LEATHER JACKET

[XZOTIC INK]

okay,,,you guys already know i got the jacket,,,SO do i paint this jacket like anything else,,do i have to prep it,,its leather,,,i figure maybe rubbing alcohol and then clear it after to keep the design on? and the jacket is YELLOW,,,should put the opague down first?

[Full Blast]

Nat Ive only done a couple leather jackets. But Yes prep it with alcohol and paint away. as fer laying down opaques. IMO you shouldnt need em unless your doing lite colors or lite fades. But experiment a little first, see what works best. good luck and of course take flicks!
Also maybe hit Denise for some advice. Ive got feeling she's done more leather jackets than anyone I know. :)

Rob
:tee:

[Whit]

Good Luck on it,,, knock yer lights out !!!

[XZOTIC INK]

THANKS ROB,,ive been playing w colored pencils at work all day with designs,,,CAN TAKE IT OFF IF I MESS UP,,yikeees,,,i figured it was like the sneakers,,and rob yes,,they gave me some bs story how they pass my name on to other rappers,,i know she had money if she had a record deal,she slipped a few times,,and i was talking to her assistant of the art department,,and fashion department,,so that tells ya money right there,,and i think the lady who hired me is pocketing some of the money honestly,,lol..okay im off in a few to paint it,,,

[ABD]

Go get em Nat!...Yup I'm with you..Names don't mean squat to me..Might make them feel important knowing who they do..But it's not gonna put food on my table.....ya wanna impress me....Give me enough orders to keep my ass busy for a month or six, hahaha!..Then ya might excite me a bit:)........Can't wait to see what ya whip up Cat..Always great stuff indeed!!!

[air_fx]

Heres how I do leather.

I start by cleaning the area of the jacket to be painted with alcohol and allow to dry. (NOTE)You can actually remove the color from leather on inexpensive jackets by using alcohol, so make sure to test a small spot before wiping down a large area. Subsitute mineral spirits for a milder solvent if needed and use a blowdryer to make sure the area is dry before proceeding.

I use a piece of chalk to sketch the design onto the jacket and then use PPG white to do the base painting. I have used both waterbased paints as well as urethanes on leather with good success....this dragon jacket was done using PPG and House of Kolor urethanes. No final clearing will be required when done and its waterproof. If using waterbased paints you might spray a light coat of clear fixative or even krylon clear for some added protection. don't apply it too heavy or it'll crack later on.

Once my base painting is finished I use some transparent teal and medium blues on the clouds and around the graveyard area. I then switched to opaque yellow and painted the dragons eyes and some areas of the body that will receive some backlight from the fire thats coming from the dragons mouth. I then move onto the fire and finished it up by applying orange around the outside edges to darken it. The fire design on this jacket actually jumps onto the left sleeve and continues around to the front of the jacket.

Moving on to opaque red, I continue covering the white base painting of the dragon. When painting on a black surface I always do a white base painting which helps all color to stand out better against the black....without the white underpainting all transparent colors would get absorbed into the black and you couldn't see anything....even opaque colors are brighter and more vibrant when painted over white. I finish up by using red on the tips of the fire and to darken up any areas of the fire than might need it.

Once i'm done with the red I switched back to white and brighten up all the teeth, horns and claws of the dragon before using some medium brown which I mist lightly to give them the look of real bone. I also used brown to darken the shadows in the red and add some finer details around the dragons face.

Lastly I used black to cover up any overspray areas around the body of the dragon and darken up the holes in the wings and "thats it" i'm done. A water based clearcoat could be applied if you so choose, but this jacket had a dull finish to the leather and I didn't want it to shine when finished.

I hope ya'll find this helpful.

[air_fx]

What paint do you use Nat? What colors do you see it to be? Is the Jacket a bright intense yellow or is it more creamy?
I use Tandy Super Sene to clear leather. It's made for leather and I've seen 15 year old leather cleared with it that looks perfect like it was just painted.

I forgot about the "Super sheen" from Tandy leather company....i've used that stuff to clear many a leather jacket with great success. It works perfect as clearcoat over airbrushing....Nice tip Denise

[XZOTIC INK]

okay before i read your posts,,,i started to wipe it down with alcohol and its taking the color off it,,,,its mustard color denise,,but it didnt remove the color from the jacket just left stains of yellow in my paper towel after i wiped it down,,,seems okay? im using createx,,i was going to do it like i do my leather sneakers,,Dont heat set,,IT COULD MELT?? seems like a cheap leather,,price says 200 beans???

[XZOTIC INK]

so rude! of me,,love the jacket,,made me think out of my box!!! thanks a bunch for showing it,,,now im rethinking the idea of going out of the seems of the jacket!!

[XZOTIC INK]

by the way taking flicks,,and rob thinking of making a video of it,,WHO KNOWS maybe i can rich of the video of her jacket if she makes it big and doesnt include my name on the label,,,lol,,

[XZOTIC INK]

k guys im going to try it again ,,ill check up later on responses,,thanks for taking the time out to help me through this,,

[air_fx]

Thanks for that link.....Tandy shut down their stores in Tulsa so I wasn't sure where I could get anymore....till now....lol.

Yeah....i've used Krylon on several leather jackets.....they seem to hold up fine from what my customers tell me.....I'd much rather use Tandy's super shene stuff or nothing at all....but Krylon was all I had at times so it got used....but its not my first choice.

[air_fx]

Cheap leather garments will easily turn loose of their dye's......Cheap, may not be the correct term since most jackets still cost $200 or so.....what I should say is Inexpensive.....but the easiest way to tell is look at the label....see where it was manufactured....if it came from Pakistan you can about bet your bottom dollar that alcohol will remove their dye....always test a spot inside the edge of the jacket first if your unsure.

[air_fx]

I always loved going into their stores.....somethin bout the smell of all that leather I guess....lol.....they always had some cool do-it-yourself kits for everything. At least they are still in business.....i'll be ordering some super shene from them now.

[sharonsstudio]

Good luck Nat Can't wait to see what you do...
Now I'm hijacking your thread..
D no tandy here anymore either.. closed 5 years ago didn't know they had a page...
now my ? that sheen stuff is it an oil or is it a spray in a can..

[XZOTIC INK]

thanks sharon,,


k the god dam chalk aint showing up,,,tried every color under the sun,,tried wetting the chalk nothing,,
tried charcoal white pencils,,nada

THE REGULAR HB pencils are showing up VERY LIGHT,,and i know it will show through the paint if im not careful

OKAY WHITE UNDER THE PAINT,,THATS WHAT I THOUGHT,,going back to finish the outline be back to check on your reponses,,

[Cowboy]

Iv,e allways had good luck with SnowShoe Water repelant & leather protectant Comes in an aeresol can. . No gloss but Protects the artwork & leather great . My 2 bits .

[XZOTIC INK]

i dont mind ANYONE HIJACKING MY THREADS,,hijack all ya want,,its all good info to absorb,,,okay every god dam way i took the flicks i got a glare,,
heres the request: DO NAME IN GRAFFITI but not so hard graffiti readable,,bubblie ,,

DO A BOOMBOX RADIO,,MUST SAY VYP ON TAPE,,HER ALBUMS NAME
KEEP IT 80'S LOOK ,,LIKE SOMEONE JUST RAN UP TO HER JACKET AND SPRAYED PAINTED IT,,BREAKDANCE , HIP HOP LOOK,,

HERES WHERE IM AT,,LAST NIGHT I FELT LIKE MY COLORS WERENT SHINNING WELL,,SO I GOT FRUSTRATED AND WENT TO BED,,THE COLOR fairy must of visited me last night BECAUSE when i work,,i guess it was the lighting,,the COLORS REALLY POPPED,,

[XZOTIC INK]

k,,you cant see the colors that well,,because it was bad lighting,,but there is actually pink and orange around her name,,its not a solid HOT FLAMIGO PINK COLOR,,tonight i have to FINISH the sides and front,,TELL ME WHAT YA THINK,,GOOD OR BAD,,WHAT I SHOULD DO,,,PLEASE!!

[XZOTIC INK]

I STIll like the white version,,lol,,BUT i will get some CLEAR SHOTS WHEN IM DONE,,i dont want to move it until im finished with the back,,

[redanner]

Xzotic I think you are well covered for advise so I'm posting to get a post point!!! HeeeHaaa! You Gypsy!! Actually I can't wait to see pics of it!!! You Rock Girl!!!

Oh My! you already have posted some pics!!

[ABD]

Lookin good..I like the Gooey mess type stuff and the Radio looks sweet.......The name kinda throws my off a bit..Probably cuz I can never read graffiti style words anyway....

Keep sprayin Nat..Coming out great!!

[Cowboy]

I think its lookin great Nat, Looks like what She said She wanted, But I gotta agree with that color of jacket , I like the White version best. JMO.

[XZOTIC INK]

you know why cowboy we like the white version best,,because its more realistic looking,,,its funny i was told to stop doing graffiti and thats why i joined the form to learn a different style to find out how to create realistic looks,,and the KATHERINE gibbs school i signed up for ,,the teacher said,,DONT DRAW LIKE THIS,,THIS IS WRONG,,welll ya know what,,i just getting 300 bucks for drawing wrong,,,lol,,

I KNOW DELL YA CANT FIND THE NAME ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GLARE,,,i PROMISE I WILL TAKE A CLEAR PHOTO,,i said the colors are blurring in the glare,,,YOU CAN READ THE NAME PERFECT ,,,just wait,,THE GEWY STUFF IS SUPPOST TO BE PAINT DRIPPING,,AND DELL, THE GEWY STUFF HAS TO WRAP AROUND THE SIDES TO THE FRONT LIKE A SPRAY PAINT CAN JUST DID IT,,I M GOING TO ADD KRYLON CANS IN THE FRONT WITH OUT THE LOGOS,,,so its good?

[XZOTIC INK]

you know why cowboy we like the white version best,,because its more realistic looking,,,its funny i was told to stop doing graffiti and thats why i joined the form to learn a different style to find out how to create realistic looks,,and the KATHERINE gibbs school i signed up for ,,the teacher said,,DONT DRAW LIKE THIS,,THIS IS WRONG,,welll ya know what,,i just getting 300 bucks for drawing wrong,,,lol,,

I KNOW DELL YA CANT FIND THE NAME ONLY BECAUSE OF THE GLARE,,,i PROMISE I WILL TAKE A CLEAR PHOTO,,i said the colors are blurring in the glare,,,YOU CAN READ THE NAME PERFECT ,,,just wait,,THE GEWY STUFF IS SUPPOST TO BE PAINT DRIPPING,,AND DELL, THE GEWY STUFF HAS TO WRAP AROUND THE SIDES TO THE FRONT LIKE A SPRAY PAINT CAN JUST DID IT,,I M GOING TO ADD KRYLON CANS IN THE FRONT WITH OUT THE LOGOS,,,so its good?

[airarts]

I love the color contrast Nat. It looks like Molton Lava! That little mama is going to POP with this on! She definitely can dance!

[XZOTIC INK]

thanks,,,COME ON GUYS YOU MISSING IT,,,i swore dell would catch this,,,did ya notice in case she gets big,,i have proof w/ my name under the jacket that i made it,,,lol,,,

IM GLAD YOU LIKE THE COLORS,,,IM ALWAYS SECOND GUESSING MY SELF,,

[XZOTIC INK]

you know what airarts,,if the jacket was white,,it probally would look sooo much clearer,,,the mustard color was throwing me off a bit!!!

[Icewolf0927]

it looks good Nat.

[XZOTIC INK]

thanks ice,,,:dance:

[ABD]

thanks,,,COME ON GUYS YOU MISSING IT,,,i swore dell would catch this,,,did ya notice in case she gets big,,i have proof w/ my name under the jacket that i made it,,,lol,,,
,

Hahaha..I sure did catch it..But just didn't get why...Now that I think of it..This is a brilliant idea...Sure you can have the "done" pics...(some one could say "ahh you just stole the pics from the artist")..but with yer lil sign there..No way anyone else did this one but YOU!! you got the hard proof!!!.....Excellent thinking my friend!

slightly Off topic...Funny I think yer AB work is the most original thing this chick is gonna have going for her...."Lil Mama", Hahaha!...Another "Lil" added to the gaggle of "cookie cutter" rappers out there.."ick".....maybe she can mooch off some "uniqueness" from you...I think you got plenty to spare, hahaa

[XZOTIC INK]

o dell,,and the only way i could tell what paint looked like in person was by wasting a good jar of paint,,hell no,,ill do my gewy look,,,lol,,wait till i do the front,,
more gew,,,lol,,but this time with krylon cans around it,,,you know whats funny,,im thinking of them saying,,o we will add your name to the cd "a special thanks to NATALIE aka as XZOTICINK.COM ,,yeah yeah,,bullshit they will,,COME ON MAN,,HELP ME THINK OF SOME MORE WAYS TO PROVE I DID IT,,SHOULD I SIGN THE BOTTOM SOMEWHERE OR INSIDE OF THE JACKET?

[colourshift]

Sign the bottom of the jacket..especially THIS jacket.

[colourshift]

Just a note, going back and reading some more of the thread....

Nat, hit your art supply store...there's something called a stabilo pencil, comes in colours as well as a graphite look. This pencil writes on anything (glass, plastic, wood...you name it) , and is water soluable. Stripers use em, as do I for working out free form artwork on a piece (like that Triumph tank I did earlier this year) - they do melt at really high temps though, one of the stripers left it in his car during the summer.

[XZOTIC INK]

THANKS LYNNE AND DENISE,,i will sign it when done,,,I WILL ALSO look for that stabilo pencil next supply run i go on,,thanks for the info!

[XZOTIC INK]

should i sign natalie,,or xzoticink.com,,thats my known thing now,,xzoticink.com but natalie is more of a personal artist???

[ABD]

I always try to hide my name in the art somewhere...I also never know how to sign it..artbydell, Bryon, BJL..I've done it all..Depends on my mood I guess...But it's always in there somewhere ya have to look for.....Example the KISS sled with all the rocks and rubble..I wrote Bryon and made it look like a crack in a rock.

[sharonsstudio]

Nat way to go girl,, looks so cool.. as for signing, sign it at the bottom with your name and date it. but put a sticker on the radio that says exotic ink.com free advertisment.. as for the color what a hard color to make look good but you did it..