I'd like to share how I have painted a few bike frames.

This one was a commission for a fruit and veg community project.

(I also painted a frame with skulls on before this, I'll put the pics at the end, same method as these though, without the two- tone base of spray paint.)

You will need:

A bike that you want to paint!

Sandpaper!

Paint!
- Montana spray paint: 2 tones of 1 colour for base coat.
- selection of Humbrol enamel paints for your details.
- Montana spray varnish.

Paintbrushes and pens.
- a good selection, including some really thin brushes.

Plastic bags and masking tape!
- to cover all the bits of the bike you don't want to get paint on, including threads and internal holes and wotnot.

Step 1: Draw a Design.

I hand drew my designs then coloured them in on Photoshop.

You don't need to be so thorough, I just did it quite detailed as it was for someone else, to show them the colour plan, and the drawing style.

Yours might be a pencil drawn sketch- or you might just go totally freestyle.

Step 2: Prep Your Bikes!

Take all the gubbins off your frame and forks.

If you don't know how, ask your local community bike workshop to show you.

Wrap all the internal parts of the bike, like threads, with plastic bags and masking tape.

Step 3: Rub the Frames and Forks Down With Sandpaper.

You don't need to completely remove existing paint, it's more a case of getting rid of dirt, and roughing up the surface a little bit so new paint sticks better.

Step 4: Spray Paint Your Forks and Frames With the Base Colour.

I strung mine up on a clothes line, to get a 360° angle of attack.

Wait for it to dry.

If you are going for a 2 tone base colour, like my veg bikes, then spray the lighter tone next in the places you want it.

Wait for that to dry too.

Then spray the living daylights out of the frame and forks with spray varnish.

Wait til that is dry.

Step 5: Paint the Details!

Following your hand drawn design, draw your details onto your frame and forks with a Sharpie pen- this is a guide for you to paint over.

Remember which way up your bike goes, and which way it will be pointing forward when reassembled.

Colour the details in with enamel paint.

Do the middle of the design first- like the bigger area of colours in the fruit on my bikes.

Wait for it to dry.

Outline them in black enamel paint to make them stand out more.

You should be completely covering your Sharpie guide lines.

Wait for that to dry.

Then draw round the black outline with silver metallic marker, to make your details really pop.

Then, spray the bejesus out of the forks and frames with more varnish. Don't be shy with that stuff, but don't do it too thickly in one go or it will run and look messy.

wait for it to dry!