Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man replica bike project

With Spring officially here, I thought this would be a timely post to do. I was approached by a new client that was building a replica bike from the movie Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man. He had contacted me through the company Facebook page inquiring if I would be interested in re-creating the lettering job done on the hero bike, ridden by Micky Rouke. The answer was a quick ... You Bet!  Being from the 2 wheeled community, and having watched the movie myself, it was a perfect fit. Not to mention. a great use of the hand lettering skills.

                                                                  Picture courtesy of the web

My client had fabricated the bike from the ground up, and needless to say, I was blown away by the attention to detail. My job was to replicate the lettering and graphics. We decided to stick as close as possible to the lettering done on the original bike. There are other bikes people had built, but I would be only using reference from the movie bike. Whoever had painted the original had put their own touch to the lettering, so it was important for me to try and capture it. There were a few subtle differences in the tank, so I had to improvise on the positioning of the lettering. In the end, the client was thrilled to say the least, and it was a piece that I'm glad to share with you. Here's a few pictures of the work in progress. And I'd like to say a big thank you Andy, for trusting me with a piece of your dream project. 

The blank canvas.

Due to the curved surface, the pattern was applied in separate pieces. This way, you have the luxury to move it around.and adjust to the surface. Another trick I use is to print off part of the layout, instead of redrawing it, and pounce the print. It saves you a little time. And no, it's not cheating, you still have to paint it.

                With the layout in place, it's time to get the brushes out and mix some paint.

With the orange on, it's time to move onto the outlining. Time to turn up the tunes and get into the outlining zone.

 

Just about there. Next step, paint inline and card detail. 

                                                       

Sorry about the glare, the lettering is really orange. 

 

The finished job. I was asked to change a few cards to represent some important points in the client's life.

The finished bike. It's always nice to be part of a custom build. It's the type of job that someone has put their heart and soul into, and they have the trust in you to be part of it. PS... it sounds as good as it looks. Thanks for taking the time to drop by.