Get Your (Ice) Flame On.

Stage one is finished!

It took me the better part of all day yesterday to finish masking off the front end of the Jeep but the final effect was well worth it.










I used paper to block off the bigger parts --like the hood and rear quarter panels. I masked off only what I needed to stop the overspray from landing on any exposed part of the Jeep. As I paint I'm careful not to overrun my paper boundaries. We don't want some cloud of amorphous white paint chilling out where it doesn't belong.





To give the ice flames (which is what I have decided they look like now that they're finished) some depth I start painting in highlights and shadows, as opposed to laying out just flat color. I pretend my light source is coming from above the hood and shadow it accordingly. I think this is my favorite part of airbrushing but I've realized it makes me a little nervous. I clench my jaw and after this was all said and done I had a headache.



After I've rendered it all I go back in with the Dark Amethyst Pearl (or "Blurple" as we've come to know it) and add depth to the shadows. Here you can see the work in process. I hit everything with slightly reduced Dupont Base White. I mixed up some black base color just in case i needed it but it turned out the Amethyst was plenty dark without the black.




Once everything is fully rendered Matt and I start peeling off the tape. Automotive paint dries fast but we still have to be careful not to dig our fingernails into the fresh paint. It's a long process but fun, like Christmas only more rewarding!



And Voila! We've got the first stage of the ice flames finished. Next up! I'll add some ice blue color to really make it pop, push our shadows back some and start masking off the rear end of the Jeep. You didn't think this was it did you?

See y'all on Monday.
Peace!