Airbrush Art Gets the Royal Treatment

Artist Mike Royal

From delicate scenes of the natural world on canvas, to rugged movie icons on tee shirts to skulls on motorcycles, the vivid artistic world of Arizona native Mike Royal is vibrant, bold and full of life.

Artist, Mike Royal. (FAR® Registered Artist)

Mike was an artist the day he was born. "My father is an artist, and as a kid I watched him draw and paint, go to shows and sell his work as a fine artist. I always wanted to do the same."

One year, when Mike was twelve, he and his father saw a man painting shirts with an airbrush at an auto show. Mike announced to his father that that was what he wanted to do. The next week, his father brought him home an airbrush and, "...that's what I've been doing ever since."

The Duke, by artist Mike Royal. (FAR® ID #36265)

His immediate and passionate pursuit of his art led Mike to develop entrepreneurial skills at that early age. The same day he had his first airbrush, he began selling tee shirts to his friends for $5.00 each, painting on the shirts they brought him.

After graduating from high school, Mike served a term in the Army, and, afterwards, not certain of his direction, looked into going to school under the GI Bill. He found the best fit for him at AlCollins Graphic Design School (now Collins College), where he attended and earned his Associate of Arts Degree, with a straight A average.

He began freelancing right away, painting on cars and motorcycles, as his father had.

Skully Guitar, by artist Mike Royal. (FAR® ID #36264)

Now celebrating 32 years as an airbrush artist, Mike has painted on anything from skateboards to golf clubs to guitars. "I paint on cars, trucks, motorcycles, helmets - anything - and I have had many different tee shirt stores so I have stuff all over the world. I prefer to use automotive paints and hard surfaces (metal, fiberglass, etc.) but I can and have used just about everything."

He has sold countless pieces internationally, through his own stores, shows and online.

Mike admires the work of many artists. Those who have influenced him include Tom Davison, Mike Lavalli, Dru Blair, Hajimi Soriama, Dennis Mathewson, Rod Fuchs, Noah, Kent Lind, Mark Silvares, Mike Learn, Matt Andrews, Bugs, Cartoon, Ron Hernadez, Tony Perez and Jeff Styles. Says Mike, "I could go on forever - I have a lot of respect for all artists."

Looking Ahead to the Future

As airbrushing has been Mike's much-loved means of artistic expression his entire life, he is understandably excited for others to learn and master this skilled art form and follow down the trail he has blazed.

Tommy Tiki, by artist Mike Royal. (FAR® ID #36273)

A logical next step is for him to reach out to a whole new audience through teaching. Fine Art Registry is proud to partner with Mike on a series of upcoming airbrush classes to be held at the Arizona Artists Guild (18411 N. 7th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, 85023).

The classes are ingeniously structured on a gradient scale, beginning with a demonstration class on April 24, 2010, and culminating in an intense, hands-on, four-day class in mid-June.

Instruction focuses on tools, materials and application. The one and four-day classes provide comprehensive training sessions that will result in attendees gaining skill with the airbrushing equipment and able to begin producing their own masterpieces.

Download the class flier here and contact Mike at 602-904-0446 or Royalldesigns@yahoo.com for more information.

Evil Eyes, by artist Mike Royal. (FAR® ID #36232)

Mike is also featured in an interview in the April 2010 issue of Truckin' magazine and will attend the upcoming Street Rodder Magazine Panel Jam in California.

A current project underway will soon result in a new gallery housed within his store, Airbrush Zone, in the Desert Sky Mall in Phoenix.

Springtime Sunflowers, by artist Mike Royal. (FAR® ID #36261)

Adding Security with Fine Art Registry®

Recently, for greater security, Mike began tagging and registering his work with the Fine Art Registry® patented tagging and registration system. He discovered FAR® through a Google search and has already registered 26 pieces.

Sea Turtle, by artist Mike Royal. (FAR® ID #36267)

"I am very thankful for everything FAR has done for me at this point and I am happily looking forward to my future with my art career and FAR."

And that future looks very bright, with new projects and ventures on the horizon. "I have tried to keep myself very versatile and open so I can fit in any style of art or design. I really enjoy all forms of art and I really look forward to sharing my work. I just like to see people smile and feel good when they see something they like."

Award-winning painted SUV by artist Mike Royal

Find out more about Mike and his work through these Fine Art Registry links:

• Mike's Fine Art Registry gallery
• Airbrush Painting: Art Education and Techniques by Gwen Howlett
• Fine Art That Flies Underneath the Radar by Gwen Howlett
• The FAR Video Series on Mike Royal by Lynn Orlosky:   Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Artist's FAR Registered Pieces | Entire FAR Portfolio › | Sales Gallery › | Biography ›

— by Georgianna Lane  |  April 2, 2010  |  Print Version - PDF

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