Marker helmets.

I'm getting a nice Shoei or Arai helmet for Christmas from the family. It'll be white. So I can do this:

I want the matching Duc

I wish I was remotely artistic. I would do a similar Silver sharpie design on my black helmet.

I saw a new camaro (on line) that was done up like that. No link

Sharpie camaro

Sharpie Lambo

<img src="http://www.motorsportsartist.com/carart/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Enthusiast-Creates-his-own-BMW-Art-Car-hood.jpg[img] Sharpie BMW

http://thekevinchen.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/sharpie-artbike_udhma_5965.jpg" alt="" /> Sharpie 600rr

Sharpie BMW #2

Ok I gotta ask... Sharpies aren't that permanent. I could see this working on the helmet, or even the bike(if it wasn't ridden in rain or left in the sun), but on those cars are they clear-coating it???

Hey all, I'm Pinstripe Chris- the artist/painter that did the Sharpie Camaro, Sharpie Cadillac, Sharpie Fiero, Sharpie Harley, Sharpie Mustang and soon to be Sharpie Pro-Street. I joined so I could answer the question about the permanency. Regular Sharpies aren't really all that permanent, but there are several types to choose from: Some artist use the Paint markers, some use regular Sharpies (best for glamor cars/bikes that seldom see use), and I use Industrial Strength Sharpies. I've also used the Metallic Sharpies on black- they work great. I also clear coat my work. There's a process for it, but it can totally be done, and it's necessary to achieve true permanence. If any of you guys have any questions at all, please feel free to ask.

Thanks! -Pinstripe Chris

www.Pinstripe Chris.com

Some past work:

And current Work In Progress:

Awesome. Good to know about silver on black as my brother wants me to graffiti his helmet, too. I take it that you can't just use a rattle can to clear it, right?

You could, but the risks are higher. Not impossible tho. Actually the metallic markers are more forgiving since they are not actually inks- they're pigments (like paint) but care should still be taken

so what kind of prep/ clearing process should be used for black sharpie marker art?

That's what I was getting at, as well.

If its a trade secret, I'll e-mail you.

Do you just freehand the art, or do you do some sort of mock up? I'm tempted to make a few profiles of my helmet and practice. Can you use alcohol to remove any screw ups?

Thanks again for posting.

First, the foam roller paint job...and now this.

I love how us cheapskates are being enabled!

All the artwork I do is completely free hand with no planning- just pick up the marker and start laying down lines. I don't do any pre-drawings or mock ups... the customer just has to have faith. There is zero room for mistakes- no erasing. You could erase, but with the products/technique I use, your eraser would be sand paper. It's best not to think of things in terms of mistakes tho- instead, figure out what you can do with it. There's no harm in practice, but nothing's quite like the real surface you'll be working on. Paper is much more forgiving then a helmet. The clearing process I use is something unique to my sharpie work... so I'm reluctant to share it. I use a specific combo of things that all work together- so I can usure you it's totally doable

I was thinking of trying pointillism. Haven't seen that before.

I won't pester you for your clear technique. But, I suppose I could do a few mock ups, and test out some different clears. If I found a way to do what you do, I wouldn't give it away for free either, man.

Well the helmet I just retired was not like any of those above however it does have some cool "metallic marker" on it. I purchased a new gloss black helmet, talked with my sign guy Zeke Design, we scuffed it with 3m red pad scotch brite to a nice clear haze washed it twice. Then I attended the 2nd annual "Racers Reunion" There i had all the racers sign my helmet with the metallic paint marker. Then a week later back to Zeke Design where it was clear coated with real auto clear left overs from the next car repair Zeke did. The marker held up well in most spots but two did sort of run more like slid or shadow shifted it looks wicked cool. The only reason for retiring it was we've lost about 50% of the guys who signed it and i didn't want to loose them should it hit the ground. I've got to take some pictures of it one of theses days.

When the clear runs the marker it does actually look really cool. After a gazillion hours of work tho the last thing you want is a problem. The sky's the limit with the Sharpie stuff- you can literally draw in anything and get crisp lines without masking or spraying anything. Sometimes I'll look at optical illusion books for inspiration. There's plenty of room for new ideas