4ST EDITION Vol. 2 Technique

Steady hands
The art of pinstriping is best known for its
place in the motorcycle and hot rodding
community, but its origins can be traced back
to traditional sign writing.
The free-hand line work is used to accent style
lines on motorcycles and cars. To add a bit
more interest to the piece. Rolls Royce still use
hand painted coach lines on their cars today.
Coach lines had been used on production
vehicles since the early days. However in the
early 1950’s a number of artists such as Von
Dutch started adding style lines to Choppers,
which added more than just accents: they
were pieces of art. These pieces are made up
of freehand line-work which is usually done
with a special brush and enamel paints. On
a sculptural object, such as a fuel tank or a
bonnet the piece flows with the physical lines,
helping it embed itself on the object.
“Like vines growing
on the metal.”
- Steve Kafka
This piece to the right is on a Harley Davidson
Motorcycle front wheel arch, painted by Steve
Kafka. Steve starts by painting on the scroll
work down the spine of the arch, front to back
with no reference lines or measuring. He just
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