Prepare, prepare, prepare! It's what you absolutely must do in order to paint successfully on metal or fiberglass. Those who don't will pay the piper in many ways!

First, there's a good chance that the whole thing will require "redoing" because of two little demons with innocent names, "Fisheye" and Spiderwebbing." Fisheye is a real killer caused by any number of culprits: oil from fingertips when the surface is touched; a speck of wax left behind; or a sprite of WD-40 that comes within a 40-mile radius (well, at least from somewhere close by). You can't detect any of these with the naked eye but they'll all keep paint from ever covering the area. Unless you re-wipe the surface clean, which means destroying your work.

Spiderwebbing can also result from the same set of circumstances. Some additional hazards, however, like too much paint coming out of the nozzle or simply neglecting to move your hand fast enough, can cause a web of paint to creep around where you're spraying. Back in the '70s, this was a desirable "look" for some custom paint jobs. It took some skill to master getting all of those spider web blooms to look alike!

To prevent any of this havoc, I start by wiping the whole thing down with a surface prep solution made by DuPont that cuts through waxes. You can also use alcohol, but don't use lacquer thinner because, although it appears to be working, it may be softening the paint or reactivating it, which can cause problems later on.

STEP 1 I use 400-grit wet or dry sandpaper and a hose. While sanding with an oval motion, I let the water from the hose run gently over the surface, carrying away the sanding debris. Be very attentive here, because you don't know how much paint was applied to it in the first place. "Sand-throughs" can be a real pain. Arguably, you could use 00 steel wool in place of the sand paper, but I am quite the purist when it comes to sanding!
STEP 2 I actually wrap the sand paper around a piece of hard foam to ensure that there will be no lines left by my fingers when it's all dry. This is a must when working on Harley tanks!
STEP 3 I take the same piece of foam and use it as a squeegee to make sure there are no shiny spots. Look at it from all angles when it has dried, because you will swear later that there was NO WAY you could have missed a spot!
STEP 4 This part can be tricky. For this project, I used a stencil, which happens to be available in my new design portfolio video. The stencil is highly detailed already, so most of the work is already done. Made from .01 5 lexan, the stencil is very durable. The most difficult part is avoiding overspray.
STEP 5 Holding down the stencil, I spray at an angle away from its edge. Note my distance from the surface — I'm about 8 inches away, spraying a minimal amount of paint through the nozzle, but keeping my hand moving quite rapidly. I use a mixture of Createx Auto Air black and blue paint to soften any possible overspray because pure black sometimes looks a bit harsh.
	STEP 6 After spraying around the entire stencil, the next step is to remove it without "touch backs." (This mistake is made so often, there is actually a name for it!) Touch backs occur when the stencil touches back on the surface, usually by being dropped or dragged, thus ruining the painted area. So, I gently and carefully lift the stencil off, watching the edges closely.
	STEP 7 What's left is a tiger pattern, which I will enhance with detail and color. Keeping the airbrush at least eight inches from the surface, I begin by adding dark gray to any shadowed areas to give it a less "stenciled" look. Then I add dark blue to the entire left side of the tiger to give the shadows a cooler feel
STEP 8 On the right side, I add medium brown to provide the warmth needed to achieve depth. All the white, I am spraying at a constant 80 psi.
STEP 9 The last two details are the nose and eyes. Here, I use a little pale pink to fill in the nose and opaque light blue to make a half circle for each eye.

STEP 10
Finally I toss on a quick name, using one-stroke lettering, thick on the down stroke and thin on the up stroke. With a hint of gray, I add a drop shadow.

There it is! It takes about an hour and a half, if you stop to eat a few M&Ms along the way. The final process will be the application of a clear coat over the whole thing. This is not something you want to do yourself, unless you have a facility to dispose of the waste produced by the chemicals found in the clear. Your best bet is to make arrangements with a local body shop to have them clear coat it after the art work is complete. They have the knowledge necessary to apply the product properly without undue aggravation.

For this project I would charge about $275, which is $200 for the artwork and $75 for the clear. For projects like this one, your best bet is to be paid at least half up front and give yourself a few days to do it. WCA