Painting on a car?

[zwanzig]

Do you have digital painting software? You can design something on the computer and have it printed on vinyl and applied to the hood. You can use urethane paint and an airbrush or two to apply your design directly to the hood if you don't have software. Look up "vehicle wraps" in you area to see what's available in vinyl. The beauty of the vinyl (if that is actually what it is) would be that you would have the whole design done and approved before the artwork went on the vehicle. I had a '68 Buick Skylark hot rod that I was going to paint with "true flames", but after inheriting another money pit ('70 Chevy 3/4T truck that we use to tow our travel trailer) I sold it before I got that far. I've painted complete vehicles and portions thereof in the past, but that airbrush work would have been a first for me.

~Fireball

I don't have access to any of that stuff.

I think my incredulity at the start was because I am so unfamiliar with cars and car culture, I had no idea that taking a paintbrush to a car was even possible. But now that I know that it is, I will likely stick with that and just research the paints I need to use.

[Foxaèr]

The only knowledge I have of painting cars comes from Maaco commercials.

[zwanzig]

Well, always a pleasure to see you stopping by anyway, @Eleven . Heh.

[The Grand Nudger]

If you don't wanna go with a wrap or decal........

Acrylic polyurethane enamel, and you'll want to airbrush it, and then you'll probably want to apply another coat of clear to the entire body. You'll want to tent it at a minimum. It's a bigger pita than people might imagine. Nothing saying you cant just brush it on out in the driveway - but you'll be disappointed. Some of my earliest memories are in body shops. Child labor force for hand sanding, lol.

[GUBU]

I adore my father but I do not trust his judgement. Not because I'm not a great artist and I'm flattered that he wants me to do this. But because he has shown poor judgement in the past and attempts to cut corners with a lot of things. Also, I feel his unflinching faith in me is misplaced.

This past November I got bitten by the urge to paint this huge painting of a destroyed circus with a dead elephant laying in a field. I used oil paints on sketchpad paper and the thing is 24" x 36".

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Here are some detail pictures:

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I'm not a trained artist. I'm a fool with some paint I found in the basement and a couple hundred sketchpads of various sizes lying around. I'm figuring this stuff out as I go. It took me 9 days of fevered creative labor to make this piece. It was a Christmas present for my father.

And as I was trying to find out what glue would best stick the raised figures to dry oil paint(the ringleader and elephant are raised and stuck onto the piece) I found out that oil paint is corrosive to paper. You have to treat it first and put layers of gesso on it. This piece will dry and crack as the temperature shifts and may eventually fall apart. I've done what I can to put preservative on top of it but there's not a whole lot I can do to the paper to save it. 

I told my father this when I gave him the gift, apologizing for my ignorance as I handed it off to him. So, I'm baffled over his offer now. "You know nothing about painting cars? Better learn!"

I don't even know where to start.

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Hmmm! Okay! Yes, I think this is something he had in mind. I didn't know/think this was possible but lookit that guy; he's got a paintbrush and everything. Thank you, brewer!

Okay, so, I need to look up "hand painted". That's a start!

That picture is pretty amazing.  I can barely draw a circle with a compass.

I concur with Arewethereyet. That picture shows talent.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Just throw random handfuls of paint on the car and tell Dad you've become a devotee of Jackson Pollock.

Boru

[Fireball]

If you don't wanna go with a wrap or decal........

Acrylic polyurethane enamel, and you'll want to airbrush it, and then you'll probably want to apply another coat of clear to the entire body.  You'll want to tent it at a minimum.  It's a bigger pita than people might imagine.  Nothing saying you cant just brush it on out in the driveway - but you'll be disappointed.  Some of my earliest memories are in body shops.  Child labor force for hand sanding, lol.

Man, if I had a buck for every hour my dad had me wet-sanding cars when I was a kid...or scrubbing filthy engines with brushes and solvent.

Five, you're pretty good! I can see why your dad wants something painted on his car!

~Fireball

[zwanzig]

Thanks, you guys. 

Yeah, it sounds like painting is possible but prepping the car for that type of painting will take some hard work. Or, I can just suggest to him to get it professionally done with a wrap or a vinyl decal printed.

[ignoramus]

Prepping is 90% of the work.
You have natural talent and creativity.
But that won't necessarily translate well on a car.

Watch guys on youtube airbrish with their freaky skills.

Fireball, those people who can do real™ flames are just inspiring to watch!

[Angrboda]

Thanks, you guys. 

Yeah, it sounds like painting is possible but prepping the car for that type of painting will take some hard work. Or, I can just suggest to him to get it professionally done with a wrap or a vinyl decal printed.

Meet him midway. Offer to create the design but have a shop do the work.