Petersen Archive: Mural Magic- Freehand Van Mural How-To

By Kristen Feay

In 1978, Spence Murray, Senior Editor of Petersen Publishing’s Special Publications division, decried “our transportation choices are more look-alike than ever before in history.” Mired in the sea of “lookalike cars” that “pour out of Detroit by the millions per year,” Petersen’s Creative Customizing continued, “anyone who wants true individuality, has to be creative.” In some cases, this meant purchasing a special factory edition of a stock vehicle. Others, however, demanded something more distinctive, that is, a custom vehicle. Customs of the 1970s incorporated a myriad of techniques ranging from simple pinstriping to the application of “gold leaf letters,” psychedelic foil patterns, and false woodgrain paint schemes. Of these, however, there was one that would command a more expert touch, and a distinct place in the popular culture of the late1960s and 1970s. Indeed, what better to save a creative customizer from succumbing to miles of monotony than a righteous van mural?

Though its exact origins are difficult to trace, the saga of the van mural stretches back into the 1950s. In fact, Volkswagen marketed the slab sides of its Transporter as ideal promotional tools, noting that they provided much more “publicity space” upon which a company’s design could be painted than did the average commercial vehicle. The company even illustrated examples of its Type 2 painted in bold colorful graphics, as shown here in a Volkswagen brochure depicted in Volkswagen: The Air-Cooled Era in Colour, and sold it in a primer version that could be delivered directly to a paint shop. These colorful, eye-catching graphics served a commercial purpose, giving businesses the ability to promote their establishments on the road.

In the 1970s, however, a different type of van mural arose. Hand painted, non-commercial, and fantasy style art grew in popularity during this time, and soon found expression on the slab sides of the utilitarian van. Adding to this, airbrush painting, the application of paint using compressed air, became prevalent on media ranging from t-shirts and album covers to advertisements. Though outside of the automotive world, the airbrush, as Creative Customizing noted, was mainly a “commercial artist’s tool,” which saw “wide use in photo retouching, advertising art, and technical rendering,” it also provided an ideal medium for the automotive artist because of its “ability to deliver a variable pattern of lacquer or enamel.” Indeed, for those with the skill to wield it, the simple airbrush became a powerful tool through which van muralists could conjure fantastic beasts, mystical landscapes, and a variety of other bold and colorful designs on the sides, hoods, and tailgates of their vehicles.

Petersen Publishing even jumped on the mural van-dwagon, and in typical Hot Rod style featured in-depth “how-to” features detailing van customization techniques, including the legendary freehand mural, in their customization guides.

Unlike many of the Petersen Publishing “how-tos,” which could be accomplished with some practice by the average to intermediate customizer, freehand mural painting was a task befitting only the most experienced artistic adventurer. As Creative Customizing would advise, the mural, done “using imagination as a guide,” was most successfully executed by one with skill, “experienced color sense,” and a knowledge of “the compatibility of paints and standard type spray guns.” In short, “simply anyone cannot do it.”

This did not deter the editors from finding an artist, namely Tom Kelly, and a canvas, namely a Ford Econoline 150 donated by Ted Jones Ford in Buena Park, California, with which they could attempt to unravel the mysteries of the freehand mural. The task set before Kelly was to illustrate a landscape, in particular, the ubiquitous desert scene, on the drab panels of the Ford.

Before Kelly could embark on this quest, however, he first had to choose the proper palette. For this, he selected an array of “warm earth colors,” which included “browns, reds, and oranges,” aimed at capturing the warm glow of desert sands. Much like a conventional landscape painting, these hues were limited to those in the same color family. Unlike a conventional landscape painting, however, Kelly’s canvas had four wheels, an engine that could run on both leaded and unleaded gasoline, and a slick pre-painted and clear coated surface that had to be specially prepared before it could receive its unique paint job.

This was accomplished by first applying a degreasing solvent on the area which was to contain the mural, sanding it with a ScotchBrite pad, cleaning it using compressed air, and then wiping the surface free of dust. Once the Econoline’s panels were deemed worthy of the task ahead, it was time to begin painting.

The first step in creating the van’s overall design was to craft the border around the mural, giving the overall composition better balance. After using fine tape and masking paper to shield parts of the vehicle that were not to receive paint, Kelly, wielding a Binks #7 airbrush, filled in the border sections with bands “fogged all over in a dark yellow” and then “edged in a dark orange.”

Then, it was onto the mural. With “only his own mind’s-eye as guidance,” Kelly began by applying the base colors for ominous clouds, that were to form the background of the desert sky. “Unlike art instructors’ teachings,” he applied the darker colors first, and then layered on lighter ones. As Kelly applied these highlighting hues, “barely discernable gradations of color,” a trait especially evident in these black and white images, began to emerge.

The “finer work” was next. For this, Kelly switched to a Paasche VL airbrush, “a favorite of many professional van mural painters,” which had interchangeable needle attachments, making it capable of producing intricate details. With the Paasche set to low pressure and adjusted to a fine spray pattern, he added highlights, causing “the light, foggy areas,” to “come to life as banks of clouds.”

Kelly added color to capture the brilliancy of a blazing desert sun, and the editors of Creative Customizing observed, “we think we’re seeing the development of a sunset—or a sunrise.”

Next, as if from thin air “hills and crags emerged from the Paasche,” as Kelly began to work on the details of the desert-scape, adding majestic monoliths and “eerie peaks” set in a sea of orange, red, and brown.

With the airbrush refilled in a darker color, Kelly adorned the desolate wilderness with groups of succulents “in hushed tones where only he can foresee them.” As Creative Customizing described simply, “what’s a desert without cacti?”

A darker hue likewise served to shape the mysterious rock outcroppings that populated the piece. As these details were added, “the final concept emerges,” and it was here that “the painter can judge where and how to add interest touches.”

Finally, after “less than 3 hours,” the epic task was complete, the mural could be sealed with “several clear coats,” and the blank sides of the dark hued Econoline had been transformed into a brilliant window into a fantastical desert expanse.

The mural, it seems, was also copied onto the van’s other side, and the final result chronicled in full color on the pages of Creative Customizing. In all, the amber-hued illustration did little to improve the efficiency of the Ford’s engine, nor did it give the boxy Econoline a more aerodynamic profile. It did, however, add to the vehicle a bit of “mural magic.”

By Kristin Feay

Photographs by Eric Rickman, Volkswagen brochure, c. 1954- Courtesy of Volkswagen from Volkswagen: The Air-Cooled Era in Colour by Richard Copping, mural image courtesy of Petersen’s Creative Customizing.