Motorcycle Pinstriping by Bill
As a striper for over 32 years, motorcycle pinstriping has always been a speciality of mine. I hand-paint my designs, typically in an “old school” style, to enhance a motorcycle’s overall appearance.
Old School Pinstriping
The old school pinstriping style is what you are seeing in the images here. Notable about this popular style is its abstractness, balance and color coordination. It adds definition to your bike with a streamlining effect. In the neighboring image, note how the symmetrical design guides with the curvature of the rear fender – this way, bike and design both work to compliment each other. Also note subtle yet distinguishable color harmony.
Motorcycle Pinstriping and Nuanced Expression
In the next image, I created a tight symmetrical pattern with a two-toned harmony. The first color, the reddish-orange hue, is an almost perfect match to the color of the fender. The second color, black, stands above it. Together, they blend into a nuanced design that adds just the right amount of pop. Here my client wanted to enhance the presence of his bike without looking too “gaudy.”
Creating The Appearance of Motion
Motorcycles are synonymous with aerodynamics, speed and motion – highlighting these features is what we’re going for. In this next design, you’ll notice that we covered a decent portion of the front fender with a sharp pattern that implies motion. Even when the motorcycle is in full-stop, the design leads us to believe it is still blasting through space. Also notice the subtle, single tone design – the light blue is noticeable enough to add flare to the bike without going stylistically “overboard.”
Color Choices
Here I created an earthy effect on this gas tank. What we ended up with is something that leaves a natural, subdued impression yet is prominent enough to add obvious aesthetic value to the bike. A triadic color harmony, as seen here, opens up an almost limitless amount of creative possibilities. For example, if I had chosen different colors, I could have created an entirely different effect while still working with the brown of the tank.
As there are many variations I can achieve with color, be sure to communicate to me exactly what effect you’re after. I have the experience, and can most likely get you close to what you are looking for.
I’m Not Always Asked to Do Subtle
In this next image, shown is once of my most recent motorcycle projects. Here, my client wanted something to make his bike stand out, and, as you can see, the end result is certainly eye-catching. Using a blue color here was an obvious choice, given how well it stands against the bike’s red; yet, the complimentary black connects the design to the bike’s other components. Stylistically, we used old school symmetry on the tank and a complex abstraction on the fender.
Pinstriping by Bill
I stripe out of my home in Farmingdale, NJ. If you are interested in having me stripe your bike, I will require that you leave the bike or components at my place for a few days. Turnaround time is based on my work load.
If you are out of the tri-state area or unable to get to me, I can stripe your bike components on a mail-to-me I-mail-back basis.
Thank you for your interest and patience. I hope to meet with you soon.
-Bill
908.415.6574