Motorcycle, bike - a vehicle for courageous and courageous people. Not everyone dares to rule it. He is preferred by young people, or those inclined to adventurism and extreme. And such people are not satisfied with the position "like everyone else." A motorcycle should stand out, symbolize flight, power, swiftness. Therefore, it is no coincidence that a sports bike is considered the most popular model in Russia.

Distinctive features and styles of airbrushing on motorcycles

There is not much room on a motorcycle to create airbrushing masterpieces. Except that the sporty Kawasaki provides a place for art, but in Yamaha there is still room for creative imagination to unfold. Here, in addition to the gas tank, there are side flaps and fairings on which professionals create complete pictures.

And on motorcycles like the cruiser, all that is left to express yourself is the gas tank and the fenders above the wheels. the tank of the motorcycle turns out to be miniature, but each element of the drawing is expressive and meaningful.

1. Firstly, sometimes they do airbrushing only on the helmet, the drawing on it is personified. It emphasizes the character and personality of the person who owns this protective agent.
2. Secondly, the drawing unites the helmet and the motorcycle. Not every artist succeeds in combining the disconnected elements of a motor vehicle in a single, integral pattern. And the more holistic, the more expressive and harmonious it looks.

Motorcycle airbrushing leans towards symbolism. Motor vehicles are characterized by pictures that symbolize impetuosity, aggression, extreme. To convey such a mood, the following artistic techniques, directions and styles correspond.

Trables

This style was brought to Europe by sailors from Polynesia, where local people applied certain patterns to the face and body. Trable translates as tribal, the drawings indicated that the individual belonged to one or another genus. Sailors adorned themselves with these drawings, and so he came into fashion, with tattoos, spreading not only across Europe, but also in Asia.

With the advent of first wall, and later automobile airbrushing, the tatusalon trail migrated to the walls of garages, houses and to motor vehicles.

The trail stands out for its expressiveness and straightness of lines. This style depicts animals, fire, plants, space, etc. Traybles are black and white or color, carefully traced pointed ornaments, symbolizing speed and freedom.

Iron cross and others

The world history of symbols knows dozens of different crosses. Some of them have found their way onto the helmets and gas tanks of modern bikers.

The Iron Cross is confused with the Maltese one, but if you look closely, these two crosses differ from each other in the shape of the crossbeams. The iron cross represents the symbol of the biker movement, which is why motorcyclists decorate their own vehicles with this sign.

Although, during the First World War, the Iron Cross was an order of Nazi Germany, bikers disown their affiliation with fascism and neo-fascist movements. They confess that they took the iron cross from American pilots who wore crosses after the Second World War in protest against American power and politics.

The Maltese cross is also found in airbrushing. These 4 interconnected lances of the peak, in the XI-XIII centuries, personified the symbol of the crusaders. Depicted in white.

If you come across a swastika on a motorcycle, do not rush to classify young people as a fascist clan. Fascism has existed for 20 years, and the swastika has been revered for centuries. In European magic, the clockwise swastika symbolizes the eternal cycle of life, counterclockwise - death. The swastika was revered in Japan and China. In a modified form, it was also present in the culture of the ancient Slavs.

Bikers paint Christian crosses on their motorcycles and helmets: an equal on all sides, a Greek cross and a Roman crucifix.

Pinstriping

The word pinstriping is translated as curl. Its main feature is the drawing with brushes. In the arsenal of pinstriping artists, there are no less than a dozen brushes of different sizes. A sharpened pinstriping brush that resembles a knife or dagger easily draws fine, graceful lines.

Pinstriping is distinguished from other artistic directions by an abstract symmetrical pattern, an ornament that combines straight and wavy lines. Sketches for pinstriping are drawn with pencils; these drawings can be easily converted from sketches into stencils for a motorcycle.

Airbrush Lightning

The image of lightning in the culture of Asian peoples symbolizes divine strength and swiftness. Not every artist manages to embody the sparkle of light in a drawing, to convey its suddenness, and the more effective is the airbrushing of lightning when it is drawn by a professional artist. Modern paints convey color transitions of light, movement, create a flash effect.

3D - airbrushing

Looking at the three-dimensional image created by the master, on the lacquered surface of a motorcycle or car, one gets the impression of the vividness of the drawing, and it seems that the dragon is dying with a new burst of flame from its mouth, and the cat, frozen in a jump, will now jump. In the technique of airbrushing 3D, colorful, original drawings are created.

Mother of pearl and flakes in motorcycle painting

The offered sets convey a special light reflection and mystery. And if you add glitter-flakes to the paint, then they will be brilliant and glamorous. The clear, sometimes contrasting lines of pinstriping soften against a mother-of-pearl background, and are able to adorn the motorcycle of a biker woman, far from male aggression, and prone to feminine grace and tenderness.

The motorcycle is achieved by a combination of all kinds of airbrushing techniques and a choice of paints, for example, chameleon paints, pearlescent, rainbow paints.

Preparing a motorcycle for airbrushing

Before creating a drawing on a motorcycle, prepare it:

• carefully inspect the condition of the painting
• eliminate defects.

Because paint defects will not be masked by the drawing, but will only spoil it. Therefore, the motorcycle should be painted if necessary.

For this purpose, old paint is removed with coarse sandpaper, cleaned of primer and putty, cleaned of dust and degreased. The paintwork of a motorcycle has a small area, almost all parts on it are semicircular, so it will be advisable to clean it by hand.

Upon completion of cleaning, all parts are sequentially putty, primed and painted in several layers. Before airbrushing, it is recommended to paint the motorcycle with paint that will not bleed when drawing. It is distinguished by its high chemical resistance. Despite the fact that it dries quickly, the motorcycle needs to stand for 24 hours before applying the pattern. When planning airbrushing or drawing with brushes, do not rush to apply varnish. First complete the drawing. And only at the end, when the image is dry, cover with varnish in 2-3 layers.

If the condition of the paintwork is satisfactory, it is enough to sand the top varnish layer to form a rough surface and degrease it before creating the picture. And only then airbrushing on a motorcycle is performed.

Sketching

When a customer of an airbrush drawing comes to a car dealership, he is shown not only a portfolio of finished products, but also sketches. A sketch is an initial sketch, a project of a future work of art, an airbrush drawing, a tattoo.

Every self-respecting artist begins his work by creating sketches. Whether it's an advertising poster, a painting, or an airbrush on a vehicle. On the basis of sketches, templates are created that allow you to duplicate the most interesting drawings. Stencil sketches help to create a full-fledged picture, moreover, from the same elements, changing their location, you can build different images.

When creating sketches for a motorcycle, the master also prepares airbrushing sketches for the helmet, because the drawing on the helmet will not only complement the picture of the motorcycle, but also complete it. Harmonious combination of motorcycle and helmet patterns, creating a single composition is very important in motorcycle airbrushing.

How to apply a drawing on a motorcycle

Professional artists apply a drawing according to a sketch. Amateurs, not entirely confident in their abilities, create stencils for a motorcycle. Multiple layers may require multiple patterns. Each layer should dry completely.

Drawings on motorcycles are applied with brushes or with an airbrush, a delicate spray gun similar to a fountain pen with a paint cup. The airbrush is connected to the compressor with a light plastic hose with a diameter of 6 mm. Before work, cover with foil all the nodes that cannot be stained so as not to splatter them with paint. Upon completion, the drawing is fixed with a layer of varnish.

Don't forget to paint the muffler

Otherwise it will not look very harmonious. It's like putting on a tuxedo and wearing old worn-out sneakers on your feet. Experts suggest using heat-resistant paints for painting mufflers, for example, fireplace paints that can withstand high temperatures. Motor owners who have already painted mufflers recommend Temal 400 heat-resistant silicone paint from the Finnish manufacturer Tikkurila.

Depending on the paint chosen, the motorcycle muffler is painted with or without a primer. But be sure to thoroughly wash the pipe from dirt, clean it from scale and rust. To do this, use an emery cloth that does not leave rough scratches, or a metal brush. The pipe surface should be thoroughly degreased with white spirit or kerosene.

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The original painting of the motorcycle, combined with tuning, will transform this vehicle so that the native manufacturer does not recognize its own model. But to achieve perfection in this work, you need skill, patience and diligence. Otherwise, don't even try. In a car service, airbrushing will be done at a professional level. The price for airbrushing on motorcycles ranges from 2 thousand rubles for a single drawing, up to 30 thousand for a full-length 3D composition on a sports bike.

We offer professional airbrushing on motorcycles... Airbrushing can be performed both as a whole and on any part of the motorcycle: on the tank, front or rear fender of a motorcycle, wardrobe trunk, fairing, glove compartment, etc.

The most popular motorcycle part for airbrushing is the tank. It is in a conspicuous place, and is large enough for a good picture. The tank is most often painted with fire, smoke, lightning.

The design of the motorcycle in a sporty style, as well as the "biker" theme, is popular. The latter is characterized by an aggressive design of the motorcycle in black tones, with the use of skulls, tongues of flame, grinning jaws of fantastic monsters, etc. The most respected among bikers are motorcycles with a distinct personality. Airbrushing is perfect for this kind of expression.

Airbrushing on motorcycles created according to individual sketches looks original and fresh. Therefore, it is worth carefully considering the theme and idea of ​​the drawing, because the image that you put on the surface of your "chopper" will broadcast the state of your inner world to those around you. A well-applied drawing, especially on complex surfaces, looks not only beautiful, but fascinating.

In the absence of your own ideas, you can contact us, we will definitely select a suitable drawing for your handsome man.

Contact us and we will turn complex forms of motorcycle technology into a real work of art!

Our work

Airbrushing on motorcycles is identical in technique with painting cars, but much more complicated. The motorcycle area is small and uneven, which makes it impossible to apply a volumetric pattern.

However, the uniqueness of airbrushing on such a vehicle lies in the bright stretched image over the entire surface of the motorcycle or in its individual areas. There is a huge selection of sketches with different images. The most popular are:

• Vivid colors in the form of tribals - sharp patterned lines that are often used for tattoos.
• Iron Cross - Over the years, bikers have used iron crosses to decorate motorcycles and helmets. This sign symbolizes rage and power.
• Pinstriping - creating geometric patterns, straight and swirling. Airbrushing on a motorcycle, made using pinstriping technique, gives the motorcycle dynamism and emphasizes lightning speed.
• "Metamorphosis of Death" is one of the most difficult airbrushing drawings. The entire surface of the motorcycle is covered with coats of paint in the same style. In fact, there is some element of metamorphosis on every part of the bike.

Features of airbrushing on motorcycles

“There are not so many ideal bike decorating jobs. This is due to the fact that most artists cannot decorate vehicles according to a sketch. The complexity of the work is too high, and the level of skill does not reach professionalism. To avoid this, it is necessary to apply only to high-quality performers who have a worthwhile portfolio with ready-made works. "

The features of airbrushing on motorcycles include:

1. The ability to make a 3D drawing. A popular innovation in the world of motor transport, but not every craftsman will agree to do such a job. Development of a sketch through computer programs is not the best option, since it is not always possible to accurately recreate the ordered image.
2. Aggressive drawings are the most demanded.
3. The most common part of a bike for painting is the tank. It is prominently displayed and large enough to make a good drawing. Most often, the tank is painted with fire, water, lightning, clouds.
4. Japanese motorcycle models are most often decorated with the style of the same name. This is an almost perfect combination of design and technique.

Technique of execution

Airbrushing is done with an airbrush - a small spray gun with a narrow, replaceable nozzle for more accurate paint distribution. The kit includes a compressor that supplies air to spray the paint under pressure. Airbrushing on a motorcycle tank takes longer as it requires removing the tank. Painting is carried out on a separate tank.

If there are defects on the part, they must be eliminated, otherwise the drawing will turn out to be of poor quality:

1. First of all, the varnish is removed from the tank so that the paint is firmly attached to the surface.
2. After that, markings are made strictly according to the sketch.
3. Next comes the motorcycle stencils. The stencil repeats the specified image and allows you to create a clear, colorful pattern. A new stencil is required for each layer of paint.
4. The airbrush is selected depending on the type and volume of paint. For a thick viscous composition, a model with a strong pressure is needed in order to better control the pressure (up to 2 atm.). The optimal nozzle size is 0.5 mm, for fine lines - 0.3 mm. Most often, artists use Jas 1113 spray guns. But this is more remarkable for professional airbrushes.
5. The unpainted area is covered with a thick film. After painting, the area is varnished and polished. Only then is the protective tape removed.

Exclusive painting

Airbrushing on a motorcycle can be done individually according to the preferences of the customer. In addition to drawing the image, the surface of the bike is often decorated with a special sparkling compound. This technique is called exclusive painting, and not everyone can do it.

Unlike a simple layer-by-layer painting, the surface of the motorcycle is covered with candy concentrate. These color enhancers are able to give an original rich shade even to black surfaces.

Combined with mother-of-pearl paint and flakes (decorative glitters), the motorcycle acquires an exceptional image. Shining flakes are preferred by motorcycle enthusiasts. Usually, such a painting of the bike is not complete without a similar treatment of the protective helmet.

Men focus on the choice of a chameleon color, which changes depending on the incidence of sunlight. A spectacular sight is achieved when driving at high speed under the scorching sun. How to decorate a motorcycle so that, on the contrary, get away from glitter? In such cases, motorcyclists prefer to use matt lacquer or chrome effect.

Features of working with a bike. Gas tank

Let's imagine a situation: you are an aspiring airbrush artist. Over the shoulders of painting a dozen phones, a couple of laptops and one helmet. And then suddenly a friend, believing in your artistic potential, offered his "chopper" as an object for arts. And, like any cautious person, to begin with, I limited the scope of your creativity to the size of one tank, so that in case of failure you would not have to repaint the entire motorcycle. But you are already glad! Where to start?

Our plan:
■ Dismantling the tank.
■ Preparing the tank.
■ Performing artwork - do-it-yourself airbrushing on the tank.
■ Varnishing.
■ Polishing.

To begin with, let's learn that the tank is the most visible part of the motorcycle. It is not for nothing that the manufacturer's logo is located on the tank, and not on the fender or headlight of the motorcycle. Therefore, the tank must be taken seriously. If the drawing is unsuccessful, then this shame will fall on the entire motorcycle. And we cannot allow this in any way. Think about the owner.

Before dismantling the tank, take a close look and study the appearance of the motorcycle itself. What is his "character", style? Are there features that can be highlighted with graphics? Make a couple of sketches, discuss them with the owner of the motorcycle so that your art does not come as a complete surprise to him. It is well known how reverently and tenderly motorcyclists relate to their "iron pets", so the theme of the drawing must be agreed upon.

The location of the tank in relation to the motorcycle frame is one of the main points that must be taken into account when further working on airbrushing. The tank can be positioned horizontally on the motorcycle or at a certain angle. Accordingly, airbrushing must be performed, having previously fixed the tank in the required position, but more on that later.

Dismantling the tank

Before dismantling from the tank, it is necessary to drain all the gasoline and turn off or simply remove the fuel supply valve. Then securely seal the neck with tape and seal all other holes tightly. Gasoline film looks beautiful, but I would not want to watch this puddle on the table while working.

Preparing a tank for airbrushing. Elimination of defects.

Examine the tank for damage such as chips, scratches and defects in the paintwork itself. If all this is not observed, then we are very lucky, but if there is, we will have to eliminate it.

Before starting the "great cause" it is necessary to use the equipment for airbrushing. Let's start by cleaning the tank well and degreasing it. Shallow scratches and scratches can be easily removed by matting the tank surface with an abrasive material. The varnish on the "ribs" spreads strongly, which is why it lies in a thin layer, therefore it is necessary to work with sanding paper in such places very carefully so as not to wipe the paint itself. Better to use 800 grit abrasive and wet method. This gradation is optimal for adhesion to paint, a coarser gradation - 600 - will only scratch the surface.

A few words about chips

Large chips, for example, from impacts of stones, potholes from women's heels (just kidding), require a more thorough approach to elimination, additional time and materials (putty and primer).

Some aspiring airbrush artists, by virtue of their creative mind and special ingenuity, or maybe both, try to repair scratches and minor damage with a large amount of paint spraying on them. Theoretically, the method is good, but in practice it turns out that the solvent from the paint will evaporate, and the pigment itself will sag, and the scratch will still be visible even under the varnish. In addition, the varnish can accentuate the defect.

Let's get started!

So, the tank is matted, degreased, we wiped it with an antistatic napkin, the remnants of old varnish do not shine with stars anywhere, scratches have been eliminated, safety measures are observed (there is a respirator, gloves, and a hood), you are in a good mood - all these signs indicate that you can start applying airbrushing. We will organize the workplace: we will leave the most necessary and remove all unnecessary. Let's put on the light.

Let me remind you that the tank must be fixed in the position in which it was on the motorcycle frame. Place a stack of old newspapers or magazines under the front of the tank, if you don't have special stands, and create the desired slope. What is the point of such a fixation? Let's say you have completed the schedule on the tank. It lay on the table while you painted it. And when they installed it on a motorcycle, it turned out that the angle of inclination of the frame, which was not taken into account when working with the tank, changed the position of the picture, and now the airbrushing does not look as planned, but somewhat different and less successful. And the inscription, which was placed horizontally on the tank, is now directed somewhere upwards and looks like a curve. Always consider the position of the tank on the motorcycle frame! Try to match the angle of the airbrush with the bike itself and with the viewing angle of the audience. Otherwise, someone will blurt out: "Where is the Kosoy?"

The second important point relates to the layout and transfer of the pattern to the tank. We will not draw lines (about them in some other article), but we will perform a simple drawing. There are a huge variety of topics: from common skulls, flames, nude female figures, abstraction to images of running animals, flying birds, fantastic and mythical creatures, landscapes, movie plots, etc. We look at a motorcycle from top to bottom. We can walk around it. Our drawing will be constantly in sight and must look equally beautiful from all angles. Moreover, airbrushing should be effective when the motorcycle is moving. Pay attention to the work of experienced artists and how they handle these tasks.

Eh, freedom!

With regard to dynamics, the pattern should always meet this property and should be located in the direction of the motorcycle and in no case vice versa. Otherwise, the effect of statistics will destroy the concept of both the airbrushing and the motorcycle itself. Imagine a flame that will not flutter in the wind, fight the wind, but will burn with a boy scout fire in the middle of the tank, or three sitting, but angry wolves, thinking where to go ... Therefore, our fire flies beautifully, animals run, birds fly, and the trains are going, and the wind is meeting them all! No wonder freedom and a motorcycle are inseparable things. Remember this.

What not to do

Changing the base color of a motorcycle tank entirely is not a good idea, especially if airbrushing is done only on it. It is necessary that all the parts of the motorcycle are well combined with each other. It is better to build on the main color and use it as a background for the picture. The latter does not have to be very small. Our task is to make it visible and understandable for viewers. Consider the wishes of the owner. If the owner does not like the bright drawing, you should not convince the person of the opposite with foam at the mouth. After all, it is not for you to ride this motorcycle later. There is no need to complicate and unnecessarily pile up the drawing with detailing and planning. Moreover, this is our first tank, but don't be lumpy this pancake!

Transferring the drawing to the tank

It is not a bad idea to make a preliminary drawing on paper, which can be safely cut along the contour and attached to the tank in order to most accurately determine the best location and dimensions of the future airbrushing. You can outline a drawing on the tank using special equipment for airbrushing or using ordinary soft chalk, but in no case with wax crayon. A simple pencil remains visible under a layer of light paint and is not very well removed with a degreaser. You can glue the work surface with a wide masking tape. Try to make pasting with the least amount of folds and with a minimum overlap of one edge of the adhesive tape to the other. This will insure against complications with the next stage. After gluing on the masking tape, the plan is drawn, after which with a sharp scalpel, very carefully, trying not to cut the varnish we matted, the details are cut out. Better to practice before this delicate procedure. Otherwise, "gouges" will greatly spoil the appearance of airbrushing. Working with additional templates, "masks", film (they have already been written about), a good tool will allow you to make high-quality and interesting airbrushing. Some special finishing touches can be done with the brush. This tool in airbrushing has not yet been canceled.

And what else?

Often on the tanks there are inscriptions and metal plates with the name of the motorcycle manufacturer. If the pads can be removed, then this is the best option. If the inscriptions under the varnish or their removal for some reason is impossible, all that remains is to carefully glue these fragments before starting work. But in any case, when arranging the drawing on the tank, also take into account their location.

After airbrushing the tank with your own hands, be sure to wipe the tank with an antistatic cloth and degreaser. It is simply necessary to remove dust, small debris, fingerprints, adhesive from adhesive tape. To do this, it is better to take a non-aggressive degreaser, so as not to damage the thin paint sprays when wiping. The PK-700 grade degreaser from R-M BASF is best suited for this purpose. Try to immediately gently wipe the applied liquid with a clean soft cloth or special paint napkins so that there are no traces and streaks on the surface. Don't pour too much. The best option is to spray from a special spray bottle in moderate amount.

Varnishing and polishing

Such complex and important operations as varnishing and polishing require special conditions, certain equipment for airbrushing, materials, knowledge, skills and, most importantly, experience. These final steps are best left to professionals. Lack of practice and knowledge of the intricacies of working in these areas can affect airbrushing. Bad, low-quality varnishing will ruin the whole impression of the painted masterpiece, and inept polishing can generally wipe entire areas. If there is no desire to be embarrassed and blush, then "not knowing the ford, do not poke your nose into the water." Feel free to contact the professionals and do not forget to learn a little from them!

Also on our website you can get instructions on how to carry out independent repair work. For example, here you will learn how

Regular painting of a motorcycle, however, like any other surfaces, has a number of peculiarities, the process becomes a little more complicated when you want not only to apply paint of one color, but to create a pattern or ornament. Most often, these manipulations require artistic skills, but painting a motorcycle with your own hands is possible without them. For this, only the materials at hand will be useful to you.

Materials (edit)

• Paint remover;
• motorcycle gas tank;
• paint of several colors in spray cans;
• lace;
• insulating tape;
• primer;
• fine-grained sandpaper.

Step 1... First you need to completely remove the old coating. To make this easier, use a paint stripper. Always wear protective gloves on your hands.

Step 2... If there are irregularities on the surface of the gas tank, it is better to eliminate them at this stage and level the surface completely.

Step 3... Cover the gas tank with a primer. Apply two coats of primers. After it is completely dry, sand the surface of the gas tank with fine-grained sandpaper. Ultimately, the surface should be smooth.

Step 4... Since in this project it was decided to contrast different sections of the gas tank, it was zonally divided with electrical tape. You can use masking tape instead of duct tape.

Step 5... The sides of the gas tank were painted black, after the paint dried, the top was painted with silver paint. After the base layers are completely dry, you can proceed to further work.

Step 6... Now the layers need to be textured. For this, the gas tank was covered with a piece of lace fabric. To keep it from slipping, wrap the gas tank tightly and secure the ends of the fabric with masking tape or sewing pins. Above is also zoned, but in the mirror image, color it.