I spent the past 2 nights working on the marquee. I originally started with the same style as the CP and sides. It just did not groove with the title BLACKOUT. I finally got rid of the red/orange bars. I do not necessarily like the blue lines at the bottom either. I had it on the CP and the side art so I felt that it should somehow play into the marquee as well. I had tried a chrome outline, but I eventually scrapped it as I like the stark blackness.
I worked on the second coat of primer today. (I sanded the first coat yesterday). This was a second can, and I have to say how nice this primer was to work with. It felt much smoother than and not as thick as the first can. I thing I might have gotten a bum can of primer or something. I should mention is that I had the Home Depot add a black pigment to the primer. I would have liked the primer to be even darker, but they said that this was as dark as they could take it without goofing up the make up of the paint.
Tonight I started zeroing in on the art. I had originally used the program CP Designer to make the layout as it had all the buttons, joysticks, and trackball to scale in the software. I then took that and made the original artwork in Photoshop. After all my drilling and shaping, I had a real life, full scale, physical thing to work with and visualize with. So my layout changed a little. Tonight, I made my Photoshop file match the physical panel. I am not sure if my original design will work how I imagined it. I am still tinkering with it though. One thing I am sure of is that I am going to be using this color scheme. But most likely, It will stay close.
So, below is my updated art and a second one with the stuff on it.
Ok well I have now started into the paint stage of the game. Wow, what a long strange trip its been. I have decided to use both spray paint and rolled paint on the cab. The only thing is that you can not use standard latex paint with spray paint as the oil and latex will argue. I decided to use oil all the way around. As I understand it, it will give a smoother and stronger finish. The other plus is that I can safely spray paint over the top of the rolled stuff. I found the same flavor spray paint as the oil I intend to use so it should all match up nicely. The Primer is Kils, and the spray is Rust-o-lium Satin Black.
I did the CP top with completely with spray as it would eventually be covered up anyway. I am really just painting it in case any edges ever show through. I sprayed a couple layers of primer, then sanded with 300 grit sand paper. Once I got it nice and smooth, I sprayed it with black matte. I also sanded it between coats here as well. This was way overkill for something that no one would see, but I would know.
I sprayed the CP outside and did notice that there were a few flecks of dust afterwards. Not a major thing as it would be covered, but I do not want this on the cabinet. Being that I live in Georgia (the pollen capitol of the world, and Canada), I decided to make a makeshift paint booth. This way I can keep sawdust and pollen out (sort of) and paint fumes in (sort of). Seemed like a good idea and seems to be working (sort of).
I wanted to see what the difference would be with spray vs. foam roller. I have read that using a foam roller will give a smoother finish than a standard nappy roller. Frankly I am a little concerned that the rolled paint will not be as smooth as a sprayed surface. More, I am worried that you will see roller marks. I poured a good portion of primer into my pan and started rolling the cabinet sides. Two things that struck me were how thick, and not smooth the primer was. I am going to finish the first layer of prime then sand. I am hoping that this is a primer thing and the paint will go on smoother.
