Gettin a gun out! Mike at Ink Grave Tattoo hooked this Jason Jessee Sun God graphic, thanks for your patience Mike i’m stoked!
Monthly Archive for June, 2009
I have another group art show coming up faster then I can handle at the moment and while stalling to do the real work I figured that some people might has seen some of the stencil art work from skate board shows of the Committed Few decks I have done and might be interested in the process behind the finished work… well here is a bit of a rundown of the last Committed Few skate deck done to tour the country for various board exhibitions.
This design was off insipration to do a gasser but I didn’t want to do a Willys or a mid 50′s chev as I had seen alot of done well already so decided to roll out a sweet old vette. The design stage takes more time than the process of the cutting so there are no real exciting photos to show you so we will move right along to the stencil:
This is the break down of all the layers I’ll need to cut out to make my art work…. a long night ahead and about 3/4 a bottle of whiskey and 1/2 doz brews – power on!
I use a scalpel and surgical knife blades – Number 10A’s, everything is cut by hand so I can add or subtract details and get real precise where I want, I use medium thickness paper to aid in maintaining detail but this also means I get about 3 sprays out of the works if I’m very careful in application.
This shot gives an idea of the sort of detail I get into a work, it is a balancing act of going very delicate and fucking up the whole work when it falls apart or half assing it with a crap lazy low detail job – I go for the close to fucking it up option every time, call me a SUCKER!
This probably shows it a bit better, alot of little holes.
Well after the cutting is done on all the layer, I check out my spray can stock to find out that I am out of the main colour I need or I change my mind and go with a new colourup at the last min – by this time I am usually keen to hammer it out and put the paint down – reality and experience has taught me that this is where everything can go the most wrong and is harder to go back from a mistake…. so my advise is enjoy the fumes and crank up some tunes while you watch paint dry and you will be rewarded.
Once the first layer is down you are committed – everything sits on where you placed the first background so get it right. I add in over and under spray for fill and texture on my work – it’s just what I do as I find people think it is a print or a screan print if it looks to perfect.
This is the stencil layer for painting in the size for the gold and silver leaf work I do. Some people do it differently, this is just how i like to put it down, from here I lift off the stencil then lay down the leaf work and let it set for a bit and rub it away with a soft cloth and a dry brush…. just don’t sneeze that foil shit goes everywhere.
I again following on with the imperfect finish I try to flake out or lightly apply some of the foil in areas and use broken sheets of leaf over eachother to give lines in the gold.
Final Layer… ready to put it down!
Well thats the basic cut and foil and paint and basic end result – from here It got all the coats of the varnish which gives a bit of a yellow/ brown tone to the thing and I like how it really pops but still looks hand done with the streaky rought gloss paint job, once it has done it’s tour I’ll get some nice studio shots of it and the first Pontiac Woodie wagon one we did.
Just went and saw Dave and the boys down at Thompson Park and took a couple of pics. They are making hay while the sun is shining, troweling the deep end. Much props to these guys working hard creating the mean bowl for many years of shredding and slamming! Beers, Bourbans, cones (pine) and skating Brighton style!
An old buddy Reon was on lock down in the early 2000′s and he cut this pic out of a 1980 National Geographic and mailed it to me. I have kept it since. I think the lowrider club is ‘New Style’?.
Max sent us a couple of pics from the North East Street Rod Nationals held in his home town Essex Junction, Vermont. Check em out. Cheers Max keep them coming!
Slammed 54′
The milky around Avonside didn’t have a cool truck like this!
Pure Nostalgia
Angry 3 Window
My Buddy Johnny and I turned 21 and went to the US, 2001. We wanted to live a slice of the American dream. When you are from NZ its more like the white trash American dream. We wanted a Cad and we found this 79′ Coupe for $700. Everything worked, we lowered the rear and the 450 ran like a dream. Drove it from Cali up to Oregan, Washington, BC across to Alberta down to Montana,Minnesota,Illanois,Ohio and up to Toronto. Huge miles! Never missed a beat. We slept in truck stops with a knife at reach. Johnny had the back and I had the front as i’d get up for the morning shift. We sacrificed and ate bread and peanut butter for two weeks to keep the the thirsty V8 running which was so worth it. Man that thing could do burnouts. Rainier Blvd in Seattle peeling out in the Wendy’s drive through out across the road and 200 metres up to the lights, no worries! So many stories. Our good freind Ashley (middle) bottom pic, thanks so much for having us crash for so long what a legend!! Live long Caddy where ever you are?
Gator flying backside above Paraparaumu, New Zealand, late 80′s. Across the Pacific from a murder charge… cut out of Manual magazine i think?
Paris Hilton used to wear his name, did she know who he is? White trash chicks buying crappy pink caps from shitty stores not knowing who he is?
Von Dutch striping one of the Barris brothers cars back in the day.
Committed Few T’s are designed by us with 100% original and unique artwork. Tee quality is amazing. This run was vinyl printed by us – took ages! $49 NZ . Definitely limited and more styles to come. If interested contact us or go in and see the crew at Embassy 176 High Street, Christchurch.
Tudor Rat T
Channelled No Chop T
50′ Ford T
