Over the past three decades, vehicle safety laws have increased in their strictness (as well as their severity of punishments). As a result, the airbrush helmet industry has seen a considerable boom. After all, imagine the sight of a big, bearded biker driving a fat hog while wearing a bright orange helmet. The need for a customized airbrush helmet is obvious--which is why an entire industry has sprung out of this form of airbrush art.

Whether for their own use or as a commercial enterprise, airbrush helmet artists have a variety of styles from which to choose. Flames are the most popular style, but artists have begun to get more creative. For instance, some airbrush artists will take the opportunity to transform the entire helmet into an enormous skull. It's all the better if that skull has flames leaping out of it, too. Finding a niche is the key to selling custom airbrushed helmets. Authoritative industry resources such as Airbrush Action Magazine can be helpful sources of ideas, product reviews, and airbrush artist conventions that can help developing artists choose and refine their niche.

Naturally, the first step when designing a helmet pattern is to consider the hog. The artist doesn't want to spend hours creating a killer design, only to find out that it completely clashes with a number of popular motorcycle models currently on the road. As a ground rule, most motorcycles are black or passion-colored chrome. Dark colors go best with these designs; however, a talented airbrush artist can make almost any color work.

Generally, the design on a motorcycle helmet should feature symmetry that goes from back-to-front, not side-to-side. Motorcyclists want to imagine themselves flying down the roadway, and back-to-front images convey an impression of speed. Muted tones and colors are also quite popular, as most bikers don't want to attract attention to their helmets; rather, they want the helmet to complement the cycle itself. The artist who airbrushes helmets will need to understand the thrill of the open road and the reasons bikers can't get enough of their custom hogs.