With an airbrush in hand, Arjun Ananth, a 29-year-old Kochi-based artist, creates intricate designs with remarkable precision. Bringing life to everything from helmets and T-shirts to motorcycle parts, walls and canvases.
His videos showcasing the painstaking process have been gaining traction on social media, drawing viewers in with the sheer detail of his work.
His entry into the world of art has quite a unique origin story. A student of Physics-Instrumentation at Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam, he used to draw illustrations for fellow students in their lab records, particularly for Botany and Zoology.
He also made posters and boards for political events in the college. “I was active in student politics, and that eventually led to my suspension. I was in police lock-up for two days. Ironically, it was for drawing graffiti on a wall,” he laughs.
Undeterred by the events, he directed his passion in a better direction and joined the RLV College of Music and Fine Arts.
“It was here that my artistic journey began taking shape. I also discovered airbrushing while watching the television show ‘Counting Cars’ on ‘History TV’. Something drew me towards it, and I started to explore my options,” he says.
“Watching artists customise cars using airbrushes was a revelation. Having an interest in both drawing and automobiles, I was fascinated by the possibilities of the technique,” he adds.
Unlike conventional painting, airbrushing allows him to achieve smooth gradients, realistic highlights and subtle transitions of light and shadow. He was keen to explore the technique but soon realised getting started would not be easy.
“I did a lot of research online. There was nobody here I could approach to learn the technique or even find out what equipment. Airbrushing requires a compressor, which I did not have, so I put together a DIY setup using a refrigerator compressor,” he recalls.
He began experimenting with whatever materials were available, initially incorporating the technique into mural and wall-painting projects. “I mostly used acrylic paints and gradually moved on to automobile paints,” he says.
The results encouraged him to explore it further. During his time at RLV, he also began using airbrushing for college poster work, particularly to achieve gradients that were difficult to recreate with conventional poster colours and brushes.
His work gradually found its way into larger projects, as part of a team of artists. “We have created artworks for cafes in different parts of the country, including mural assignments for Starbucks in Hyderabad and Delhi,” he says. “In the team, I solely handle the airbrushing section.”
Arjun has also been developing his individual practice, taking his art from walls to smaller, more intricate surfaces.
He began with T-shirts, before moving on to helmets, canvases and automobiles. Eight years into practising the technique, he prefers a freehand approach, rather than relying on stencils or predetermined patterns. “I like to work directly on the surface, building an image through layers of colour and detail,” he says.
Vehicle painting comes with several technical challenges, particularly when dealing with different materials and factory finishes. The learning process has involved its share of setbacks, too.
“I once worked on a vehicle component made of carbon fibre. I did not know which paint or medium would work on that material. After completing the artwork, I applied a clear coat, but the paint reacted with the surface and started peeling off. I had to remove the entire work and start again,” he says.
He is now looking to explore vehicle customisation more seriously, an area he feels has considerable scope but relatively few practitioners in the region. He also ensures that his work complies with Motor Vehicles Department regulations, obtaining prior approval wherever necessary and avoiding colours reserved for official vehicles.
While customers sometimes approach him with specific ideas and references, many prefer to leave the creative decisions to him. “Most of them trust my instincts and let me decide what would work best,” he says.
Arjun is happy with his exploration of airbrushing, as he recently got to work on a dream project. “I always wanted to paint a Harley-Davidson, and just finished working on one,” he smiles.