How to add Graffiti To Rolling Stock?

RoundHouseRails posted:

I have seen pictures of peoples O scale rolling stock with absolutely beautiful Graffiti done. So it inspired me to want to be able to bring the very Cool affect onto my layout. I do have an airbrush, so I am more or so concerned with how to get the stencils designed. Let me know, Thanks! 

-Alex

most techniques are on youtube , they are done by hand

I hate graffiti on rail cars.......I do put chalk marks on some of my cars....

The 'KC' and 'Killroy' were done with the old white typewriter correction tape. I just write on it.

There are sellers of graffiti decals if you want real vandalism......  

I've used decals for graffiti, but (in my experience) they come out a little dull.  I've had better luck - and more fun - doing my own using posca paint pens.  They are available on ebay, and likely other sources as well.  Posca paint pens have a nice fine point tip.

Though I originally bought them for graffiti modeling purposes, they've proven pretty useful in doing detail work (e.g. adding detail to seat backs and buildings) as well.

I like the ideas, I think I will do free hand as well as making custom stencils! Thanks

Alex

Scratchbuilder1-48 posted:

RoundHouseRails posted:

I have seen pictures of peoples O scale rolling stock with absolutely beautiful Graffiti done. So it inspired me to want to be able to bring the very Cool affect onto my layout. I do have an airbrush, so I am more or so concerned with how to get the stencils designed. Let me know, Thanks! 

-Alex

most techniques are on youtube , they are done by hand

Looks Incredible!!

Im not going to do on real rolling stock, I think that if done the right way its Great! But it shouldn't be done without permission.

J Daddy posted:

Then there is track graffiti art... not my cup of tea but different...

Someone is going to be in treble for that one...

frizzinbee posted:

I've used decals for graffiti, but (in my experience) they come out a little dull. 

I've had the same problem. Because most of them are ink jet printed on clear film, they aren't as opaque as they need to be. They can only be applied to light colored cars.

There may be a way around this, but it isn't easy. Paint the area under the decal white before applying it. This should help make it pop. I have yet to try this technique, but the theory seems sound.

I have made some decals by isolating the graffiti from photos of real trains using editing software. I plan to print them on white film and trim them closely.

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In the real world, the railroads have three basic rules regarding graffiti:

1. Don't cover reporting marks and car numbers. Most artists know this, and abide by it.
2. No profanity. Again, true artists comply with this. When found, it is usually removed.
3. Do not do it near live tracks (safety).

After that, the railroads don't care, so why should you? Get over it.

Great and informative topic- thank you.

Very interested in this topic, ie: the how to. 

OK, here's one that I did a number of years ago...

Step 1, take a picture of a train that has an interesting image. Best to shoot square to the subject so it isn't skewed.

Step 2, isolate the image using a photo editor. In this case, I added brighter colors.

Step 3, scale and print your image. For this one I used peel and stick window decal film from one of the office supply stores. It is kind of thick and a bit shiny, but it works.

I have a bunch of other images that I did at the same time. Here are some of them:

How about a scene where you have a yard of graffiti painted box cars and you have a work crew scrubbing and painting over one of the cars. Everybody is happy from the paint bombers to the paint bomber haters - just kidding.

On our Christmas layout we are going to have some of the runaway bad boy elves spray paint a box car or two that we'll leave in an abandoned siding - not kidding.

It'll be a good place for our hobos and the displaced elves to hang out. Probably just make our own stencil, tape, spray paint and let it rip. Nothing too fancy.

Thanks for bringing this up. Saw this video that a guy posted on his graffiti technique for O scale.

OK...the mods got several alerts that this thread went off from what the original poster asked....so....lots of editing and deleting had to be done.  If you don't like graffiti, then start a thread about it but don't post it here since this is not what Alex intended....

OGR Ad Man posted:

OK...the mods got several alerts that this thread went off from what the original poster asked....so....lots of editing and deleting had to be done.  If you don't like graffiti, then start a thread about it but don't post it here since this is not what Alex intended....

Thanks! I got great information from a lot of you and Will be taking what you did and trying it!

Alex

MTH made some nice graffiti cars.