I have a model I am going to be doing that will have a custom paint job for my fiancee. Its a F-18 Hornet, but instead of grays, I will be doing the paint scheme in two tone blue with tiger stripes. She likes blue and she has a thing for tigers [:D] So can anybody tell me what the best way to go about painting the tiger stripes is? Is there any certain way that y’all do it? I have a tiger striped cat I will be looking at for the pattern… HEY! They are useful!!!
How about one of the Tiger Meet birds for inspiration?
Found these pics online:
Never tried to paint Tiger Stripes. Only thing I can say is look on the net
Good Luck and remember to POST Pics [:-^]
Bud
eizzle, my best advice to you would to get really good with your airbrush. If you have a single action, dial it down to its thinnest line, and make an outline of the stripes. then fill them in. Or, if using a double action, you might be able to do it in one stroke. Save up some milk jugs, and buy a bottle of the paint you’ll be using so you can get used to how much you have to thin and have at it on those milk jugs! I know that’s how I have to practice my German mottle (notice i haven’t done it yet[angel]. Good luck, buddy!
Thanks guys. Thanks for the pics, they hold still a lot better than the cat [:D] Ok RadMax, I guess I will have to stop throwing out the milk jugs… oh man, this isn’t gonna be good, me free handing a paintjob???
Eizzle, that’s how I feel. When I get the courage to at least try, I have a couple milk jugs. You just need a couple, cuz you can paint one up with stripes, then prime it and paint it again!!! Good luck, my friend!!!
[#ditto] Exactly my advice too.
Take a pencil and trace your Tiger stripes on the model. Use photo reference for this, it doesnt have to be perfect and as Rad said using airbrush paint thin lines and fill then in.
Air Master
Phil, a great masking technique for use with your airbrush to make those tiger stipes is silly putty. Yep the toy that most of us pressed into the sunday funnies when we were growing up 
It stretches and conforms to curved shapes very well. It also peels right up and is reusable. I have had pretty good luck with silly putty for making camo patterns.
Stationery stores (used to?) sell rolls of self-adhesive film, for covering sheets, in albums. It’s low-tack, designed to save, and protect, what’s beneath. The backing paper was, normally, white, which meant that it was possible to draw the design, cut it out, with scissors, then lay it on the model. It worked, every time, for me, especially with the hard-edged British WWII camouflage.
Edgar
that’s the same thing i was thinking,i do it with the German splinter sceme.
enlarge a picture or pattern to the proper scale,lay the frisket paper on it and cut out the masks that you need,workes great
Thanks for all the help guys. I will try out the diffrent tecniques on a milk jug and then go with whatever works best for me and my big hands [:D] I will definetly try and post pics, hopefully the digital camera will be working by then!