Vinyl Graphics & Pinstriping

If you think of your unadorned vehicle as an empty canvas, then this is the article for you. Even though pinstriping and car graphics rose to new heights with hot rods, customs and lowriders, the concept dates much farther back than even the automobile. Ever since man has ridden on wheels, he's added his own distinctive touch to the conveyance, starting with wagons and even extending to horses if you consider American Indian art.


But, this is the 21st century, and while car art is still done by hand, vinyl graphics are becoming increasingly popular. We'll start with the artists and then see if you want to try your hand at the vinyls.


The only way to delve into the realm of auto artists is to talk to one. Lil' Louis, who operates a shop in San Bernardino, CA, started with model cars, graduated to drawing pictures of real cars, and then began embellishing tire covers for Jeeps owned by his Dad's friends. By 14 he was the Tire Cover King and he's never looked back. His background is similar to an elite group of pinstripers and car artists. The key, he says, is first the creativity, a skill that can't be taught; and, second, is a very steady hand, neurosurgeon steady.

Precision Prep
Prep work for pinstriping is the same whether the work is done by hand or with vinyl: all the wax, road dirt and grease must be removed and the car cleaned down to the paint. The worst contaminant is spray-on tire dressing that invariably ends up overlapping onto the fender. The paints Louis (his real name is Louis Check) uses are enamels that have been around since the 1930s; the same formulas with the exception of lead content. The consistency of the paint "can't be explained," Louis says. "It just has to flow nice." The brushes are loaded about half way up the bristle so there's flexibility in the brush.

Line of Sight
Pinstriping can change the perspective of the vehicle. "If a guy comes in with a truck that hasn't been raised or lowered, it doesn't really matter where the striping goes," Louis explains. "But if it's been lowered, the lines should go low on the truck; if it's been raised, the lines go high. You put the pinstriping where you want the eye to go." The same goes for the horizontal perspective. If you want to lengthen the perspective of a horizontally challenged car, the lines are extended from stem to stern.