Artistic Types-Learn Me Some '80s Graphics

Been thinking about this for quite some time now.  Chico, my 1984 Eagle, has a pretty decent '80s look, but I want more.    Specifically, graphics.  The color is just a bit too... boring to me. 



And, I would think it would be the same for someone BItD.   I recently figured out it was actually maroon, instead of burgundy, which helped me a bit with my googling complimentary colors to use. 

 

So, I now have a decent idea what colors will work with it, but am just starting to work on ideas for the shape, style, and locations of the graphics themselves.

 I'm okay with a pencil and paper, but drawing the car itself will take me quite a bit time.  And I would need to multiply that time by the number of different designs I will draw out.   I can mess around with Pixlr a bit, but computer art is certainly not my forte. Even figuring out a way to turn my photo into a line drawing that I can print out would help immensely. 

So, WWGRMD?  Anyone gifted enough to sketch out a Rad design on the side of Chico?   Or a way for me to do so myself? 

Park your car in front of a light colored wall, take side view picture. Turn car and repeat for front & back. Upload pics on computer or whatever device you have big enough to put a piece of paper on the screen and trace car. Make copies  of your tracing with printer or whatever to play with design ideas.

I could 'shop some stripes onto the pic of your car. For '80s style I'm thinking angular and broken lines (see the factory graphics available on a Samurai for instance). The unbroken curved stripes you linked to look more '70s to me.

Unfortunately, all I have is a phone, a 7" Kindle Fire, and an 11" Chromebook.  The Chromebook doesn't lend itself to tracing.

aluminum sulfide soluble

aluminum sulfide soluble

i'd do flames in woodgrain, but i'm a freak like that.

AngryCorvair said:

i'd do flames in woodgrain, but i'm a freak like that.

Bwahaha not a bad idea!

You have a pin-stripe below the exterior mirror but above the door handles.  Can this be reasonably removed?  If not, it may dictate some choices since it would seem odd to cross that pin-stripe.  If considering the multi color stripe it may be best to be sure to cover the pin-stipe with this new stripe.  This then gives you the pin-stipe as a guide for laying your new line.  

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Thank you.for the offer!


The photos were actually more to show the colors I think would work well on the car.  I was thinking of a billboard type strobe stripe on the side along the beltline (where the woodgrain would usually be) changing from one color to the next, similar to the treatment on the hood of this Toyota. All of those colors look like they might work, including the white. The angle on the side would be pretty close to how I am thinking the leading edge of each color would be, with rounded corners, of course.





 

In reply to John Welsh :

Yes, that stripe would come off pretty easily, but I like it right now to visualize the area that I was thinking about placing the strobe stripe I mentioned above.

This is a Jeep Classic $179 kit.  I bet that would lay well enough on the Chico

Cooter said:

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Thank you.for the offer!


The photos were actually more to show the colors I think would work well on the car.  I was thinking of a billboard type strobe stripe on the side along the beltline (where the woodgrain would usually be) changing from one color to the next, similar to the treatment on the hood of this Toyota. All of those colors look like they might work, including the white. The angle on the side would be pretty close to how I am thinking the leading edge of each color would be, with rounded corners, of course.





 

Things in the '80s didn't have rounded corners! (Seriously, they were almost sharp enough to stab you)

Shorter front door and then up the B-pillar.  Your B-pillar seems narrower but it could be adapted.   $249

In reply to ebonyandivory :

I looked in a lot of locations with "AMC', "Eagle", "Baja", "Off-Road", and "racing" as keywords, but never once thought of the factory Ford offerings.  Great stuff.

Not sure what is going on with the links, though.

GameboyRMH said:

Cooter said:

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Thank you.for the offer!


The photos were actually more to show the colors I think would work well on the car.  I was thinking of a billboard type strobe stripe on the side along the beltline (where the woodgrain would usually be) changing from one color to the next, similar to the treatment on the hood of this Toyota. All of those colors look like they might work, including the white. The angle on the side would be pretty close to how I am thinking the leading edge of each color would be, with rounded corners, of course.





 

Things in the '80s didn't have rounded corners! (Seriously, they were almost sharp enough to stab you)

Look at the corners on that hood treatment again. 

$369 gets the whole Golden Eagle truck kit.  I am sure you could adapt the top and bottom stripes; not to mention the eagle!

AngryCorvair said:

i'd do flames in woodgrain, but i'm a freak like that.

While I have been laying out flames on almost everything, including my hardhats since the '70s, they really don't work with this project.  But don't think I haven't tried...

Cooter said:

GameboyRMH said:

Cooter said:

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Thank you.for the offer!


The photos were actually more to show the colors I think would work well on the car.  I was thinking of a billboard type strobe stripe on the side along the beltline (where the woodgrain would usually be) changing from one color to the next, similar to the treatment on the hood of this Toyota. All of those colors look like they might work, including the white. The angle on the side would be pretty close to how I am thinking the leading edge of each color would be, with rounded corners, of course.





 

Things in the '80s didn't have rounded corners! (Seriously, they were almost sharp enough to stab you)

Look at the corners on that hood treatment again. 

I'm looking real close, the overall path of the stripes is tapered but the corners look pretty sharp to me.

As an amateur designer, I would incorporate two main elements:

I would frame out a panel as if you were doing woodgrain, but fill it with some other element.  A brown/orange/yellow flame pattern would look like a burled/birdseye woodgrain from a distance, but closer inspection would reveal flames.  Flames and woodgrain are SO 80s.

Then I would carry the same colors in a triple stripe that follows back the beltline and curves up the rear hatch pillar.

Oooh.... or wrap the stripes up on to the hood like this:

nothing screams 70's like Red-Orange-Yellow graphic...

for 80's you gotta do the Pastels and think Miami Vice...

In reply to Matt :

yeah... they were just the colors I had in my app.  I had proposed brown, tan, and yellow