Servicing Stock

Modifying your car and adding those tiny bits of detailing can make the big difference in concourse events and for those show cars which we all love and see at during the summer car show season. But how do some car owners get that seamless finish on their exteriors and interiors? They use Airbrushes of course.

Here we can see that this USA civic owner has gone to the trouble to include a before and after airbrushing shot of his motor. We can see on the bonnet (or hood for those American readers) of this 2007 Civic; that the artist has decided to paint a tear through to the engine bay and then with the use of a fine nosed airbrush, has added the fine detailing by building up the layers of paint to recreate the engine within the bonnet… Down the side of the vehicle, using long flowing and smooth lines, the artist has again blown over these striping and ripple effects down the doors and into the boot of the Civic, this is to carry your eye from the front of the car to the back when look at them from head on and side on, may car manufacturers will build into the shell of a car certain lines and creases for this very reason, and the airbrush artist here has decided to follow these lines and highlight with use of shadow the angular shape of the modern Honda Civic.

For those of you out there how like the idea of airbrushing some bespoke and original patterns into your Honda Civic or car for that matter, you dont have to be so bold as the professional artist who has put their time into the car above, some simple and smaller parts of your car may present a great opportunity to show off you creative skill and with the price of a home and semi professional airbrush kits ever decreasing, it is no wonder that this form of car modification is becoming more and more popular.

The above picture we can see that the chap has used an airbrush to recreate the JDM look with a Japanese Rising Sun emblem painted onto his petrol cap, this removable part of the vehicle is a great place to start if you are keen to add some unique features to your motor, all you shall need are some airbrush supplies, perhaps if you are seeking to buy a new airbrush then an Iwata Airbrush is commonly used by professionals on motor vehicles, if you choose from one of the ranges of airbrush kits (available on line at places such as GraphicAir.co.uk) your kit will come complete with an airbrush compressor, a selection of base paints (which can be mixed and matched to make all kinds of depth to various colours) and also the airbrush compressor which will power your new small spray gun.

Mark up your lines and designs onto the piece with the use of some painters chalk or by masking off the bits of the paint you dont want to cover, start slow ans small as you can always add more paint later, removing layers of paint is never fun… Make sure you prepare your surface with some cleaning products which are suitable to use with the type of paint you are using, for those how are removing the parts from their cars before painting, consider making and area or buying a small spray booth which can be charged with positive or negative ions and help you to produce that immaculate, professionals finish. Also if you car has been dented or scratched, your airbrush is the perfect tool for covering up these imperfections.