However, a select few stripers still do quite nicely plying their trade in body shops across the nation. Charlie Barone Larry Shoppet, a well-known pinstriper from the Philadelphia area, is usually found in area body shops restoring stripes on damaged cars and creating new designs. As much as the auto body industry has evolved, the art of pinstriping has stayed essentially the same for the last 100 years. While the striping paint may have changed slightly, those thin, graceful stripes have adorned vehicles and artwork for centuries. The key is subtlety.
Nothing quite says hand craftsmanship like a hand-painted pinstripe.
Classic car bodies have traditionally been striped in ways to enhance their lines. The massive hoods and bulging fenders of Gatsby-era Duesenbergs and Packards are often burnished with the delicate highlights of a pinstripe. In addition to the outline it provides, the pinstripe also gives the artist an opportunity to pick up a color from in or around the car, such as the interior or trim color. And when the artist adds his own flourish to the work, it becomes that much more of a personal expression. Some stripers add their own trademark to the stripe, such as distinctive spear at the point, or a trademark dead end at the trailing edge.