Doug Dorr - Los Angeles CA

“DoRr”

Born in 1967, in the small country town of Salem, Ohio, Doug DoRr has been drawing since the age of 7. His mother recalls, ”He would carry a pencil everywhere he went and if he couldn’t find any paper he would draw on rocks, wood… anything he could find!” To this day he still draws on napkins in restaurants just like he has done since he was a little boy. After graduating in 1985 he joined the U.S. Navy where he quickly became the ships artist painting cartoons on the ships office doors and then joined the U.S. Military Boxing team from 1988 to 1992. 

His biggest influence was his father George Dorr (1941-1989), a custom car builder/diemaker for the Chevy plant in Lordstown, Ohio. His father was published in many auto magazines during the early 80’s and late 80’s. As a child, while at car shows with his dad, DoRr remembers watching and helping his dad build custom cars, watching Ed Roth, Von Dutch and others pinstripe cars, drawing monsters etc. and loved the entire scene.

“I have always digged on Ed Roths and Franco’s monstery style of art and always looked up to them”. Franco walked over to my booth and gave me compliments on my Kool-Tools. Von Franco called me the “Dutch of Tools”. Then Bob Spina walked over to my booth and complimented me. After a long conversation with Bob, he said “Hell! If you can paint those little tools in that much detail you can pinstripe! Go buy a brush, I wanna see you pinstriping at the next show”. 

“From there on I started to teach myself how to pinstripe… non-stop… everyday! I did try to stripe a long time ago, but gave up. I got very frustrated! I needed a push and that shove, coming from Bob Spina, Von Franco, and Jimmy C was what I needed! He’s been pinstriping officially since 2003, but painting since the age of around 7 years old. Ironically, like his mentors and friends,the name “DoRr” is a very well known name / artist/ Kustom Kulture artist/pinstriper throughout the world and is proud of it! 

“I wanted to be just like my Dad and he is smiling down on me and I know he’s proud of me! Like him, DoRr has been published worldwide in over 30 different magazines more than once for his art and for his cars he built and has been flown literally all over the world by fans wanting to meet him and see his art up close. He has rebuilt 5 custom cars (one featured in Custom Rodder for a rattle canned and customized ‘57 Chevy 4-door nicknamed “Spray Bombing Daddy D”). The car he decided to keep is his 58’ Pontiac mild custom that has also been in several different magazines. He quotes: I’m always “tinkering” around, trying to create “different” art such as my “Greasers Art”.Yes, “doing paintings with straight automotive grease!” Before I started pinstriping, I first learned to airbrush using a car tire full of air and an old airbrush a friend gave me for doing a job. Doing t-shirts, helmets, murals etc.. and all kinds of stuff, but it just wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to paint what I used to get in trouble for in school for doing… and that’s drawing and painting monsters.” 

As “Originator” of Doug Dorr’s Kool-Tools, est. in late 2001 ( ordinary tools each hand painted with its own monster personality), DoRr claims, “all of us has been bitten by a tool at one time or another in our lives! One day my wife (Bonni) offered me one-year to start my own business and to watch our kids during the day. Hell, I couldn’t say “No” to that! Every Friday, I went to Huntington Beach to sell airbrushed t-shirts, my Kool-Tools, and everything else I had painted and it was a great start. It’s those tools that have made a name for him in the mainstream automotive/motorcycle industry”.

Although a naturally talented artist, self taught, doing crazy paintings for many- many years, he’s only been pinstriping (not painting) since September 2003 (Bob Spina and Von Franco will vouch for that) stating, “ he has pushed himself to do what he loves to do and worked his ass off to get where he is today”. With clientele all over the world, such as Black Fly’s, Meguiars, George Barris, , Monster Garage, Hot Tuna, John Force, Bodyglove, Lucky 13, Bell Helmets , One Shot, and many others.(see his signature “Sublime-Green” color with One Shot), he tells folks, “If you want to make it in the Kustom Kulture world, and get recognized for your art, you gotta market and push yourself. Come up with different styles of art. This is not something that is offered to you on a silver platter, you gotta earn it! And I will keep doing this for as long as I live! This is my life and I love every minute of it!!