How much paint do I need for a fender?

the question is what quality of a paint job do you want? by the sounds of it you want what my paint supplier calls an "afar" paint job. it means it looks good from afar but up close you know a pro didn't do it. so to answer the title roughly 1/2 pint of paint will do it. but to do it right you are talking about 100-150 in materials assuming you don't have the cleaners, sand paper and will find a gun to borrow. and keep in mind the fender wont match the rest of the car exactly the right way to do it would be to blend the new paint into the surrounding panels. as for skill level i am a parts guy and paint all my own stuff i have never taken a course but i do a decent job. get friendly with one of your parts stores that supply paint and ask away. it seems over whelming at first but you tube can help take some stress out and remember you can always sand paint off if you don't like how it came out.

Not that I advocate using a rattle can, but you could probably do it with two if you use some cheaper cans for the inside of the panel. You still need to use the proper technique for spraying and will need to prep the panel as normal. Watch at least a few utube vids explaining this. I would also think about paint-less dent repair if you did not ruin the paint.

I did not watch these - examples only!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MsVWj3fGkY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHTui5yr40E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RxP-T8fTm8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFdjVe92e3E

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Pro..._1&btsid=2bf5ab43-046b-4690-bc79-21aa6dd6f504

There is quite a bit of paint transfer on the fender, otherwise I was going to entertain the option of doing paint-less dent repair. I might go ahead and bite the bullet for a prepainted fender, just have to find a reputable supplier. because for the CAPA certified fender pre-painted might end up being a decent deal after I factor in my own time and labor.

You could also do the paint-less dent repair and put some black vinyl hash marks to cover the damage if it is in the right spot. I hear they make the car faster too!