The first butterfly is finished!

One butterfly all fishined

I know that, to some people, painting on a car is a form of sacrilegious. While I understand the reasoning behind this logic, let me just say that this is an art car. I purchased this beautiful automobile to paint on the outside and haul art around on the inside. It is the most posh lovely car I've every owned. It is a 1999 Lincoln Town Car. I have the "base" model but that includes air, leather seats, and the cushiest ride your tushie ever felt!

With all the said, I'd like to share my experience of painting the first element on the car. First I used a product called ACRYLI-CLEAN DX330 which is a wax and grease remover. I let it sit a few minutes before I began painting. I did not sand as my understanding is that I didn't need to with 1-shot paints and I wanted to avoid a fuzzy halo around my element.  Because I usually paint with acrylics, I purchased a new set of brushes to use with the enamels only. I also got Chromaflo which is a thinner for when I use my airbrushes (later), turpenoid, and brush cleaner and preservative. I purchased a little bottle to put my turpenoid in while I work and that was very handy.

The first few layers of the butterfly

To do the actual painting, I started with a photograph of a monarch that suited the final product I wanted. I taped the printed picture a few inches above where I'd be working at the same angle I wanted my butterfly to be, just to make it easier. I've never used enamel before and I LOVED working with it! It has a lovely viscosity and amazing coverage. I started with the orange and yellow paints mixed together to for just the right shade. Once I got the solid image down, I added a bit of the orange with just a dad more yellow for highlights. Then I used the black paint to do the line work. Once the black and orange were dry, I came back with white and mixed a bit of yellow in some of the white for the larger spots on the wings. Finally, I used gray and white to finish the butterfly. I'm very happy with it and looking forward to doing many more. When I have the first three finished, I'm going to do some very light drop shadows to give the work depth. I'm posting a few pics that show the evolution of step one.

Please drop me a line and share what you're working on, too!

Blessings,
Laura P.

The paints arrived!

After much research and consideration, I've decided to go with 1-shot paints. I wanted to use a local paint store but, the selection was very limited. When they offered to order it for me, I went on-line. TCP Global had the best deal for the money and I ordered a kit containing 10 basic colors. It includes all the colors I'll need for the butterflies and I'll mix colors for flowers, etc. I also ordered 1-shot fast dry gold size because I want to put some gold leaf on the car. After all, what's a flower and butterfly covered art car without gold leaf!?!

This week I plan to get out there and get the first butterfly done. I'll post "before" and "after" pictures. This should be fun! Let the "why did you do that to your car?" questions begin!

Art Car beginings

I'll admit it... I'm a planner. I like thinking through my projects before I begin. Always keeping mind that, as a project evolves, it will necessarily change. I definitely begin the process of any project in my head. I am blessed to have a very vivid imagination and can create complex images with my mind's eye that very closely resemble end results.

Another important part of planning is research. While I was still noodling the whole "Art Car" concept, I read a lot of articles and blog posts about other people's experience. Why invent the wheel when others have gone before and are willing to share their expertise and experience. This article at artcar.com was very helpful: http://www.artcars.com/klubhouse/general.html.

I believe that it is important to decide just what your art car's role is in your life. Are you expressing your personal style? Promoting a business? Doing it for fun? Choosing the vehicle you paint is a vital part of this process. According to my research, the average art car takes about a year to complete. Once it's finished, you'll probably want to keep it for a long time. At first, I thought that I wanted a car that was sorta wrecked, at least on the outside. My brother reminded me that my art has value and that I should find the very best car I could and start there. I also want to transport my finished paintings, books, cd's, pendants, and other artsy goodies. Therefore, having a large trunk was on my wish-list.

I'm a big fan of lists. I wrote out exactly what I wanted and then put stars by deal-breakers. The car I selected is large which gives me lots of room to paint! It is also very comfortable inside because I'd like to take it on long trips. It get's okay gas mileage, but does not require premium gas. Depending on the desired result, and budget, the list will vary artist to artist. The car that I acquired is so beautiful that I'm having a hard time imagining painting it. I admit it! So, I decided to start with simple projects and work my way up to painting on the car. I'm also going to do some practice on another car before I start on my ArtCar.

I decided to call my car Gladys. It just seems like the right name for her. As I complete steps, I'll post pictures here. I hope you enjoy sharing this experience with me.

Blessings,
Laura P.
LaBelle Mariposa