When someone hands you a blank Ducati Monster tank and asks “What would you do if it was your bike?”. Hmmm, I would want something that represents the nature of this bike – the power, the electricity, the true Monster. Frankenstein was the ideal choice for this and the nostalgic black and white image goes great with the colour scheme.

After masking it off and drawing in some feature guidelines, I started this portrait of Boris Karloff as Frankenstein with a very light grey mix of House of Kolor’s S225 Jet Black and S226 Bright White to help map out his face and build texture. This mix was reduced with RU312 Slow Reducer at the ratio of 1:1. I find that I get less tip dry and spatter by using the Slow reducer. I then darkened the mix with some more S225 to help with depth and shadow. It is essential to add these layers as it builds dimension to the face.

Now I start on the dark shadows and brightest highlights to really make the face pop. First the shadows with a Dark Grey and then an over reduced S225 Jet Black. The Highlights were pure S226 Bright White that was thinned to reduce the spatter that comes with spraying White.

With the Portrait now finished, I back masked it and sprayed the stripe with BC02 Orion Silver. This was to match the frame of the bike. The fade was done with the same over reduced Black that finished off the portrait. A slash pinstripe was added in U03 Roman Red striping Enamel to help represent the trademark Ducati Red. This was carried on throughout various pieces of the bike.

The bike was then cleared using HOK’s USC01 Show Clear at the 3:1:1 mixing ratio (3 Parts Clear:1 Part KU152 Hardener:1 Part RU311 Reducer). After the clear had dried for 24 hours, it was sanded with 1200 Wet and Dry and flow coated, again using the same clear but this time mixing it 3:1:2. This second mixing ratio allows the clear to flow out better, giving a smoother finish.

Once delivered, the customer was over the moon with the end result.

All of the colours used for this are available in 70ml sizes for airbrushing purposes and are available through your local distributor or online at www.thecarcarestore.com.au

Building a car can be such a long and frustrating process. House of Kolor is here to help! We have an amazing piece of software that is right up your alley. Our NEW 3D Digital Paintbooth allows you to change paint colours, generate fades, create two tones or even add pre made graphics, I added the stripe to the back of this XB Falcon, all without picking up a spray gun.

This is all well and good for painting the car, but how good would it be if you could also change the rims, shave the door handles and lower the car in the same program? House of Kolor 3D Digital Paintbooth allows this and more. You can change Interior colours, remove or colour code bumpers, debadge vehicles, lower, raise, change wheel dimensions, the possibilities are endless.

After building your vehicle digitally, you can spin it around 360 degrees to see it from all angles, change the background and then save and print to use as the blueprint for your build. Although the 3D version of this software is relatively new, we already have 8 Australian cars on the database with many more on the way. Available through our online store,  3D digital paintbooth will become a valuable tool in the car building process.

All great paint jobs start from the bottom up, put down a poor foundation and no matter how good your top coat is, chances are it will fail. Using this principal House of Kolor have developed a new Hybrid Primer with all the characteristics of an Epoxy Primer and the fast drying and easy sanding capabilities of Acrylic Urethane. I used the KD3000 Grey Primer on a recent motorcycle job at the 4:1 (4 Parts Primer to 1 Part Activator) High Build Primer ratio to lay down a silky smooth ground coat. The KD Series primers can also be mixed at 4:1:1 (4 Parts Primer to 1 Part Activator to 1 Part Reducer) for a Medium Build primer or a 4:1:2 (4 Parts Primer to 1 Part Activator to 2 Parts Reducer) Sealer that can be applied Direct to Metal.

The KD3000 Series primers may also be applied to existing OEM Finishes, aluminium, fibreglass, galvanised surfaces and various plastics. This primer also contains an additive to prevent Benzyl Peroxide bleed-through from body fillers.

KD3000 Series primers are available in a variety of 6 colours that are fully inter-mixable. This means better coverage with less coats, which saves time and money. I found this primer easy to use and a breeze to sand.

One of the most common statements we hear when talking about colours are “I want something that no one else has”. Even though we have a huge range here at House of Kolor, most of the more popular colours have been done. Apple Red – Done, Passion Purple – Done, Tangelo – Done, that’s not to say that if your baby was painted in any of the above it wouldn’t look killer, chances are it has been done before. This is where you need to step out of the box and let your imagination run wild.

Mix it up! If you are a fan of a colour, than why not use it as a base and add a little ‘you’ to it. Like Oriental Blue? Why not add a bit of Orion Silver to give it a little light, or add Cobalt Blue to give it a nice Deep Blue touch. The possibilities are endless. Taking the time to get the mix right can give you a truly unique, one-of-a-kind colour.

Sometimes this is a covert operation with some people being very secretive about the combination used, others are happy to share, or may give a variation on their original mix. Custom colour mixing features in a lot of well known cars including Peter’s Trilogy, Mick’s RAWR, Aaron’s Datto and Mark’s Sublime. Get those creative juices flowing and have fun!