How to Pinstripe, Expanded Edition

In this updated edition of the definitive pinstripe how-to, acclaimed veteran striper Alan Johnson shows you how to get started, further your mastery of the form, and create solid designs. Even before the heyday of Von Dutch and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, the ultimate way to personalize your car or motorcycle was to lay some wicked lines on top of the paintwork. Done with a steady hand and an eye for style, pinstripes speak volumes. In How to Pinstripe, Alan shows you everything you need to know about tools and materials, getting started, practicing and mastering the form, and understanding how a good design comes together. Following a primer on the history and evolution of pinstriping, How to Pinstripe launches into a step-by-step guide to the pinstriping process. While stressing the importance of finding your own style and having fun with the hobby, Johnson covers:

- Choosing paint and brushes that suit your style and abilities
- Preparing surfaces
- The basics of color theory
- Experimenting with symmetrical and asymmetrical designs
- Striping freehand
- Using grids and patterns
- Unique considerations for antique and classic cars, hot rods and customs, and motorcycles

And now, updated material includes primers on the pinstripe-associated gearhead art forms of lettering and gold leaf, making How to Pinstripe a comprehensive resource. For more advanced pinstripers, there’s also tried-and-true advice on apprenticing and working car shows. Illustrated with color photography throughout, How to Pinstripe is the perfect source for beginners and veterans alike.

Author Biography

Alan Johnson caught the pinstriping bug at age 11, when his father took him to see Ed “Big Daddy” Roth at the New York Coliseum. After graduating from Newark School of Fine Industrial Art in 1968, Alan landed a job as art director at a New York City ad agency. In 1974 he moved his family to the country and started his own business, which still thrives today. Alan is also a consultant for automotive paint manufacturers and the author of several how-to articles. He recently launched his own line of signature brushes with The Mack Brush Company.