by NoBiggie Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:08 pmHave been a lurker for awhile, and finally pulled the trigger to join the forum. I love first gen vans, but don't own one yet, still looking for the right Econoline shorty panel. I really enjoy seeing everyone's projects and completed vans. Just awesome stuff!
I enjoy working on graphics and design for the vans. When I was 11 or 12 in 1974 or so, I used to spend my summers working with my dad in Phoenix custom painting vans. We would paint the vans right out on the car lot using one of the mechanic bays in the back. We used to use stencils and put these awesome scenes of palmtrees and surfers, cowboys and cactus and many others in the upper panels and custom paint the rest. Wish I had old pics, but I don't think any exist. Would love to see how funny they would look now, but everyone loved it then!
From there I always did custom striping and graphics on cars until at 18 I moved to Kansas City and worked in a custom paint shop. We painted hundreds of conversion vans in the late 70's for an outfit called Smitty's Vans in Belton, MO. Got out of it all a few years later but have done computer graphics for a hobby since.
I use Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Yesterday I thought I would try and make a few graphics that could be used on t-shirts. Got a ways to go, but it's fun to play around. Here are a few I made.
Anyways, it's great to be here and I hope soon I will have a new van for my avatar!
Craig
I enjoy working on graphics and design for the vans. When I was 11 or 12 in 1974 or so, I used to spend my summers working with my dad in Phoenix custom painting vans. We would paint the vans right out on the car lot using one of the mechanic bays in the back. We used to use stencils and put these awesome scenes of palmtrees and surfers, cowboys and cactus and many others in the upper panels and custom paint the rest. Wish I had old pics, but I don't think any exist. Would love to see how funny they would look now, but everyone loved it then!
From there I always did custom striping and graphics on cars until at 18 I moved to Kansas City and worked in a custom paint shop. We painted hundreds of conversion vans in the late 70's for an outfit called Smitty's Vans in Belton, MO. Got out of it all a few years later but have done computer graphics for a hobby since.
I use Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Yesterday I thought I would try and make a few graphics that could be used on t-shirts. Got a ways to go, but it's fun to play around. Here are a few I made.
Anyways, it's great to be here and I hope soon I will have a new van for my avatar!
Craig
