How do I get black at edge of flames?

[tenacious]

Hey guys, I just got into painting bodies and soon I'll be painting my first body. I am doing a black body, with red flames that as they go back turn into a lighter red. I was wondering how people get black around the flame. Heres a picture of what I mean. I don't expect to do near this good my first time, just wondering how to put a shadow look to it. Also, would this look good? In my mind I think it'd look cool, but anyone with easy ideas, let 'em be heard:)


Thanks,
Tenacious

[BCSavage]

it's usually done with an airbrush although I have seen it done with cans, just harder to do. You stick your masks on, lightly spray the edges with black. Then spray whatever color your body will be. Remove the masks and do your flames.

[TopKatz]

The easy answer is to create a small boarder around the flames, and paint that the color you want your shadow. If your really steady you can do it free hand.

I actualy just posted about this a thread or two down. The technequie sort of depends on a lot of things. The main one being the main color of the body, and wether it is darker or lighter then the shadow or whatever graphic you are painting. I typicaly try and paint the lightest colors last, as any dark color put behind them will alter the end result.

With this in mind here is how I do flames with a rasied or shadow look.

1. Draw your art work. Now you also need to add art that provides depth, like shadows and what not. ie on flames draw a thin outline out side of the flame. This will be the shadow. You could do this with rips, trabal, whatever.

2. Use a liquid masking agent on the inside of the body.

3. Use an exacto to cut out the art work, but DO NOT REMOVE ANY MASKS YET!

Now the key to figuring out which stuf to paint first is the colors. Darkest colors must be painted first!!! So the same flame job, with diferent color scheams will require a diferent sequence of what parts get painted when!

EXAMPLE 1: Silver car, red/yellow flames, black shadow efect

paint sequence

1. Black shadow
2.Yelow flame tips
3. red flame base
4. Silver main body color

EXAMPLE 2: Black car, purple/blue flames, white shadow efect

Paint sequence

1. Black main body color
2.Purple flame base
3. Blue flame tip
4. white shadow efect

The trick is the order of paint aplication. If you did the second paint scheam in the same order as the first, your colors would all be backed by black paint, which would make all your other colors substantialy darker.

Hope that helps a little.

[HauntedMyst]

If you are painting the body black, having a black fade around your flames would be pointless.

[BCSavage]

lmfao, good point :p

[RespirologyRC]

I was thinking the same thing. Why not just try painting a design and see how it comes out then later try doing more indepth stuff, better yet, just grab and cut open an empty soda bottle (this is actually lexan) and try practicing on that. Good luck

[tenacious]

Well...I was wondering if anyone had any other good ideas using that paint scheme....yes, black shadows would be pointless if the body was black, hehe. I'm not sure how good it'd look with black flames....i think it'd look better with red flames..
Anybody have any tips on fading from a darker red to a lighter red? Do I just lift up the can, to decrease the coverage of the paint, leaving more 'dots' rather than a blanket of paint. Is that the way to go?
Thanks,
Tenacious

[tenacious]

What do you guys think about using silver for a shadow color, with the flames being red? Would that look good on a black body? What colors would go well with the red flames for being their shadow, since I can't use black? Just wondering...
Thanks,
Tenacious

[tenacious]

Thanks for all the imput guys!!
Tenacious

[charlieB]

If you are painting the body black, having a black fade around your flames would be pointless.

:) my smile of the day.

[HauntedMyst]

Ten,

Maybe try doing a chrome pinstriping around the flames. If you need some sort of shadowing by the flames, consider making the flames shadowed from inside the chrome pinstriping like charlie b does. If you need an idea of what I am talking about, look ath the original speed painting thread of the giger body charlie did.

[tenacious]

Ten,

Maybe try doing a chrome pinstriping around the flames. If you need some sort of shadowing by the flames, consider making the flames shadowed from inside the chrome pinstriping like charlie b does.

What you mean by "pinstriping"? Also, where can I find the pics of charlieB's work? I tried searching though, but didn't get anything.
Thanks,
Tenacious

[charlieB]

http://socal.rcracing.com/Custom_Paintjobs.cfm

there ya go bud.

[tenacious]

Hey thanks Charlie!
Tenacious

[HauntedMyst]

Pinstriping is making a line around something, they way charlie has around the flames in this pic.

http://socal.rcracing.com/Images//jdm.jpg

[tenacious]

I was just wondering after you paint a body, and do all that fun stuff, how do you cut out the wheel holes, I don't have lexan scissors just a x-acto knife. I know how to trim the bottom of the body, just not the wheel holes.
Thanks,
Tenacious

[tenacious]

and about the pinstriping, what do you usually use to mark off the stripes? I'm using masks right now, so would i just cut out the long strips of it?
Thanks,
Tenacious

[HauntedMyst]

I trim out the front wheel holes before I paint, at the same time I am marking the body posts. As far as the pinstripes go, I usually cut them out by hand on the flame mask itself after I've sprayed the background color. You just make the flames mask a little thicker.

[ZXR_KID]

my answer: SHARPIE!!! I lay my flame mask then trace the outline with sharpie, a few minutes later go over it again , then repeat once more to eliminate thin spots, sometimes a 4th tracing is in order but not usually. then paint as usual.