Internet “Barn Find” #7: Andy’s Pinstriping

Posted by Hechtspeed on Aug 20, 2009 in Art & Photography | 3 comments

During one of my daily classifieds searches, I happened upon a really cool vintage toolbox for sale that was pinstriped.  In the ad was a pinstripers blog, Andy’s Pinstriping.  Of course I had to check it out (and so should you) and that’s when I knew we had to feature Andy’s work at MyRideisMe.com and add his work to our Pinstriping Gallery.

So take a look at Andy’s work and read below a little background info on how he got started.  Believe it or not, Andy’s relatively new to pinstriping, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at his lines.  Go ahead and see what Andy has to say about pinstriping and get ready to be inspired. 

MyRideisMe: How did you get into pinstriping?

Andy: I grew up around hot rods and custom cars, and have always had an artistic streak inside me; I got into painting cars while I was in high school, and I took a 2 year college course in Auto Body & Paint. I have never had any formal training in pinstriping, but I have always respected it as a nearly lost art form, and I just decided to start giving it a go. It’s been a lot of trial and error, but it’s been a lot of fun. Basically, just really enjoying the stripes I would see at the shows inspired me to want to give it a try, and here I am.

MyRideisMe: How long have you been striping?

Andy: I guess that is kind of debatable. I’ve had a few pinstriping brushes and limited colors of oneshot lying around for about 10 years, using it sparingly in custom paint jobs, but It wasn’t actually until last year that I got into pinstriping as a full blown hobby. The kit has grown a lot, I have a lot more brushes and just about every color of oneshot paint. So, for a little over a year I have been doing the old skool stripes that people seem to enjoy.

MyRideisMe: What are your favorite objects to stripe?
Andy: I love to stripe hotrods and motorcycles, but I will stripe Anything! I’ve striped a lot of toolboxes, vases, art panels, purses, peddle bikes, leather jackets…basically, if someone wants some stripes, I’m their man.
MyRideisMe: Who has inspired you as far as pinstriping goes?

Andy: Pretty much any striper I meet inspires me in some way. The striping community seems to be pretty close knit, everyone is friendly and inviting, and I have really enjoyed getting to be a part of that. My biggest inspiration has probably got to be Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth, the man was a genius, full of talent and imagination. It’s always fun when someone say’s ‘who’s that’, or points at the fink on my shirt with a grimace on their face and asks what it’s supposed to be. Being able to open people up to Ed is always fun, and I’ve yet to come across someone who wasn’t oddly intrigued by everything the man did. Other artists who have inspired me to pick up the brush include; Kenneth Howard/Von Dutch, Craig Frazier, Wizard, Scratch, Bo Bo, Mike Witt, and the list is always growing. My wife does computer graphics, and has been a tremendous inspiration to me as well. You can find some of her work HERE

MyRideisMe: Any tips for beginners?
Andy: I would recommend people find pictures of stripes that they like. Take pictures at the shows, and just try to recreate the stripes you like. You’ll never want to ‘copy’ anyone per se, but in the beginning when you are just getting started, it’s good to have an idea, something to look at. Also, ask questions. If there is a striper out there that you particularly like, get some input from them on how you can get started. I’m not a wealth of knowledge, but I would be more than willing to help anyone out when it comes to getting started in striping, and I am willing to bet that a lot of other stripers out their would as well.

‘Wizard’ has a few killer instructional videos that can help, and probably more so, watching the stripers at the car shows will give you a lot of insight on the process and tricks of the trade. Biggest advice would be to not give up or get frustrated! Be patient, and expect it to take some time. I started out using stabilo pencils so I could easily modify my stripes if I didn’t like them, I don’t have to do that now, and I owe it all to lots and lots of practice. I look at some of the stuff I did last year and I cringe, but it’s also nice to see the improvements that I have made.

MyRideisMe: What is the best way to get started?
Andy: It’s pretty simple…just do it. Go to your local auto body supply store or cruise the net and get yourself a dagger and a can of one shot, it doesn’t take much to get started. Ask tons of questions, be unique, have lots of fun and just go to town; everything looks better with stripes. I truly believe that if you love this artform, you can excel at it. Strive to get better and push yourself further. Pretty much the motto for everything in life, I suppose.

 

MyRideisMe: Anything else you would like people to know about you or pinstriping?
Andy: I believe pinstriping is a somewhat diminished artform, and I am grateful for the opportunity to talk a bit about it. If I can inspire someone to get out there and give striping a try, that’s pretty exciting, because striping really is a blast. If anyone ever has a question I want them to know they can always ask. Leave me a message on my blog or come hit me up at one of the shows, I’d be happy to help. Thanks again for the opportunity to share, and Stripe on!

So, what are you waiting for?  Get striping guys and gals!  If you know of other pinstripers in your area, send me an email at moc.emsiedirymnull@deepsthceh .  Let’s get their work in our Pinstriping Gallery.  I don’t know about you, but  I’m inspired to bust out my old hobby brushes and start playing around.

 

Hechtspeed