Fish Scale Effect Tutorial

PROFILE
Looking at Chris MacMahan, you
says. Variety and quality were also
Today, pinstriping and lettering still
wouldn’t think he’s old enough to have
important to him. “It’s a wide line-up.
account for about half of the projects at
nearly 20 years in as a professional
PPG products have always been very
Aerografix, the remainder original
painter. The owner of Aerografix in
user-friendly. They are tried-and-true.”
artwork. “What I’m happiest doing is
Elyria, Ohio, boasts a long-standing
the freehand airbrushing,” Chris says.
reputation for an incredible range of
To meet the growing demand for
“My niche is portraiture—pinup girls
custom design and artwork. His
original portraits and murals, Chris
and dragons, barbarians and wizards.
artistry and tutorials have been
opened his first brick and mortar
A lot of my work recalls van and hood
featured in numerous trade and
location after just four years in
murals of the ‘70s. That’s what people
enthusiast magazines, including
business. His work is photorealistic,
seek me out for.”
AutoArt, Signcraft, Pinstriping and
but Chris’ goal is not to replicate a
Kustom Graphics, and Roadbike.
camera. Instead, he strives for what he
A recent project showcasing his
calls dynamic realism—true-to-life
portraiture was at the 2013 SEMA
Chris entered the business so early
representation with exaggerated light
trade show in Las Vegas. He created
because a love of drawing ran in the
effects and form to amplify drama.
two pieces for Carnival of Color, PPG’s
family—his father was an airbrush
METAL IS THE CANVAS OF CHOICE FOR
CHRIS MACMAHAN, OWNER AND ARTIST OF
AEROGRAFIX
circus-themed display. Attendees loved
artist who painted T-shirts at fairs and
Even when turning up the intensity,
all the commissioned pieces created by
festivals. Chris started his own
however, Chris is careful to maintain a
more than 30 top automotive artists.
business straight out of high school
certain look. “My style is a combination
Additionally, Hot Rod magazine
and has never worked for anyone else.
of old and new,” he says. “It’s one eye
described PPG’s effort as the coolest
In those early days, his workload
on traditional clean work and the other
display at the show.
consisted of pinstripes and hand
eye on pushing it forward.” If anything,
lettering. A true suitcase act, he took
his work embodies the Midwestern hot
With two decades in the business,
his tools and skills to wherever the
rod ethos of balancing retro eye appeal
Chris is still happily looking to the
vehicles were.
and artistic inventiveness.
future. No matter what role he plays in
This highly mobile daily routine, in fact,
In his shop, Chris uses the DELTRON
world, he knows he’ll be doing what
made him a big fan of PPG from the
system for his unders, basecoat and
he loves. “I’m never really working.
very beginning. “Bouncing around,
clears. Not surprisingly, the VIBRANCE
I get paid to draw pictures and letters,”
doing things in other people’s shops, I
COLLECTION® of custom effects plays
Chris says. “It’s not a bad gig.”
liked that PPG products were readily
a vital role in all his work. “We use the
available in every town I went,” Chris
PRIZMATIQUE® rainbow flake all the
the evolution of the custom car art
®
time. I use pearls and sparkles to add
an extra ‘oomph’ to the bases.”
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G
FISH!
TECH TALK
CHRIS
MACMAHAN
SHOWS HOW
TO CREATE A
CLASSIC FISH
SCALE EFFECT
1
DRAWING THE PATTERN GUIDE
CUT THE GUIDE
2
PANEL PREP
3
Chris uses a template to create the pattern of
Your pattern should be drawn on a light cardstock, about
To ready the panel for the tutorial, it was covered with
overlapping circles. Generally, the “scale” size should be
the thickness of a business card—heavy enough not to
DELTRON® 2000 DBC Bright Silver (5464). Over that, two
big enough to fill the space without appearing busy.
become soggy and tear, light enough to cut cleanly with
color layers from the VIBRANCE COLLECTION® were
Use your best judgment.
scissors or a craft knife.
added, each fogged toward the center—RADIANCE® II
Yellow (DMX210), then Green (DMX217). Each toner was
added to a 1:1 mix of Deltron DBC500 Color Blender and
DT870 reducer.
AIRBRUSH SELECTION
4
SPRAYING
5
ROW SYMMETRY
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Any general-purpose airbrush, single or double action,
Placing the template against the surface, Chris sprays a
Aligning the scales is simple—the center of each circle
can be used to achieve this effect. Chris recommends a
line of the Radiance II Green. The green is solid at the
slightly overlaps the bottom of the “V” on the row
Whether you’re looking for an eye-
medium sized tip at 40 psi. “The higher pressure allows
bottom of the “V” and fades upward. Keep the template
above. Spacing between the rows is a matter of
catching fill or a background for
me to use the airbrush as a mini paint gun and put on
and the spray motion as horizontal as possible.
personal taste. Here, Chris uses a tight formation for
pinstripes or artwork, the fish scale
a wash of color.”
a more intense pattern.
technique is a timeless choice. “This is
a very easy technique for someone to
pick up,” says Chris MacMahan, owner
of Aerografix in Elyria, Ohio. “We
do this a lot on choppers and bobbers
for a ‘70s look. It’s also great for
backgrounds in retro-style murals.”
In this tutorial, Chris uses a traditional
circular scale, but other shapes work
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TEMPLATE SATURATION
diamond pattern or curved “teeth” for
The template will be covered with many layers of paint.
Once all the rows have been sprayed, Chris fogs the outer
From here, your options are wide open. The design stands
a quilt pattern. With a little imagination
To maintain a crisp pattern, allow the template to
edge of the panel with several layers of Radiance II Green
on its own, so you could add a midcoat, or go straight to
and experimentation, you’ll be able
dry for a minute every few rows, or create more than
(DMX217) until the color is intense.
clear. Chris also suggests that the pattern can be a bed
to create a wide range of patterns
one template.
and effects.
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just as well, such as triangles for a
SOLID BORDER
READY FOR ANYTHING
for pinstripes, lettering or artwork (see example). “As a
background, fish scales can push any job over the top.”
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