"Warewolf in London"

"Werewolf In London"

This project came to me courtesy of an English ex-patriot now residing here in Sonoma county. He had had his motorcycle custom built and painted by a good friend of his. His friend proved to be a great builder but not as well accomplished painter. The original paint consisted of a dull blue base and a stagnant Union Jack. My "Limey" compatriot wanted to keep the original scheme of the Union Jack but knew that the cool custom was in need of a complementing outer skin.

I started this project by completely striping the old paint off to bare metal. Some of the body work needed to be redone as well to really make the "canvas" perfect for paint. Primed and sealed the bike was ready for its blue base. I chose a really lively and deep blue by Hot Hues to put down the Union Jacks foundation. The pieces were then cleared and cut then taped out for the next two colors, Hot Hues red and base white for the two crosses that complete the flag.

After laying out the rippled flag, complete with shadows and highlights to add dimension, I cleared the pieces again. Now I was ready to start rendering the "lone wolf". I started with the wolfs eyes to establish its character. If I didn't capture the intensity of this carnivorous disposition all of this English lads new American Biker friends would have at him about his cute little puppy on his tank. I worked on the wolfs features with a diluted white and came back over changing out colors several times. I rendered the texture of the fur with multiple layers of dagger strokes. I then tightened the whole piece up with candy black and white highlights.
The Flag was finished with silver pinstripes and the fenders were given a double pinstripe in red and silver to tie the whole project together. The rear fender was also given a red medallion featuring the insignia of this chaps M/C club back home in merry old England.
With the final coat of clear laid down and polished smooth and extra shiny this cool custom finally had the paint it deserved