posted
does any body know how mike lavalle paints those realistic flames on those motorcyles and cars. He sould have class because I would show up just to learn that style
-------------------- john m frankel pinstriping & artwork by john m frankel 3261 liberty ave alameda, ca 94501 frankel@alamedanet.net Posts: 60 | From: alameda, california | Registered: Feb 2004
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-------------------- Harris Kohen K-Man Pinstriping and Graphix Trenton, NJ "Showing the world that even I can strategically place the pigment where its got to go." Posts: 1739 | From: Trenton, NJ, USA | Registered: Jun 2001
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continuing from Doug's answer, using your eyes, has a lot to do with it too, and add some decades of practice!
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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did some searching myself & found this quote from Mike
quote:...I guess I've painted more realistic fire than just about anybody around and the way I do it is I start off with orange and then proceed to use my candy colors, first candy red then back to orange then candy tangerine then chrome yellow followed by candy yellow then a whit/yellow mixture followed by more candy yellow then finally a touch of white in the hot spots. after I'm done with this I'll usually add some purple pearl to the ends for a nice finishing touch. the best reff's I have for fire I took myself at night.....just not in the birdbath anymore hope that helps. Mike
-------------------- Terry Baird Baird Signs 3484 West Lake Rd. Canandaigua, NY 14424 Posts: 790 | From: Canandaigua, New York | Registered: Dec 2002
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I just squirted "natural" flames, as I call them,this past week on an Excursion for a customer. We shot the flames, cleared, and reassembled in the paint shop, then it comes to the sign shop next week for lettering (Fireplace Fashions, a custom fireplace shop that I've been lettering trucks for for 20 years now.)
I use House Of Kolor Shimrons, in this most recent job, Ultra Orange Shimron Pearl, Tangelo Shimron Pearl and Sunrise Pearl, and in a few areas, I cut the Sunrise with some Snowhite Pearl.
I build up my colors slowly, starting at the back with my darks. In generally do the entire job in the darkest color first (Ultra Orange), and then go back and layer over some mid-tonwe colors closer to the front, and finally some lights right up onto the nose.
In terms of composition, I just "think" like the fire. (I know, that sounds waaay to deep, but what I mean is, as far as how fire burns, and the paths it follows.)
I've tried sketching it out in white first, and it came off looking a bit to "stark" or clean for me.
Like everything else in airbrush work..to me it boils down to observation, and light and shadow. Posts: 465 | From: / | Registered: Jan 2000
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Brian... That looks GREAT. Are you gonna post pix when it's all lettered up? And it is true that replicating stuff like flames has a lot too do with just observing and letting it happen. When we try to make things look what we "think" they should look like, they tend to look too mechanical. Fire is a loose and changing thing, it does help to try and let it be itself, then see what falls out of your brush. I do that a lot with marbling. Love...Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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Mike also does "boot camps" and will show you all his secrets if you wish to attend.
Retaining all he shows you is a really big challenge.
Incidently Mike never calls them "flames" just "Fire"
You might want to find out where and when he attends his next meet...altho I suspect his "meet" time is getting hard to come by.
He's an incredible talent and he's willing to share with all...his best quote is "loose to tight, dark to light"...that'll give you the biggest hint as to how he does it.
Mike has been known to spend hours burning things and taking pictures of the flames.Over the last few years he has changed his original "recipe" and is perfecting it all the time.
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6720 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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