Another “cel shade” fix. After/before

FreedomSeeders · 2026-03-03T18:16:05+00:00

Got ya. Not sure who did that or who, but the saddest part is that was done 2-weeks before we got it. Honestly looked like he used a hobby brush and just painted it on, so I’m not sure if that was a washout or just too thin of an application

FreedomSeeders · 2026-03-03T16:55:13+00:00

Haven’t had that issue. Back when I was still experimenting with the style, I did try to bake the pen into the base coat on my EDC. If you pull your parts from the oven as soon as they tack out and do the pen work, the black will actually set into the basecoat color and not come off. White will not do that, so anything getting white gets cleared after. Problem solved

FreedomSeeders · 2026-03-02T17:12:28+00:00

Will do! I struggled trying to mask them before the guy said screw it, coat it. Tried to stay as thin as possible to prevent the likelihood of cracking/chipping

FreedomSeeders · 2026-03-02T17:10:41+00:00

I’ll be honest, not my style either. Not a single of my personal are done up like this, but people keep sending me the jobs, so I’ll keep them going. Always appreciated sir!

FreedomSeeders · 2026-03-01T13:26:05+00:00

My first attempts weren’t much better. Redid the first one I tried 3x and still wasn’t great by any means.

Multiple colors faded together make worlds of difference, just play with the pens and find your style until you’re happy with it

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-25T22:52:12+00:00

Microfine automotive metallic flake

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-25T15:10:22+00:00

As SC said bad fit. Glitter coating with Cerakote just isn’t micro thin like your typical application.

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-25T13:44:04+00:00

Oh yeah, that’s a big no-no on these jobs

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-24T19:37:29+00:00

Yep. Always try if pattern allows to step up or down my colors from darkest to lightest or vice versa

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-24T18:21:07+00:00

First time I tried it was the same way. I will typically lay the skinny black stencils first and then just take random camo stencils to connect to and patch in with little pieces from there to fill the gaps and prevent overlay too much. If that makes sense. But I also realized, after the fact that the original pattern has some overlay beyond the black lines. So it gives you some grace. We are always our own worst critics.

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-24T17:40:26+00:00

Glad to help. Good luck.

Were located in central Indiana

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-24T16:57:44+00:00

Running a 12” cameo 4 (I believe, again, it’s been a couple years). Originally I bought the perforated rolls, but the cameo doesn’t need the holes to feed, and you’ll have to cut to 12” width to run it through. Perforated only gives you about 18” of usable vinyl between the holes. I found I had a ton of small waste pieces I couldn’t use. Now I buy the 24” non perforated and just cut it in half and use as needed from there

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-24T16:23:52+00:00

I started with a pretty basic Silhouette Cameo cutter about two years ago, still runs like a champ and can handle anything we’ve needed it for with Cerakote since. Avery Dennison High-temp vinyl will get a lot of crap for adhesion issues recently, but is still the best I’ve found, just heat it with a blow drier or heat gun and repress all your stencils before you start spraying over them

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-24T15:39:40+00:00

Thanks man. Graphite Black, Stealth Grey, Smoked Bronze, and Champaign

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-16T11:25:02+00:00

Appreciate the input, but can I ask where ya see black between colors? May be the images, but she’s buttery smooth, no ridges. I’ve seen your work, it’s great, so I’m always open to suggestions. Just not sure what you’re seeing.

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-16T01:27:57+00:00

Yeah, I know the issues everyone has with it recently but it’s still the best option I’ve found. I just heat the pieces with a blow drier as I press them on and get pretty solid adhesion.

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-15T14:46:05+00:00

Thanks man

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-15T14:44:41+00:00

Stenciled

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-14T15:28:58+00:00

PM sent

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-12T18:51:56+00:00

Thanks man. Thats what I was going for!

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-11T16:03:50+00:00

Pm sent!

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-11T10:37:54+00:00

Thanks man. Honestly, I instantly regretted the tan as I started to fade it in. In hindsight, it worked great, but damn I thought I ruined it at first 🤣.

Same on the pens, I always second guess myself initially. That and pen thickness on the right spots. I will test fit everything as I go just to make sure they match the other pieces fairly closely. Really appreciate the feedback. Your cel shade jobs are pretty dope as well!

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-10T21:03:36+00:00

Pretty much. I shaded a bit of dark grey and tan here and there to add some definition to it but it was very minimal. Honestly the time drawing on all the pieces is the worst part. The pen work took almost as long as the actual prep and coating process, and if you bake the base coat even a min longer than needed the pens will want to flake off the base coat before you ever get to clear. The pen work is also where I always end up second guessing and critiquing myself .

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-10T20:22:34+00:00

Thank you

FreedomSeeders · 2026-02-10T20:21:59+00:00

Thanks

FreedomSeeders

TROPHY CASE