The works of art pictured above were created by Mark Khaisman, out of packing tape layered on plexiglass. The tape happens to be translucent, and when the plexi substrate is backlit, the effect (I’m told) is breathtaking.

Mark was born in Kiev in 1958, studied Art and Architecture at the Moscow Architectural Institute, and currently lives in Philadelphia.

His website

My friend Nicko and I have been throwing around business ideas lately, and room graphics really resonated with us. It appeals to Nicko’s artistic sensibility, and my own love of custom work. Oh, and I already have the capability.

I threw up a bare-bones website, and we are going to do a couple of tests in order to work out kinks and build a portfolio. If you want in, email me!

I won a little half helmet at the ‘07 New Haven scooter rally, and immediately decided to paint it. I always wanted an olive drab helmet like this to wear with aviator goggles. I took some photos, so here’s a basic how-to on painting something like this, from primer to pinstripes.

Here we have the original helmet, after scuffing with a sanding block. If you want to do a really good job, work up the grit to around 1000. I’m just creating a fine-toothed surface texture for the primer to bite into. You don’t want to see big scratches, but you don’t want a glossy shine either.

Welp, I didn’t photograph this, but I masked off the plastic brim and all the rivets with masking tape. I’d say this is one of the most important steps, and the more time you spend doing quality masking, the better the outcome. I put little squares of tape over the rivets, then scribed them with an X-acto knife.

Get a good high-solid primer. Don’t destroy an airbrush or gun with primer; just get a spraycan from Home Depot. I’ve used Rust-oleum here. It’s thick stuff, and will self-level and fill in the fine scratches you made earlier. Give it a few coats, sanding with high-grit paper in between. You’re looking for a nice, smooth finish after priming, so shine lights on the workpiece to make sure you’re getting it. This is another critical stage, so take your time.

Now for the fun part- topcoat. Make sure you mix up enough color for a few coats, and store in a glass jar. Spray the properly reduced airbrush paint over your primer, in LIGHT coats. Just a few light coats will do. Remember, you’re just tinting the primer to the desired color, not adding body or protection or anything. Just coloring. When you’ve adequately colored the surface, Let it cure for a couple of days. You wouldn’t want the paint to outgas after you’ve clearcoated it.

I wanted a flat finish, so I purchased a flat clear kit from KustomShop. It’s called “Hot Rod Flatz”, and is made specifically for a nice, matte finish. Alternatively, you can buy flattener additives, or just use talcum powder. You get what you pay for, of course. Anyway, any urethane paint is horrid stuff with carcinogenic isocyanates, so I set up my workspace outside.*

Follow your paint system’s mixing, prep and application instructions. For a rattle-can, non-scary alternative, go with Krylon UV Clear. Either way, work with ventilation and wear a respirator. This is serious stuff.

After clearing, I broke out the dagger and laid a nice little stripe on the helmet. This isn’t the place for an all-out pinstriping explanation, but this is. If you go the KustomShop route, pick up some One Shot paints and pinstriping brushes while you’re there. They’ve got airbrush paint too, and pretty much everything else you need for a project like this.

I hope you enjoyed this! I will edit the post to add a better photo of the completed helmet soon. You can adapt this method to paint almost any smooth surface. Remember, you need just a weak layer of color sandwiched between a strong primer and a strong topcoat.

*No indoor booth yet, but when I’ve built one, expect a tutorial on that.