About Tony Walton's Custom Art

The name Custom Art was born in 1988 as a trading name for Tony Walton to produce airbrushed artwork under. This came about from a desire to become self-employed in the belief that I could make a living airbrushing full time, after painting as a hobbyist since 1981. As of today's date January 2000, that makes almost 20 years airbrushing experience! Over the past 20 years I have been lucky to be involved in some very exciting projects, from race cars, boats, buses etc. to the many movie billboards (500 or so and counting). Some photos are included. These photos will be updated from time to time as new material is produced

At the start all my stencils were drawn & cut by hand, a painstaking exercise at times. I bought my first computer for vinyl cutting lettering in 1992, an old second hand machine with 15 fonts and little else. It lasted about 5 years, until one day it just stopped. It was time to take the plunge into the computer technology everybody else seemed to be using in the sign industry. Amazing -almost 500 fonts, special effects, scanning & cutting! My artwork has improved by being able to cut accurate stencils, sometimes duplicated & scaled precisely, and has eliminated a lot of cutting on the job, which is always a very delicate procedure.

Vinyl signs have become an integral part of my work, many times this is the best option available, especially for vehicle signage, as the signs can be easily removed or replaced, without damaging paint work. Artwork can be airbrushed onto vinyl and adhered, this method gives a lot of options for custom signs, where airbrushing directly to paint work is not practical because of down time etc.

Since building a high stud workshop in 2000 I have been able to take on more truck work, including computer signage, scrolls, stripes, and airbrushed artwork. Some of these jobs are shown in the Gallery. Working on these big rigs has been very rewarding as the truckers appreciate the time and dedication required to get the best results.

Tony Walton