Is handpainting valued anymore????
 

Since the invention of decals everyone is now a master artist when it comes to preparing a team. Very few handpaint anymore which is why I pose the question is a handpainted team valued anymore. I am guilty and most of the rest of you are guilty of taking the easy way out with decals heck even Al has started to use decal numbers instead of painting them or the old stick ons. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all of the decal makers out there and the time and effort that went into their work but can we still paint? Is painting like riding a bike or does the skill deterioriate the longer you don't use it? Any thoughts? I am interested to hear what you think.

re
 

I prefer hand painted teams. The only problem is I can't hand paint well enough to make a team look close to respectable.

I Understand BigDawg
 

Coach,

I think its still valued by the critical eye. To me, painting is an art. Even in the electric football world. However, one of the things I find flawed in handpainting teams is the uniformity of the players.

It depends on your purpose for painting and who the end user is. I just got through with an order for a customer who wanted 2,000 handpainted custom figures. It took me 1/2 year to just create all the poses he wanted. In the oft-hours, I painted. I was relieved to have the luxury of having decals to use. It gave the players the authentic feel of reality because all the uniforms were very uniformed.

Don't get me wrong. I love the work of Ravenna Al and some legendary painters like two of my best friends, Jay Boy and the late-Dirk Thomas. When you see their work, it was extraordinary "Picasso". However, you could not rush them to do the job. I think you can still do high quality work and the decal allows that.

Guys like Chris Stacey, Terry Popham, Hulie Diggs, Eightball, and Mike Guttman all give you that high quality flawless look which when you are looking for uniformity, is very important.

I want to know every time that every line and every helmet is going to be the same. That's my definition of a uniform. It looks EXACTLY the same every time.

I think beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I do appreciate the beauty of the freehand painter but technology has allowed us the ability to expedite a process 10-fold. For a guy like me, who never sleeps and is always working on projects/orders, that's of the utmost importance to me.

Just my Opinion,

Reg

Reg raises some good points. I have always preferred painting, probably because when decals were first being generated the colors were not completely opaque plus I didn't have the patience. So at the time I only used them on helmet logos, names and white jerseys. Now I know they (decals) have gotten better but I still prefer painting.

For me the rule is if I can paint it then I do. I use self adhesive vinyl numbers that I either trim by hand or they are cut by a vinyl cutter. I make decals for names but sometimes I use paper and paint around it.

Like Reg said it's in the eye of the beholder. I can deal with stripes that aren't exactly the same especially if it means that their is no dot pattern or transparency.

David C.

Well, you know you hit a sore subject with me, Bigdawg. Sure, decals are uniform and look great. But what skill does it really take to put them on? Paintings not easy. If it was, there wouldn't be a market for decals. And it takes lots and lots of practice, especially if you're like me and can't draw worth a lick. And the thing is, you don't really need alot of talent, just the willingness to be patient, be persistent, and find a technique that works for you.

You mentioned something about skills deteriorating. I think to an extent, if you use decals all the time then you will lose some ability to paint stripes and logos. I know when I don't paint for long periods of time that when I do paint, it's hard to get back into the swing of things. But if I paint a few teams in a row, then I get into a "groove" and the stripes and logos are a lot easier, with less screw ups.


But alas, I do feel like hand painting is becoming a lost art. The worst part is all the pics of decalled teams. They look so good that guys get discouraged, thinking that they'll never be able to paint good enough. I know my teams will never look as good as decalled, but I keep trying. That's why I posted on the other board pics of my old teams, some of which are pretty rough. There are a few new guys who are pretty good painters, and I was hoping that if they saw some of my earlier work that they might think "Hey, my stuff looks just as good as his, maybe I'm better than I thought I was" and be encouraged to keep painting because the more they paint, the better they'll get.

I think hand painting is still valued when done right.When I see some of the paint jobs on this site I think my work looks crappy even though my paint and decal work is very good.

I feel Handpainting is very Valued.
 

For me I love a combination of the two Decals & hand painting , I love to paint my own Pant stripes and have gotten quite good at it through trail & error. When you see work like J-Boys, Steven Miles, Reg, Don, Ravanna Al,Chris Stacey,Chris R,Terry Popham, Beenutt, D.C ( Da Kid) and so many other great creators it gets you pumped to create, I think really though that it is a marriage of two different entities, The decals and good hand painting skills make a lethal combination when seen on a good looking figure. Maybe one day i may even try do do helemt logos by hand like my man Ravanna Al (GOD willing lol).

For me, I wish I could take the whole man...stick him in one of those laminaters and apply a whole full body decal. Done.

Beware, I am the Anti-Ravenna AL. LOL

As all of you know, I love creating teams for everyone. Decalling is a break from painting, as painting is a break from decalling. That's how I look at it. I have a few customers who want 95% hand painted, which is very tough to do, especially trying to get all the stripes the same width and straight. The other 5% are the helmets. I use decal emblems on all the teams. I admit, I Suck at doing helmet emblems.
Take another look at the Ducks I did for Raiderman...and the Colts. Those teams are 50% painted and 50% decalled. The stripes on the figures are all hand painted. You need a lot of trust in your steadiness, and your brushes. I go through all 3 types of brushes I use every 4 teams before they get slightly deformed and don't perform the way I want them too.
Just my 2 cents...
Mike

I suck at Decals
 

Sometimes I think my painting is ok,then I come here ,get Humbeld immediatly after seeing the Brilliant painting that goes on.Then I think at least there decals, weeeell at 6'3'' my hands are big and I cant work my fingers into small areas,so I use tweezers or a paintbrush and I still suck! Especially those little NFL neck decals and shoe decals. I had to stop doing them cause my tweezers were gettin fat from eating all the decals.And if that isnt bad enough when I use a paintbrush to transfer decals onto the figure they go
MIA ,where do they go?
Erick

as a new guy into the painting thing.. i like the fact that the decals are available for the intricate details like helmet logos. and names as i could never come close to doing that by hand. I love to paint , i do as much as i can.. i like to detail the gloves, shoes, elbow pads, try to paint skin neck lines etc.. but i have no luck with numbers or names and cant afford to ruin the hard work i do put into them guys i paint by painting crappy looking names and numbers.
but thats just my 2 cents worth. Rick

Reg has made some great points, and I totally agree with Rick & Guttman
 

In a perfect world, Weirdwolf's idea would be the best. But in our little football world, it really does depend on your personal tastes. Some love the look of hand painted, some prefer the decals. I like both as a collector. But as a craftsman, I like to paint whatever I can, and decal what I know I can't.
At my age, (41) I can't see as well as I used to so it's more challenging to paint. But then again, decalling isn't easy by any means!
Here's some of my paint work on my Miggle proline figures. While someone might love them, I think they pale in comparison to Mike's awesome work above. Depends on what YOU personally like.

I was hoping to find some
 

gray beards out there that still liked to paint. I personally haven't fully painted a team in a while, although I would love to do so, time just hasn't allowed it. Sometimes I have to paint a figure or two just to make sure that I haven't lost it. I love the look of a handpainted figure and guys that have been mentioned set the bar high for us to follow. But don't get discouraged and let the art go away. Mike, OUFan stop posting pics you are scaring off the new painters LOL!!!! Keep up the awesome work guys we enjoy seeing it.

i like both....
 

Painting has long been one of the things that has survived in this hobby through the years.

It allowed you to come up with any team from any era to hit the field. After decals became more easy to use (the first type you needed to have a white backround for the color white) I really like decals.

I agree with Reg and Guttman about have the team be uniformed. My painting was kind of close, but never on the helmet logos.

I keep trying to get better with the final product so I can move up on the "detailing" list like I move up and down on the coaching lists....

Below are some of my teams over the last few years

Everbody...
 

can't paint. That's the bottom line. I can paint (not numbers or logos). I am like this, because of th fact I can't paint straght lines (without going back and cleaning them up) I use decals to save time and frustration. Why not do something that makes life easier, like suitcases with wheels. Just because someone paints everything does not make them better than someone that uses decals and vice versa. Like Reggie said, I like all of men to look the same. If I paint eight men and the striping on two of them isn't right then I have to go back and fix them, more time, ain't got it. Just my opinion.

For Erick
 

Hey Erick when using decals and getting them in tight spaces try useing a toothpic.Thats what I put my decals on with.

Thank you WF
 

Hey WF thank for responding and with a great idea!I will try this on Sunday(cause of work).I really appreciate that.It can be really frustrating Im going to see if I could paint my players and have someone else decal for me.
Erick

my teams
 

Here are a few of my team.My camera is not that good though.

Sweet!
 

Those guys are awesome. Did you paint the shirt neck line or is that a decal?

The neck line is a decal.I am one of the first to start the neck lines.Mike beal sent me some when i did my wolverines.Three years ago everybody at AJs tourney was like where did you get the neck lines from.They really make the guys stand out.

re
 

Great pics. Great job. What team is that blue and yellow team, are they a college team ? I think I have seen them before.:D

I agree WF
 

They are very nice. I have to get in touch with Mike on those, thanks.

YEs they are a college team.The Michigan Wolverines.GO BLUE.
Just finished the ohio state team for my michigan ohio state rivalry.I had bruce make me a michigan board last year.It turned out sweet.

I am just messing with you.:D
I actually want Michigan to win every week of the season........ except for when they play The Bucks.
I live about 15 minutes away from campus and even went to OSU vs. UM in 97. { Went to college their as well. } Well you know what happened that year { we had Cooper as coach} .
Bruce does nice work, I have a board from him that does not have any markings.

Yea we have a cooper coach now with carr.Cant beat ohio state or win a bowl game either.He needs to go.
Yea bruce boards are sweet.I have a michigan and packer board.