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vehicle graphics: reflective ambulance
not a finished job, more a work in progress!!!
todays challenge…….
started this one this afternoon, i’ve got several outlines now for this model, and none are very accurate, fitting and trimming where need be, or re cutting if i have too (doing that now).
a solid day to keep checking measurements while drawing / tweeking the artwork and trial fitting the promo vinyl templates, a few hours fitting today, another hour tweeking the art, a couple of hours cutting the wording tonight, and a couple more tomorrow to fit,
i suppose all in all it won’t have been a terrible earner! two of these a week and i’d go fishing for the rest!
lucky i like a challenge!
i’ve got 3 more of these suzuki’s to do, as well as two or three skoda octavia estates, i think it’s gonna be more a labour of love than a quick draw/cut/fit job. there’s only about 4 panels which actually go on flat each side! the wheel arches are horrible!
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13 Replies
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Hi Hugh
I know what you mean about these jobs, just had a few cars to do for a local first aid company.
I was told the best way to do the full side is to use clear app tape and then draw on it.
For the few bits I’ve done it’s work very well and I’m using 3M diamond grade so it has to fit right or it doesn’t fit at all.
Still got the side of a Vauxhall Astra to do next month so I’ll let you know how successful it was there.Steve
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still at it! bit of a case of make it up n trim as you go along. stil, the end is in sight, coffee break now!
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If you are going to template the vehicle, a good way is to get hold of some clear acetate on a roll. Tape it on the car and draw the kit onto it. Then you can cut it out to use as a template for hand cutting or digitise it. (You would need a BIG digitiser, mind you!) That’s how we did it for mass production of battenbergs. Application tape is OK, but can stretch when you pull it off.
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cheers Andy, i’ll consider that next time, the main problem with this car is being able to tape anything to the curves by the wheel arches, i think i’ll defo think a bit more about the next one!
the other way to do it, it do take a photo of each panel individually, then work out the pieces from there! the problem lays with the outlines not being 100% (or at least i’m not sure i trust them since i can’t get any one measurement to be the same as on the actual vehicle!), and a photo distorts at the ends!
Hugh -
Im surprised you guys even do it like that. We just trim on the vehicle. Never had any complaints. Just dont push too hard. thats what i say.
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I am trimming on the vehicle where i need too, but the customer was complaining that the other one they have (they had it done elsewhere some time ago) was covered in cuts, score marks, ‘pushed back together’ rips and patches where it was all done on the vehicle, it does look poor to be honest.
where poss i would consider flood coating in one colour reflective, and then adding the rectangles, but with the ever changing contours on the vehicle, it would take someone a hell of a lot better than me to do it !
to be honest, despite being quite a lot of work (2 days now), when i take away the materials, there’s still a few hundred profit, so i’m not gonna complain at £150 a day, sure i probably could’ve done it quicker, or more efficiently, but hey, it’s not a loss!
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see your point and fully agree.
Cant really see the design accurately to understand you you applied it. cant you post a pdf of the design so i can see exactly how you did it.
Thanks
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no probs…
i make up a kit, using outlines or drawing, then make a ‘set ‘ up from cheap promo vinyl (easy to remove!). i then fit this, and see what i need to change,
from there i would then cut the ammended set, slighty oversize where it needs to be trimmed on curves such as the wheel arches on this one. then i would fit / trim as required.
to be honest, i’m not very ‘orientated’ and get easily distracted by the computer each time i come down to the workshop to grab something! i reckon a solid 6-8 hrs on fitting (including the promo templates, replacing mess ups etc), if you compress the artwork time into one lump, i’d guess it was about 5-6hrs, some of that would be measuring, remeasuring, and double checking !
i’m not the most organised person!
still, here it is, finished a couple of hours ago. you can see the curves around the wheel arches. nasty!
ps, view pics in reverse!
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wow there is some work there mate !!!
I like the way you have made the files, be worth some money very professional.
only one crit I don’t like the sticker on the lower plastic moulding, the job however looks very well fitted
Rich -
quote Richard Urquhart:wow there is some work there mate !!!
I like the way you have made the files, be worth some money very professional.
only one crit I don’t like the sticker on the lower plastic moulding, the job however looks very well fitted
RichCheers Rich.
I might consider selling them as kits (hence the cut file image i posted above is not the finished article and many bits are still wrong!).
as for the sticker.. yeah, don’t like it but there was nowhere else for it, i might tell em to come back round in the week and i’ll move it to the rear bumper, trouble is, all those bits get caked in mud!
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there is a lot of work there hope you made money on it. Dont think they would have got a job like that done buy anyone else as good as that.
See a pic of a fleet of ambulances we have done. In total about ten. I just cut the stripes on sets of two. Start with the middle large one and work outwards. We just trim on the vehicle. I stick promo vinyl in the square sections that i want to cut out and then trim on the edge if it at the end and then peal the promo vinyl off.
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quote daneread:there is a lot of work there hope you made money on it. Dont think they would have got a job like that done buy anyone else as good as that.
See a pic of a fleet of ambulances we have done. In total about ten. I just cut the stripes on sets of two. Start with the middle large one and work outwards. We just trim on the vehicle. I stick promo vinyl in the square sections that i want to cut out and then trim on the edge if it at the end and then peal the promo vinyl off.
i can see how that works on that type of design, if i had to give it some thought then i guess i’d go the same route on that style. they look good too!
just don’t think it would work in the same way on a vehicle with as many tricky angles as the suzuki. i’ve got two more to do, poss three, all different models 😕
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good luck and enjoy.
By the way what vinyl are you using.
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