Customised art on hot wheels

European airbrush artist Knud Tiroch’s recent tattoo-like filigree work on the Ferrari F430 ‘Calavera’ wowed car enthusiasts the world over. Car and bike art is also a huge draw in Bangalore and four city youngsters are taking this form of creativity to new levels.

Bangaloreans are spending huge money on customising and airbrushing their vehicles to give them that special edge. When the usual choice of colours and designs seem boring, vehicle owners can treat their eyes to some exquisite airbrushed artwork courtesy the talented young lads who seem intent on making their mark, all for sheer love of the job. Airbrushing is a technique that involves spray painting colours in various designs. The end product is a glossy, lively and three dimensional edge and this has turned out to be an art in itself.

Akil Anand, a journalism graduate, has always been fond of cars and bikes. Even as a child, he used to hang around at the nearby mechanic’s store along with his elder brother Senthil and fiddle with mechanical parts which further developed his enthusiasm for cars and bikes. Soon after his graduation, he started a small firm called Skni Customs at Indiranagar which offers airbrushing and customisation of vehicles.

Skni Customs might be only a year old, but their clientele list is growing with each passing day. Now, the company comprises of two more youngsters who balance the management of the firm along with their studies. What keeps these 20-something Bangalore boys going is the passion with which they go about their work. “I absolutely love working with anything that has an engine and wheels. We started off by airbrushing small surface materials such as mobile phones and laptops. But over the course of time it turned into customising bikes and cars.

As of now, we have no competition at all and the income is really good. But most importantly, this work is totally fun,” says Anand. The youngsters have no formal training in their field of work and yet, it is claimed to be remarkable by their clients. Some of their work includes FRP moulding, change in interiors, performance modification, sheet metal work, transformation of doors, alloys, tanks, silencers and handle bars. The time taken by Skni Customs for bikes is around a week at a charge of Rs15,000. Cars can take up to a month at a cool Rs1.9 lakhs, but it varies with the complexity and intricacy of the work involved.

“Airbrushing is a new technique which is gaining prominence among the young crowd in Bangalore. I love working here primarily because of my craze for bikes and cars. Our company is growing rapidly in terms of popularity and gains. We want to take it a step further and make Skni Customs a big establishment in Bangalore,” says Amogh NK.

Satish S, an MBA student who is associated with Skni Customs, primarily deals with client service. He says their client age group ranges from 16 to 45: “Bangalore has a huge market for airbrushing because it is one of a kind. It is also growing due to a large presence of the youth.”