Jb40k
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'Sticker art (also known as sticker bombing, "sticker slapping", slap tagging, and sticker tagging) is a form of street art in which an image or message is publicly displayed using stickers' - Wikipedia.
I'm not entirely sure where the concept of stickerbombing originates, however the style is massive on the Japanese modified car scene (Google images link for some great examples), and has been slowly creeping into the Euro-style scene too. There seems to be a real love-hate feeling for it, personally in the right places and not overdone, I love it; and following the worlds slowest collision into the rear of an SV650 resulting in a smashed carbon fender (see pics 1 and 2), decided now was the time to try it for myself!
This is also my first guide; I don't claim that this is the best way, only the way I've done it... It's probably also worth noting that I've written this with a specific application to a front fender, but the tools and technique from stage 4 on are fairly adaptable to any bodywork or panels you wish to get sticky with!
To start, there are a few things you will need, see pic 3;
For those unfamiliar, unless you have a massive collection of stickers (see Pic 4), the Stickerbomb book is a must have and is readily available via [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=stickerbomb&x=0&y=0"]Amazon[/ame] or [ame="http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=stickerbomb+book&_sacat=0&_odkw=stickerbomb&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313"]eBay[/ame].
Stage 1 - Pic 5
Clean up the underside of the fender. Mine was fairly clean and was a simple case of sponging down with warm soapy water and rinsing before leaving to air dry for a few hours. Using the tape I patched up the splits in the fender from the underside, leaving a little to overlap the edge of the carbon.
Stage 2 - Pic 6
Trim the the overlapping tape and smooth down, ensuring there are as few creases in the tape as possible - Not only to keep the end result as smooth as posisble, but also to reinforce the lip of the fender. I then forced the splintered carbon on the top into the tape on the underside, ready for the next step.
Stage 3 - Pic 7
Starting with the heaviest grit Wet and Dry, start to sand down and remove the freying carbon and cracked finish. You may notice a red line marked across the middle of the fender, I used this as a guide to show how far back the stickerbomb design was going to go... Anyway, keep going with the Wet and Dry until you are happy with the texture of the finish.
Stage 4 - Pic 8 / Pic 9 / Pic 10
Start sticking! I didn't want too clean a line to the design, so chose specific stickers with the right edges. Starting along the red line and working my way down, across the face of the fender. Overlapping and aiming to use predominantly black/white/red stickers, to fit in with the colour scheme of my bike... There are literally pages of stickers and individual designs to choose from in the book! You can see from the picture that overlapping stickers under the fender is a good idea to keep the aesthetics consistant.
Continued on next post...
I'm not entirely sure where the concept of stickerbombing originates, however the style is massive on the Japanese modified car scene (Google images link for some great examples), and has been slowly creeping into the Euro-style scene too. There seems to be a real love-hate feeling for it, personally in the right places and not overdone, I love it; and following the worlds slowest collision into the rear of an SV650 resulting in a smashed carbon fender (see pics 1 and 2), decided now was the time to try it for myself!
This is also my first guide; I don't claim that this is the best way, only the way I've done it... It's probably also worth noting that I've written this with a specific application to a front fender, but the tools and technique from stage 4 on are fairly adaptable to any bodywork or panels you wish to get sticky with!
To start, there are a few things you will need, see pic 3;
- Gorilla / Duct / heavy duty tape
- Craft knives / stanley blades
- Wet and Dry - Various grades
- Clear laquer (not pictured)
- Stickerbomb book / stickers
For those unfamiliar, unless you have a massive collection of stickers (see Pic 4), the Stickerbomb book is a must have and is readily available via [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=stickerbomb&x=0&y=0"]Amazon[/ame] or [ame="http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=stickerbomb+book&_sacat=0&_odkw=stickerbomb&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313"]eBay[/ame].
Stage 1 - Pic 5
Clean up the underside of the fender. Mine was fairly clean and was a simple case of sponging down with warm soapy water and rinsing before leaving to air dry for a few hours. Using the tape I patched up the splits in the fender from the underside, leaving a little to overlap the edge of the carbon.
Stage 2 - Pic 6
Trim the the overlapping tape and smooth down, ensuring there are as few creases in the tape as possible - Not only to keep the end result as smooth as posisble, but also to reinforce the lip of the fender. I then forced the splintered carbon on the top into the tape on the underside, ready for the next step.
Stage 3 - Pic 7
Starting with the heaviest grit Wet and Dry, start to sand down and remove the freying carbon and cracked finish. You may notice a red line marked across the middle of the fender, I used this as a guide to show how far back the stickerbomb design was going to go... Anyway, keep going with the Wet and Dry until you are happy with the texture of the finish.
Stage 4 - Pic 8 / Pic 9 / Pic 10
Start sticking! I didn't want too clean a line to the design, so chose specific stickers with the right edges. Starting along the red line and working my way down, across the face of the fender. Overlapping and aiming to use predominantly black/white/red stickers, to fit in with the colour scheme of my bike... There are literally pages of stickers and individual designs to choose from in the book! You can see from the picture that overlapping stickers under the fender is a good idea to keep the aesthetics consistant.
Continued on next post...
