Hammerli 1

Brayton Hammerli
Dr. Hanvey
English 1A STACC
2/27/15
Working Between the Lines
Finding your passion in life is essential to your success and happiness.
But joining a group of people who also share your passion can make your
abilities soar. I am a believer that if you surround yourself with people,
images, and the culture of what you want to become, it will only help your
chances of reaching your goals. Finding a discourse community for yourself
can be a big part of your life and contribute to your overall success. A
discourse community can be described as a group of people that come
together with a common goal or purpose, and are able to communicate with
one another in a way such that outsiders may not understand them.
Discourse communities come in many shapes and sizes; they can be vast or
they could be only just a few people to start out with. They seem to give the
impression that they must be academic but John Swales thinks otherwise. He
says, My principal example of a discourse community, I have deliberately
chosen one that is not academic, but which nevertheless is probably typical
enough of many others. The discourse community is a hobby group (473).
John points out that if the requirements are reached almost any group can be
a discourse community, academic or not. As long as the group can agree on
a set of common goals, and communicate to each other in some fashion so

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that they can also give and receive information then the group is half way to
be qualified as a discourse community in Swales eyes. A discourse
community must also use one or more ways of communicating ideas and
information, and must have some of their own jargon or lexis that only
members of the community will understand; lastly there must be a mix of
new members as well as more experienced ones. Discourse communities can
range from doctors, or to small groups like downhill mountain unicycling
enthusiasts, or a large group like an entire college campus. These
communities are everywhere, and most careers have one, even if it a career
you never knew existed; as long as it meets the requirements it is a
discourse community.
When you watch the Games, or a formula one race, or even the Baja
1000 you will see the a variety of athletes competing in events for glory and
the amusement of the fans. Most of these events and sports like mountain
biking, BMX, off-road racing, and skateboarding are dangerous which makes
them fun to watch and cheer on. One thing that goes un-noticed during
these events are the helmets that each of the athletes wear. Many of the big
name athletes helmets are hand painted. Most viewers would not recognize
them as works of art, or even realize they were hand made for each event for
the contestants. The artist who make these are a discourse community of
their own, a community which I would be proud to join. The community of
custom helmet painters is much bigger than I had originally thought and it
spreads through almost any sport that requires a helmet. The largest scale

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community I am, and want to be a part of would be artists. Next would be
visual artists and even narrower would be painters. After that comes custom
painters and the smallest scope in my community are helmet painters.
All helmet painters are for the most part custom painters and they all
share the common goal of a artist; which is to create beautiful works of art
for others and themselves to enjoy. These artists can communicate through
email, social networks and even at the races that their helmets appear at.
Works of art can be seen broadcasted on live television, and in magazines
and even on the streets, which are some main ways to communicate and get
products out there. Artists can display work in cases and on the wall, and
some designs are even picked up by helmet manufacturers and used as the
stock designs that anyone can buy off the shelf. There are many techniques
and tools that these artists use that require the knowledge to understand. I
have found many companies who paint custom helmets like Troy Lee
Designs, Tagger Designs, and Biltwell; I also found many people on social
media who also paint helmets for people. This discourse community all
begins with the artist wanting to make a cool helmet, and can end up with
your own company that can sponsor athletes like Tory Lee Designs does.
I have been drawing since I can remember and I have always drawn on
my school papers. I have been slowly developing my artistic skills throughout
the years and I try to learn as many new things as I can. Much of my time
has been spent doodling, or creating zentangles; an artistic expression
composed of fine intricate lines and designs. I have been filling sketchbooks

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and assignments with drawings leaving little white space available. It has
been just over a year since I began to learn how to pinstripe, which are
traditionally symmetrical paintings on cars and motorcycles. Other than art, I
have always been interested in sciences such as geology and anthropology; I
love learning how things work and how they came to be, it is just fascinating.
I was inspired by a fantastic geology teacher in high school, along with my
love of the desert and rocks as a kid led me to want to learn all about
geology. Along with my love of the desert and off-roading come the other
action sports I enjoy. Rock climbing, BMX and mountain biking, and dirt
biking the list goes on. After deciding I wanted to make art for a living the
next big question was how; and with so many interests and different
applications of art it was hard to decide.
Because I draw and paint on everything I began to notice how many of
my belongings were customized in some form or another. My bike, car, and
phone case have pinstripes on them, my belt has been doodled on and my
old crutches have stickers all over them. One day while on YouTube I found a
Troy Lee Designs tour of their paint shop and it made me realize that my
strange form of artwork and pinstriping could be combined into a helmet.
Most of all it showed me what looked like an amazing job where I would be
able to create art for a living, work for a reputable company, work around
various action sports and have my artwork worn by athletes all over for the
world to see. The video gave my hope that it was possible to use my design
and pinstriping skills as a career. Hope to become a true artist for a living,

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not the starving kind. After the first Troy Lee video I found other videos about
Troys company along with videos of helmet painting by Tagger Designs,
Monster Energy, and people painting in their house. Being a part of the
custom culture, working with action sports athletes and companies, and
most of all creating art for a living would be pretty amazing.
I have never fully painted a helmet or used a custom paint spray gun. I
realize the fact that I have a lot of learning and hard work ahead of me if I
ever want to make it as a helmet painter. My lettering abilities and
experience are very limited and I have only just begun airbrushing. Now that
I have a tentative goal in mind I need to continue research about the helmet
painting process specifics and one day actually design and paint one. There
are very few places where you can take a class on custom painting and
lettering, but I think it may be worth my while to take some in the future.
After watching the videos I find myself studying helmets or anything I think
might be hand painted just to admire the work and try to comprehend the
process of its completion. In order to truly enter the custom paint community
I have a lot to learn; but the good part is, I want to learn.
This community began with artists, designers, and more specifically
custom culture painters who loved to create artwork. Once they were good
enough people began to notice their personal helmets they had painted and
decided to pay the artist to make helmets for them. Eventually the artist may
get enough business so that he can start a company; Tory Lee is a perfect
example of this. This community exists because action sports athletes need

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to wear a helmet for protection, and they also want to look great. The
community is a beautiful mix of racers who want their name and style on
their helmet, and the artist who wants to paint for a living. This community
can be traced back to around the nineteen twenties and thirties when
pinstriping and custom painting took off. Ever since the first letterers and
racers, helmets were painted with a name and number at least and overtime
they have become increasingly more intricate. The community of helmet
painters can vary from a company like Troy Lee Designs, to the individual
who paints helmets in their garage. It has a bit of a seniority structure where
as the rookies will look to the legends. At a company like Troy Lee Designs for
instance no on person paints the whole helmet themselves. The helmet goes
through many stages and different artist to have a bit of their specialty
added as needed. The painting process is quite a tedious and long process
that requires a large amount of attention to detail and precision.
Custom painting a single helmet is not an easy or quick task. To begin,
the customer must first choose or buy the helmet they with to be painted.
After that comes the designing of the helmet, where the artist and customer
work out a design that is within budget and approval of the customer. This is
usually done using sketches or thumbnails of the helmet design, and then
later deciding on the color choices and theory. Once the design is decided,
and before any paint is applied the helmet must be stripped of any existing
color and sanded down so that the paint will adhere to the surface correctly.
Next in the preparation phase the helmet undergoes hours of work put into

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taping and masking of the design on the helmet surface. Once It is taped,
the paint begins to flow, and the helmet will take shape and pass through
many different artists and layers of paint depending on the design. The
painting and artistic process can include but is not limited to airbrushing,
pinstriping, cartooning, leafing, and lettering. After the artwork is complete
the helmet gets a few coats of clear paint to preserve the artwork; and finally
the helmet is reassembled and shipped to or picked up by the customer.
Customers can be anyone from a World championship racer, to a father
getting a helmet made for is young daughter who will soon ride her first
motorcycle. Motorcycle riders of different kinds, auto racers in any division,
and anyone who needs a helmet painted are the main consumers of this art
form. The community serves any gear-head that needs a beautiful paintjob
on the helmet that protects their head. This custom helmet painting
community can also paint other items that customers may want to have
painted such as guitars, cars, and even trophies. The processes in which
each step is completed and the specifics can vary between artists but the
general process stands. All artists have their own preference of products they
choose to use for specific applications and knowing about the products and
how to use them is very important.
Artist who work in different mediums will usually have their own
language or lexis, and that is no different for custom painters. They may use
terms like engine turning and dagger style, which to someone outside
the community will most likely not know what is meant. Even more broad or

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general terms like leafing and pinstriping are often unknown to the
general public. I am sure there are terms I have yet to learn that helmet
painters may use that to an outsider would make no sense. That is why as a
custom artist it is essential for you to be able to communicate to your
customers what these terms mean and it is important to read what the
customer wants carefully. The main form of writing a custom painter
preforms ends up being the lettering they paint on the helmet by hand.
Another form of writing includes the notes and design layout details that the
customer wants done. The design layout and customer approval is extremely
important to get right and keep tack of because if something is wrong it can
cause all kinds of problems.
Ultimately the decisions are made between the artist and the
customer, which helps lessen the chance of a mistake being made. Some
problems that rookie helmet painters can run into can include improper
mixing of paint and thinner, which leads to a poor paint job, and even a
simple misspelling. One helmet takes at least six hours and depending on
the complexity, the time put into one helmet can only increase and a mistake
at the end would be very bad. Along with errors, design conflicts between the
artist and the customer are common as well as price conflicts. Custom
helmet painting is an expensive luxury as a customer and a very long
learning process as an artist. This can show how difficult the decision making
process if when designing a helmet with a customer. What the customer
really wants will be expensive and as the artist it is important to work with

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the customer to compromise on a design that fits their budget and creative
needs.
Entering the custom helmet panting discourse community will require a
lot of time and dedication. I have a lot to learn in the future, such as how to
use a spray gun, and engine turn leafing. I will need to seek instruction and
possibly a n intern poition at a custom paint company. I will need to study
helmet designs and understand basic styles for different sports. I would also
like to purchase a cheap helmet at the flea market and practice on it and
learn how to paint it. Currently I am teaching myself how to airbrush,
pinstripe, and letter, which are key components to custom painting helmets.
I am also enrolled in a drawing class, and next semester I will take more art
classes so that I can learn and further my skills. Another way I help my
chances of entering the custom painting community is by gaining
experience. I try to go to my local car show on Saturday mornings and show
some of my pinstripe work in the hopes of selling some artwork or having
someone ask me to paint their car. So far the only cars I have painted on are
my grandfathers thirty-three Model A Ford, and my own; however I did get
some business lettering a pair of license plates for someone at the car show.
In the custom painting industry experience is everything and the more I can
get of it the better.
I am sure there will be many new challenges to come but for the
conflicts I can foresee I try and find way to prepare or understand how I am
prepared. For example as an artist the issue of the price for the work and

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time your put into a product will often be an unpleasant part of the job.
Currently I see and deal with these types of price objections for custom work
on a weekly basis, and I find that it can be quite difficult. I work at Aaron
Brothers Art and Framing, where one of our primary goals as an employee is
to sell and design custom frames for customers. Along with custom painting,
custom framing is also not cheap, and I often end up spending more time
trying to get a lower price for the customer o they will commit to the order
than actually designing it. Making compromises and eliminating a few items
can make all the difference in price and customer satisfaction. As a
newcomer the best thing I can do is gain as much experience and knowledge
as possible as well as build a portfolio.
The community of custom helmet painters is larger than I had
expected, and the videos I have seen have been somewhat intimidating. A
company may only hire a few artist to work for them with creates a feeling if
competition. I feel as though the idea of becoming a helmet painter is still on
my list of career ideas, but it does require a lot of experience and knowledge
that are rarely taught. The community seems to be a difficult one to enter,
although I can consider myself half inside already, but a possible worthwhile
fulfilling career. I do see this career to be something to imagine doing, but
most likely will bot end up doing. I see myself working in a more mainstream
like design job where some of the attributes and benefits of a helmet painter
would still apply. For example working as a graphic designer and designing t-

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shirts for instance and seeing your designs on shirts in stores and worn all
around would be a interesting and satisfying feeling.
If I were to become a part of the community I would want to bring a
unique style to helmet art and I would feel extremely proud watching
someone wear it on the starting gate. To be able to see your, along with
many others hard work pay off to create something beautiful would be an
amazing feeling. Individuality is a large part of who we are; and how we
display ourselves can say a lot, and custom painting is just that. Conveying a
message that is desired by the wearer to any outside viewer is the core of
individuality and fashion, along with custom work. Like a hand made dress, a
custom hand painted helmet can express who the person is, and what they
stand for. When I design a helmet in the future I want to not only work with
lines, but between the lines and take control of my passions and paint them.

Works Cited
GregsGarage.TV. Show 11 - Part 3 - Troy Lee Designs.Online video clip.
Youtube. Youtube.

24 July. 2013.Web. 1 March. 2015.

GregsGarage.TV. Show 10 - Part 4 - Troy Lee Designs. Online video clip.

Youtube. Youtube.

9 July. 2013. Web. 1 March. 2015.

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RacerXIllistrated. InStock: Tagger Designs. Online video clip. Youtube.
Youtube. 24 March.

2010. Web. 1 March. 2015

Swales, John. ''The Concept of Discourse Community." Genre Analysis:

English in Academic
and Research Settings. Boston: Cambridge UP, 1990.21-32. Print.