I guess Michaels is pretty craft oriented, and may have a whole section on something like painting furniture. Guess I'll be quiet!

I used to do a lot of airbrush and striping on bikes and helmets (in another life)

I always used a "squirrel hair striper brush" These are little handled brushes that are like a "flat" but have exceedingly long hairs. They are very forgiving if you dont have a very steady hand. You hold them on their side with the flat (long end) away from you and only draw on the down stroke .
Remember that Sharpies are a diiferent solvent base so they will rub off the acrylics instead of bonding.

If you want really bright colors, get some Jo Sanja brand acrylics, they are good for wild and colorful striping (not for bike tanks or cars though, we use lacquer bases for that)

Wow! Thanks, farmerman!

Do you buy those at the regular art supply or do you have to go to a car shop or some place special, farmerman?

And, do you want to come finish painting my dresser!!

The paint I used was Krylon metal flake. Would Sharpie ruin that?

By "downstroke" I'm assuming you mean what I learned when cutting my stencil -- always pull towards you. Is that right? With so many curves, downstroke was tough. At least with the finished piece I can move around it though.

I would LOVE to know how to airbrush. That is an amazing talent. When I was looking at "flaming" ideas I saw some incredible airbrush work. It certainly takes a level of confidence that I don't have about anything.

airbrushing is quite easy. It involves the use of masks . Flames are quite easy. I used to make cutouts of cardboard in flame like curves and then , with these templates held just an inch or less above the work , Id spray random puffs of different colors all leading from light yellow to deep reds with the templates held on the work so that thered be a "harder edge and a softer edge" next to each other and often Id have them interlayered lightly with a lavendar for some highlighting. The flames didnt look like yours, they were more random and didnt have real sharp edges because I held the masks up in the air a bit.


As far as the brushes go.Ive seen the squirrel tail stripers or just "striping brushes" in many catalogs like Jerry's or Cheap Joes etc. Even big hobby art supply houses like Utrecht or A C Moore have em.

The thing that real airbrush does that computers cannot do (yet) is to verlay multiple layers of color and develop a complexity that only deep layers can attain. Thats why CGI, no matter how well brushed, still has a "cartoony" look. Maybe one day theyll be able to work that out with multiple projections and 3-D overlaying of different colors , but not just yet.

I dont know whether a Krylon with a Sharpie wouldnt be a bad combination. Krylon is a lacquer base(I believe) and a sharpie is a butyl alcohol solvent , and we often cut lacquers with alcohols anyway. SO they may just be compatible. (You lucked out babe).

I once did a helmet for a biker dude and mixed the wrong paints and he had me do the snake in the skulls mouth ****. (I swear that people have no innate creativity, this design was so trite even then). Anyway, When I got done , I realized that the snake was with an enamel and the skull, a lacquer. They began peeling away before I was done. SO I hadda start all over with a new surface . I lost money on that one but learnt a lesson about marking my paint jars (A-acrylic,E-namel,L-lacquer).

YEs, always pull the brush toward you, very zen. but it helps control when your not used to using the brush. Later youll (if you like the craft) be able to do work on the up stroke , but its like writing left handed , you are required to have your hand in a weird position and your arm off the work.

I use a rotating table with "dogs" that I push into holes in the top so I can wedge my work onto.

<farmerman's so cool.....>

Actually I have a slight fever today. I had a tick bite twice in the last 2 weeks and so, now with this low grade fever tomorrow its off to the Dr's and a LYME test. Im gonna get a shot anyway , cant hurt even if I dont have the makings of Lyme..

Oy. Good for you on the doc and shot.

Yep. Totally cool.

What a life you've had, farmerman.

I wish I was more adept at painting or drawing by any media I became a photographer since I have no talent otherwise. H.C. Bresson himself dubbed photography "the artless art". For me, true, for him, I don't think so!

Lyme disease! Yikes!!! I'm glad you're seeing the doctor and hope you feel better right away.