Most of us like to think about cars as simple tools that get us from point A to point B. In reality, though, cars can be easily seen as the extension of our personality. Whether we like it or not, people will judge us based on what we drive. If the car we are driving is messy, people will think we are sloppy. If it’s powerful… Well, you get the point.

So, why not give your favorite four-wheeler a bit of your own personality and make it fresh again? Here are a couple of simple steps that will help you make custom paint designs for a car.

Have a pretty good idea about what you want

Yeah, this may sound a bit on the nose but even so, repainting the entire car is far more taxing than taking some time to come up with appropriate ideas. Custom paint designs can range from something as basic as a simple combination of colors to flames and various sketches.

So, consider what you use the car for, what exactly you want to achieve, ask your friends what they think about it and proceed to action only when you are 100% sure you want that Jolly Roger on the hood.

Prepare to protect the car with some detailing options

As soon as the paint dries off, you should try to protect your new state-of-the-art ride with an outer layer. Dust, dirt, debris, and twigs can easily damage a fresh coat of paint. Here, you have two options. Waxing the body will provide reasonable protection and keep the car polished for about six months.

However, if you want to get the real deal, you should check out what are the top nano ceramic coating kits and make your stocks. Aside from forming a much more durable layer and lasting for about a year, you will also get a shining look to complement the paint design.

Apply the first primer coat

The first coat of paint you are going to apply is not the color but rather the primer. So, don’t skip the following step even if you don’t plan on updating the car paint, which is something we strongly suggest. No matter how hard we try to preserve it, the paintwork degrades as time goes by.

Fresh custom paint designs look far better on a fresh coat of paint. Be that as it may, you will need to make a couple of runs with a primer. When the primer is applied, run this layer down with wet sandpaper to get rid of the bumps and uneven surfaces.

Apply the base color coat

Now, it’s time to tackle the base color layer. As we mentioned above, we advise that you repaint the entire vehicle to avoid color discrepancies. How to do that? First, duck-tape the windshield, grill, and all other parts you don’t want repainted.

Step two – find yourself a good paint sprayer since they provide the biggest and most even coverage. Do this until you get 7 to 8 solid coats. When you are done, find fine grade sandpaper and gently brush the top lvayer while you are flushing the water over the sanded area.

Duck-tape, draw, cut

Now is the time to unleash your creativity. So, get yourself a sturdy masking tape and cover the area you want to apply the custom paint designs on. Why this specific type? Well, masking tape gives you a pretty good surface for drawing and provides rock-solid protection when you start painting.

When you cover a sufficient area, draw the image you want. If you are not a modern-day Picasso, an overhead projector will give you an image you can trace. Now, find a sharp knife and gently cut out the tape areas that will be painted in another color. 

Apply the custom design

It’s finally time to apply the custom paint designs you always wanted. Here, it all depends on what you have imagined. More complex, layered imagery will probably require a couple of runs with masking tape and new layers of color.

Also, sketches and drawings will probably need to be outlined. You will be able to do that with a dedicated car paint marker you can find in any paint shop. But, as far as the base colors go, you can use the same paint sprayer you used when applying the base color. When the paint is dry, remove the tape.

Protect the paintwork

We are finally at the end, which means it is time to take out the ceramic coating supplies you have made in step two and cover the new paintwork with this glass-like protective layer. Although this process is not that complex, you should do your research before rolling up the sleeves. Fortunately, we have already published an article about this topic so you can check it out for a quick reference. It would be such a waste to ruin all the hard work you have invested up until now in this final step.

These few steps will provide you with more than enough knowledge to get you started in custom paint designs. From this point on, it all depends on the hard work, time, and effort you are ready to invest. Try this out – the results you will get will more than make up for the trouble.