Chevy Express Van - First time wrapping hood questions

[JERHEMI]

I'm working on a Chevy Express van and it's the first time wrapping the hood. I have the PVO template, but am a little confused when it comes to the hood. How do you actually design the hood and placement of graphics taking the curve into consideration? What should the size of the finished panel to send to printer be taking the curve into consideration? Is there any sort standard rule of thumb when it comes to designing and setting up hoods for all vehicles? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[dlndesign]

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000004149 StartFragment:0000002210 EndFragment:0000004113 For myself I like to use the following process when designing a hood graphic.

1. First I get the measurements, and draw it out flat, taking the curves and body lines into account. I typically use a tailors ruler to get exact measurements since you can push them in and around curves.
2. Next I’ll sketch it out in illustrator and get myself a flat working drawing, like the attached image.
3. Then I’ll take my rulers and find the live area. For me this is the area that will fit squarely on the hood surface, not taking into consideration the tips of the hood or the curves, but just working inside of those boundries.
4. Next I will inset my graphic area, in green, with 2-4” of space from the live area. This will give some wiggle room if for any reason the graphic doesn’t come out exactly how you made it.
5. Although it may seem like overkill, I like to have the final piece have anywhere from 2”-4” of bleed on the outside edges beyond the hood size so that the piece comes out seamless, and again a little wiggle room for any imperfections.

Hope this helps, and I look forward to how others tackle this.

 

[JERHEMI]

Thank you for all the details I really appreciate it!

 

[SightLine]

I'll also point this out. If the van is white with factory paint..... when you are applying the vinyl to the hood, get it right the first time. Do NOT attempt to pull the vinyl back up to reposition it. If you do there is a very very high chance that the paint will come up with it..... this is also often an issue on the back doors of the Chevy Express vans as well..... pull very very carefully if you absolutely have to.

 

[PushProductions]

If you havent wrapped the fenders it also a good idea to tape them up with a low tack tape. If you hood vinyl contacts them when you are stretching or placing it can also pull paint.