Things You'll Need
Stencils
Acrylic paint
Primer
Paint scraper
Clear gloss
Pencil
Paper
Foil
Tape
Paint brushes
Helmets, whether for riding bikes, motorcycles, racing cars, or playing sports, can be a personal part of your identity within the sport or activity in which you use it. Most sports teams have logos or other identifying images or words painted on them, but for helmets used personally, you may want to custom paint the helmet. You may simply to change the helmet's color, or you may want to hand paint your name onto the helmet. You might even have personal art work you'd like on your helmet. Custom painting a helmet to give it a personal touch can be fun and is easy enough for anyone to accomplish.
Step 1
Sketch an idea on paper that you would like to paint on your helmet. You may even want to draw your helmet on paper and then sketch your custom image on the drawing of your helmet to see how it will fit. If you are an artist and plan on doing your own artwork, do a perfected drawing on cardboard and cut it out as a template. If you're using another drawing, transfer it to cardboard or some other firm material so you can cut a template.
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Step 2
Cover any areas of your helmet you don't want to get any paint on. Use painter's tape, aluminum foil or paper to protect those areas, especially if you're painting a good portion of your helmet or have decided to work with spray paint or airbrushing. Paint a coat of white primer over your helmet if you intend to paint the entire helmet a different color. If possible, remove as much of the old paint as possible by scraping it off with a metal paint scraper. This may not be needed for minor paint jobs, and it certainly isn't necessary if you're simply painting an image onto your helmet.
Step 3
Tape a stencil onto your helmet and use it to paint an image on the helmet. this will lessen the chance of mistakes. If you plan to paint your entire helmet, do this before you paint custom graphics onto the helmet. Use acrylic paint to add the artwork to your helmet. Spray paint works best for painting the entire helmet, but using a brush and jar paint is best for detailed artwork.
Step 4
Spray a clear, water-resistant coat over your finished helmet and let it dry for several hours, then add at least one more coat to give your helmet a new gloss and to protect it from the weather.
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