Mary:  What kind of paints and products do you use?

Todd:  I use only the best.  House of Kolor paints, primers, sealers and clears.  3M tapes and sanding products. Iwata airbrushes and spray guns.  You really need to use quality equipment and products, taking short cuts to save a buck will bite you in the end.  

Mary:  Do you do mostly local work or work shipped to you from elsewhere?

Todd:  99.9% of my work comes from out of state.  Northern Minnesota is very rural and farm country, not going to get to many custom bikes done up here.

Mary:  Where is the furthest distance someone has shipped a bike from?

Todd:  Mexico.  I have had inquiries from the UK and Australia, but shipping overseas can run $600-$700.

Mary:  Have you ever messed up and had to start over? Have you ever had any really difficult projects?

Todd:  Ha-Ha, I think every artist has messed up before.  You learn quickly how to fix mistakes or hide them. Things happen.  A few years back I was painting a spare set I had laying around, when I got to the final clear coat stage, I dropped the tank putting it on the stand.  Needless to say, I had to start over on that tank.

Mary:  Do people usually choose stock designs or custom designs?

Todd:  I would say the majority pick a design I have already done.  I personally like doing designs I haven’t done before, I can be more creative this way.

Mary:  How do you draw up a custom design? With pencil and paper or a computer graphics program?

Todd:  I do quick pencil sketches, if it’s a higher end theme bike, I will do some color renderings with illustrator markers and even sample panels on some.

Mary:  Do you maintain your website yourself, or someone else?

Todd:  I maintain the main website myself (www.thekustompaintshop.com), the other part of the website was created by a local designer (www.kustompaintshop.com)

Mary:  How can you charge such competitive prices?

Todd:  Being a one man shop gives you lower overhead, and I don’t price gouge like some painters do.

Mary:  How does one care for their bike after a custom paint job? What products do you recommend?

 Todd:  Taking care of your paint is come sense, clients can go to my website and check out the paint care article I posted. www.thekustompaintshop.com

For a free estimate, contact  Todd at Thompson Graphix,  30318 State Hwy 89 Roseau, MN 56751; todd@thompsongraphix.com, or 218-463-1950.  Todd's shop is open for business Monday thru Friday from 9am to 5pm Central Time.

Pinky