For all aspiring and struggling stripers (long read)

[alteredpilot]

sigh.

it seems lately that there has been a growing number of members asking the same questions over and over, yet the response has been posted over and over in the other threads.

let me step back a minute...

back in the 'old days' (yes, before my time) there was something called an apprenticeship. if you wanted to learn to make furniture, use machine tools, fix cars build brick walls or paint signs, you found someone to mentor you. that person would take you on as an apprentice and show you the ropes...passing down the trade, craft and tradition.

the only people who knew how to do certain things (and properly) were those who wanted to learn the craft/trade bad enough to work for it for nearly nothing until they were ready to go out on their own. and if you didnt have what it took to turn the trade you were encouraged to find another line of work.


fast forward.....
save for a few instances these days, that tradition is gone, largely in my opinion, due to our fast food, disposable culture, the explosion of the information superhighway and the interweb.

now you can 'teach yourself' how to do just about anything.

and now everyone wants to be a pinstriper.

its just not that simple.


i happen to come from a really weird rift in the generational split.
most people my age and younger are from the disposable generation.
i happen to fall in with the value side.

my father was a craftsman tradesman. my grandfathers were craftsmen and tradesmen. if they werent dedicated to their craft/trade, they didnt eat. they had to be good. they tought me about craft. about not just learning how to do something the right way, but about the right way to learn doing something.

thats where most amatuer/hobbyist stripers fall short.

with nobody standing over their shoulder they are left to their own devices and bad habits, just like 'home tattooists' 'self taught hair stylists' and 'the local handyman'.

they look at the internet at all the jokers and rat stripers posting junk and say..."i can do that". and they're right. they can and the work still sucks.

i say all that to say this.
if you are new to this, please understand that you are not magically going to start laying down the most bitchin stuff in the world just by accident.

if you are struggling with designs or line consistency. stop. just stop what ever you're doing.

if you dont care about actually being good, stop reading now. if you do, continue.

there is one thing that can not be substituted for in any craft. practice.
if you cant stripe 10 straight lines, you havent practiced enough and you have no business trying to make designs.

stop.

find, learn and live the 100 line drills.
when that becomes second nature, then move onto simple designs.
one thing at a time.
ask questions.
go to shows, panel jams and letterhead meets and watch someone who actually knows what they're doing.
learn a new stroke every week or a new trick once a month.
dont jump in with both feet. it is both detrimental to your over all progress and can be quite frustrating and demoralizing also.

there was always one kid in wood shop or ceramics that wanted to carve or sculpt the next venus di milo but couldnt turn a simple bed knob on the lathe. he usually wound up smashing his workpiece with a hammer out of frustration. not because he wasnt capable, but he was impatient and over ambitious. didnt wanna go thru the process of learning. thats exactly what i keep seeing in post after post.

maybe its just fun for you and you dont care and you think i'm full of hot air. thats fine.

maybe you're just a super gifted bad ass and you think i'm full of hot air. thats fine too.

but if you fall into the same category as the other 99% of us, and really want to be good and kill 'em at the shows and sell a million panels, and sell all the purses and rockabilly paraphenalia you can come up with and paint a hundered mail boxes and tool boxes, and old beer bottles...oh...wait...does anyone stripe cars anymore?

if you wanna get good, you're gonna hafta learn the way they did in the old days. practice, practice, practice.

back when, part of the apprenticeship process (much like in todays tattoo world) involved being forced to do alot of menial crap that didnt make any sense at first but later you realize it was forming good working habits. it involved being challenged by your mentor, being over seen, guided and corrected by someone whith more skill, talent, knowledge and experience than you, and being told when you're ready to start doing customer work.
you didn't go solo until you were ready because its more difficult to repair a damaged reputation then to build a solid one.

without those checks (and the addition of the wonderful internet), the level of work flooding the marketplace has diminished to the point that any kook with some oneshot and a mack is a pinstriper. i dont know how many real train wrecks i've seen with two pages of "that looks great", "i'd let you stripe my car", "looks good to me" and all kinds of other reinforcement that only hurts the 'striper'. to the uninitiated, i'm sure it looks great, but they probably dont know a von dutch from a van dekamps.

simply put young striper....
aspire to greatness. do not settle for mediocrity.
do as much as is within your power to advance your mastery of the craft.
dont rush.
be patient.
learn.

[deathmobile]

much respect to you and your views...im off to practice more-Seann
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transformers are like rubix cubes with guns- Seann MF Glaspy

[rockabilly_bass]

[thesevenissilent]

I vote that this post should be required reading of everyone BEFORE they join here. Bravo Mitch!
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www.pinheadlounge.com/elvago

[fairline]

AP you got it all wrong,all you need is full sleeve tats and hoops in yer ears,the rest comes easy

Kiddin check yer inbox

[Myst]

Today is my first day striping ... I was just learning to hold the brush semi decent and just started with 5 inch straight lines ...I did for about two hours and filled 2 glass pieces...I started feeling good about my self and than realized I had no reason to be ..haha ...I just dipped my toe into the water..sort of speak... I take what you said to heart and I strive against everything mediocre b /c it doesnt hurt the people who see it or your rep...It should hurt your self esteem when you know you can do something better...thanks again man for the new inspiration ...Im already amped to go and stripe again tonight...its addicitng :

[JrDragsterPunk]

The single best post in the history of this forum (imo)

sticky this mofo.

[cadillacdaddyo]

i couldn't agree more i am quite tired of seeing all kinds of crappy pinstriping on cars and in all the mags even the new how-to that hot rod puts out just all kinds of crappy pinstriping in their pinstriping section. i by no means am a master striper but i am ashamed of calling my self a pinstriper when i see these cars plus the guys that do it under charge so bad that the average person at shows wont pay for it they dont veiw it as an art form ,any more they lost the aspect of what it should look like and the amount of skill and time it takes to get any good at it so a plee from someone tring to make a small living pinstriping, just stop dont do it till you have the skills to work on a car please not only do you make yourself look bad it also affects the rest of us think about it.
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still slinging paint getting better

[Dave]

[SteelPhoenix]

This is AWESOME!!! I'm putting it in the Archive.

Well written, Mitch!
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www.pinheadlounge.com/Phoenyx

[fairline]

At the same time if you are on here, and you are asking for people to give advice then that means that you're making an effort not be the downfall of the art.
Yes thats true.I as well of any of us could be victim of criticizm(sp?)I aint no pro but i strive to be.The real bottom line of it all is this:You cant create great pinstriping designs or long lines without a great line.It is the art of the line after all.

Everybody just keep pluggin away and enjoy this addictive art form,its a never ending process.Just understand this is a SERIOUS art form,not absract painting or making bird houses.
John Q Pulic has no idea of the obsession and repetitive determination,long hours it takes to master free hand pinstriping,lots have tried,lots dont have the passion or attention span.If you really want to do this you can but it will take more than you'd ever imagine time and hell i even think about designs and pull long lines while day dreaming sandin and beatin sheetmetal!!

Keep 'er wet fellers

[badace]

[alteredpilot]

i think that the P.C. culture has trickled down and even permeated our 'kounter kustom kulture'. thanks again internet.

at one time, stripers were part of a mystical kult with ibbity-bibbitys and lead stained cuticles. now you kan buy kulture at borders.

i come from a day when you got your nuts busted if you couldn't make the cut, but nowadays you cant criticize anyone face to face without catching a discrimination case.

the interwebs dont help any.

i know what constructive criticism is so i know how to give it both tough and with love.

kids these days dont know anything about constructive criticism, just positive affirmation. C&C means "tell me what you like about me"

there is a way to tell people they need improvement but it takes years of dedicated work in the area of internet tact. HA!

i love this board (thanks keith) and i love this craft. i'm in no way even a shadow of my heroes, some of whom grace this board. its time to raise the bar and quit coddling mediocrity.

[Dave]

AP man you know i have a lot of respect for you, and have always looked at your work for inspiration, but. . .

For someone who comes around here and only posts once or twice every couple of months, you sure do have a lot to say about what this site has become.

If you want to make changes why dont you show use by example. You have done a fairly good job of showing what needs to be done, tonight. However, how long will this last?

A few months ago, there was a post in the Street forum about critisisms and how there arent any, and it seemed like i was the only one pushing to crit everyone, but after a while i gave up as well.

Now that you lit a fire under some peoples butts, how long will it last, a few days. Then it will fade out, and someone else will make a rant post saying how we need to work on making the artform better.

Of course this only relates to the whole crit thing, not the newb thing.


Also, badace, its been a hot one since i have seen your frequent posts as well. It seems like you havent been around the pinstripe board, however i have seen your stuff in the lowbrow section, but thats a different world over there.


So how adamant are we about pushing towards a positive change?
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LITER is French for "Gimme some Fuckin' Cola!!!!"

[oldbobsign]

This is, by far, the best thread I have read in my short time on this forum and there aren't even any pictures to look at!

I was an apprentice union sign painter in the '60s. The five-year, full-time apprenticeship included evening classes once a week. The starting pay was 40% of journeyman scale. By the end of the fifth year you soon realized that you hadn't even scratched the surface of perfecting your trade/craft. Everyday is a learning experience. I worked in a shop with 47 employees (there were two apprentices) and I was the only person who could stripe, in fact I was the only person even remotely interested in pinstriping.

Pinstriping on the side is what lead to starting my own shop 33 years ago. Over the years several craftsmen with striping skills have worked with me and for the past couple of decades one particular craftsman is so skilled I actually laid down the sword. It is this incredible forum and the wonderful opportunity to create panels for charity auctions that got me to rediscover my love of pinstriping. I can't thank you all enough!

I think most serious stripers sort through the posts and respond only when particularly motivated (criticism, suggestion, research, praise) and these are the best posts. Sure, there are those who post just watch their post count increase but that will always be the case. There are also the fun posts and I hope those never stop. The current, seemingly overwhelming interest in pinstriping may soon fade but it is refreshing to see the level it has attained and I find most of the work to be inspirational.

Many of the newby posts I've read usually contain positive and negative comments but are always meant to encourage and challenge the artist.

I guess my point is I wouldn't change a thing, I'm just glad I found this place.
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None of them doing nothin' that your mama wouldn't disapprove.