Pin striping (pinstriping) is the application of a very thin line of

paint Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

or other material called a pin stripe, and is generally used for decoration. Freehand pin stripers use a specialty brush known as a

pinstriping brush A pinstriping brush is the tool of traditional free hand pin stripers use for pin striping. Freehand pin striping is the most difficult method of pin striping and the brush is an important tool for design. Pinstriping brushes have several different ...

. Fine lines in textiles are also called ''

pinstripes Pinstripes are a pattern of very thin stripes of any color running in parallel. The pattern is often found in fashion. The pinstripe is often compared to the similar chalk stripe. Pinstripes are very thin, often in width, and are created with ...

''. Automotive, bike shops, and do-it-yourself car and motorcycle mechanics use paint pin striping to create their own custom look on the automotive bodies and parts.

Motorcycles

Pin striping can commonly be seen exhibited on custom motorcycles, such as those built by Choppers Inc.,

Indian Larry Indian Larry (born Lawrence DeSmedt; April 28, 1949 – August 30, 2004) was a motorcycle builder and artist, stunt rider, and biker. He first became known as Indian Larry in the 1980s when he was riding the streets of New York City on a chopped ...

, and West Coast Choppers. The decorative use of pin striping on motorcycles as it is commonly seen today was pioneered by artists Kenny Howard (a.k.a. Von Dutch),

Dean Jeffries Edward Dean Jeffries (February 25, 1933 – May 5, 2013) was an American custom car designer and fabricator, as well as stuntman and stunt coordinator for motion pictures and television programs based in Los Angeles, California. Early life Je ...

, Dennis "Gibb" Gibbish, and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. These artists are considered pioneers of the

Kustom Kulture Kustom Kulture is a neologism used to describe the artworks, vehicles, hairstyles, and fashions of those who have driven and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today. It was born out of the h ...

lifestyle that spawned in the early 1950s, and are widely recognized as the "originators of modern pin striping".St. Antoine, Arthur.
"Interview: Dean Jeffries, Hollywood legend"
- ''

Motor Trend Magazine ''MotorTrend'' is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year, also in 1949. Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published ''MotorTrend'' until 1998, when it was sold to B ...

Automobiles

In automotive body work, pin stripes are a thin vinyl tape or paint. The tape versions are adhered directly to the painted surface in the pattern desired, whilst painted ones are done by skilled artists with 'sword' shaped brushes. The goal of pin striping is to enhance the curves of the surface, and the lines are generally of a

complementary color Complementary colors are pairs of colors which, when combined or mixed, cancel each other out (lose hue) by producing a grayscale color like white or black. When placed next to each other, they create the strongest contrast for those two co ...

. In any other form of decorative pin stripes, the goal is the same. In addition and coincidentally, it can help to hide flaws in the surface such as a scratch or blemish. Pin stripe décor is also applied to motorcycles, bicycles, semi trucks, boats, and surfboards. It is traditionally combined with freehand lettering and, to a lesser degree, sign making. The age of computers and vinyl decals helped undercut the base of traditional sign making and with it the traditional pin striper. While stripers such as Von Dutch (Kenny Howard) and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth are possibly the best known early practitioners of 'modern' pin striping, many of the early stripers cite Tommy "The Greek" Hrones and

as their major influences. Pin striping is still practiced at shops around the world, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars still pin stripes the "coachline" of that company's cars by hand.The Hands of Goodwood: The pin-stripe, or coachline, painted on a Rolls-Royce
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{{Commons category
Video of Ed Roth interviewing Von DutchInterview with Alan Johnson
Painting techniques Visual motifs Vehicle modifications

Motorcycles

Automobiles

Further reading

References

External links