Checkerboard pattern

For those who have painted your rudder with a checkerboard patteren, did you follow the color around the leading edge, or make a alternating color, staying with the patteren..

Chris Santschi RV8 N627CS Painting
Festus ,MO

Checkerboard

I followed my around the leading edge. That way the pattern stays the same on both sides.

Here is a tip for painting a checkerboard pattern. Go to a local sign store that does vinyl letters and such. They can make you a large checkerboard pattern that you put on the rudder or whatever and then paint the second color. Then remove the pattern. It makes it much easier and everything is lined up perfectly.

Here are few pictures of what worked for me:
http://www.cchwear.com/rv8/paint/06052005.htm

Luis Luciani
RV8, N188LC

Personal opinion: I don't find it aesthetically attractive when the checkers wrap around the front of the rudder, rather I think they should be only on the flat sides. You don't want to draw the eye into the VS/rudder gap.

Regarding laying out and painting them, there are lots of ways, some of which have been mentioned above, but here's another that we've used successfully; Take 1/6" 3M fineline tape and lay out your grid. Then go back with any sort of masking material and carefully cover the alternate squares.
Here's an example of a rudder done that way...

paint

I painted my flaps but will use decal for rudder.