No matter how many examples of your treasured machine were produced, it will always be ‘one of one’, according to Australian graphic artist Steve Schenko. It seems many agree – so he’s now transformed his hobby of creating beautiful bespoke works of auto-art into a thriving business…
“We work closely with the client to identify all the important features of the car that they want us to capture,” self-proclaimed ‘bald art director and car enthusiast’ Steve Schenko told Classic Driver. “The most common request we get is to capture the decals on the cars – the little things that make their car ‘theirs’. A good example is a customer from California, who asked us to capture a very subtle decal he had placed on the rear window of his 993 C2S. The decal is so subtle that most people would never notice it, but to us (and him) that’s what makes it cool – he’ll notice it.”
We noticed your ‘ERR KULD’ numberplate too, Mr 993 – very ‘cool’ indeed…
A hobby at heart
Schenko began to work on custom commissions after using his graphic design expertise to illustrate his own car, the Chiffon White 1984 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera shown in the lead image above. Requests soon began coming in from his own circle of friends and beyond, and the promise of spending his working week talking to like-minded enthusiasts led him to form his own company, appropriately named 1-of-1. “I’ve conceded that it’s never going to be a big money-maker which, to be honest, is okay.”
Accurate, down to the finest details
“To ensure we capture all the correct details, we often ask for many reference shots, from detailed shots of the wheels and tyres, through to any decals,” Schenko continues. “Once we have illustrated it, we then send proofs to the client to approve. It’s their artwork – we want them to be 100% happy, and we invite them to be part of the process, much like building a car. Each illustration takes around two days to produce, depending on how much detail the client wants. It’s a long process; however, it offers the customer the opportunity to change details should they wish, prior to finalising the print.”
Photos: 1-OF-1
For further information, visit the 1-OF-1 website.
