Pinstriping is a Fine Art

The Artwork in this gallery is user-submitted photos of freehand pinstriping, a traditional decorative art form that uses a brush to lay a thin line of paint, as well as hand drawn lettering, airbrushing and other related parts of the trade. Pinstriping can be found on motorcycles, cars, trucks including hot rods, muscle cars. Nearly any flat, clean surface can be pinstriped, so you'll find that this gallery is full of different support mediums. If you'd like to see a quick video of a pinstriper in action as well as the tools used, have a look at this video for a primer.

Traditions and Tools

The brushes are usually made of natural animal fibre but can also be made from synthetics, and can be precision cut to handle corners, handle larger paint loads and affect line width. The line size is indicated on the brush: the range from fill to very fine brushes will produce a . Some famous manufacturers of pinstriping brushes include Mack Brushes ( Famous for their series 10 and 20 brushes ), Xcaliber, Kafka and many other custom cuts. One of the most popular pinstriping paints is called Sign Painter's 1shot (or just 'one shot'), a durable enamel paint that comes in single premixed colors. Many stripers will simply mix colors together to produce new hues. Other pinstriping paint brands include: HoK (House of Kolor), Ronan and many others. Some paints can even go under automotive top coats and urethanes.

Appreciating the art

It takes a while to know what constitutes good and bad pinstriping, but just for starters, here are 3 things to help you appreciate freehand pinstriping:

• It feels good: Good pinstriping will make you stop and think. Design does not come easily to anyone, and the better the use of space and surprising the design, the more practice has gone into their craft.
• Details, Details: the accomplished pinstriper knows his brush. Consistent line width, tightly joined lines and an almost invisible texture to the paint will just help a design come to life. Too much thinking doesn't work here.
• Courage: While browsing the gallery, try to estimate the size and the scope of the project under the striper's hand. The amount of bullets you think they sweat working on a design will definitely add to the appreciation of the finished product