Plaid painting?

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Techniques
1

I’ve got a '65 Chevy truck I’m working on for a family member, but he wants the bench seat painted in a plaid pattern to match his actual truck seat(the seat is covered in a plaid fabric). Anyone got any tips on accomplishing this task? I consider myself a novice modeler and thought at first about masking off lines and/or squares of the plaid pattern?? I just don’t know how to begin this one!! Thanks for the help – if I get any!

2

I don’t know if the will quite give the effect you’re looking for, but I’d try

Option 1. Try to find a swatch of fabric bearing the same pattern at a fabric store/tailor. If you can’t find one, create the pattern in a picture editing program (if you’re talented enough, you may even be able to use MS word or powerpoint) or try to find a picture online… print, cut paste.

Option 2. Paint the seat the “base” color. Cut stripes of the second color from appropriately colored fabric or paper. Cut and paste.

Hope this helps.

3

Thanks CK…I’ve got some pictures. I was just having a hard time “visualizing” the striping over the base color(s). You’ve actually given me a pretty good idea though…maybe I can get a swatch of the original fabric and paste/glue it directly to the plastic?? That would be about as real as it gets! Thanks again!

4

What is the matter with you people? You mean you’ve never heard of plaid paint? I see it all the time on the Cartoon Network! [:p][:D][:p]

Gip Winecoff

5

Thanks Gip, I mean “gimp”![:p]

6

[
iesman,

Try to get in touch with some Figure people. I have seen figures wearing Scottish kilts & stockingings painted plaid that looked very realistic. I can`t give you any help on how it is done.

Dave

7

Thanks traskos…that’s a good idea!!

8

I keep my cans of plaid paint next to the box of square drill bits…

9

Thanks Crocodile Leemitcheltree!!

10

How about using thin cut strips of solid color decal sheets?! It may be difficult for something really small, but painting by hand would also be difficult.

Another way would be to photograph the actual seat cover, then have it printed. Shave off the first layer of paper film, verrry carefully, then apply this to the seat. If the seat doesn’t have deep crevises, this might be a good option.

Matt

11

Yeah MoJo, that’s a good idea about the decals…I’ve got a good list of options going. Thanks to you guys who responded with valuable tips –

12

1 Take a picture of the pattern.
2 Scan it into a computer.
3 Reduce it to scale, clean up any color/pattern defects
4 Repeat the pattern to cover an appropriate area.
5 Print on decal film using a color printer (there are lots of people who do this).
6 Apply the plaid decal to the seat.

13

Kalmbach has at least two books on figure painting that have instructions on how to paint plaid kilts - FSM has also had several articles on the subjuct - Check them out