Mural Art Builds Career and Generates Good Income
The creative idea of roadside mural art decorating building walls not only contributes to the development of the city, it also generates good income.
Nurul Syakirah Saparudin, 27, better known as ‘Irasdean’, and Muhammad Nur Afiq Hamidon (Afiq Hamidon), 24, are familiar names among graffiti artists in Perak.
Starting her career as a graffiti artist back in 2014, Nurul Syakirah possesses the talent of creating realistic human and animal character portraits.
A mother to a three-year-old son, she made her passion into a full-time career, besides working side jobs to earn a living.
“We were given a duration of 10 days to finish five wall murals measuring between 20 to 50 feet long by painting famous film characters.
“Despite the short timeframe, I took it as a challenge and successfully completed the paintings within the duration.
“It’s a satisfaction to an artist like me when a creation is fully completed,” said the Multimedia Diploma graduate from Kolej PolyTech MARA.
Speaking on creations, Nurul Syakirah said that they usually liaise with customers regarding the matter.
“Usually, customers give me an idea and I’ll translate them into forms of normal drawings beforehand. Only when they agree to the designs, will I start working on the mural paintings,” said the artist who idolizes Katun, a locally and internationally famous graffiti artist.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Nur Afiq, a Fine Arts Diploma graduate from the National Craft Insitute has spent two years in the scene of mural painting.
However, his interest in painting was instilled at a young age since his father too, is a well-known painter, Hamidon Ahmed.
He said he is more adept at the creation of graphic mural wording, but he is able to create a multitude of paintings, depending on customers’ requests.
“Many pieces of equipment are required for the creation of paintings, such as spray-paint imported from Germany and Spain. The paint is used due to its more durable and long-lasting colours,” he opined.
Also, Muhammad Nur Afiq is one out of a mural painting duo who had worked on the walls of Jalan Leong Sin Nam in Ipoh, dedicated to the COVID-19 frontliners last December.
He mentioned that the mural creation was a joint effort between the National Art Gallery and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
“In January this year, I also painted a five-level waterfall mural in only four days. It was one of the most challenging pieces, given the limited timeframe.”
Those interested to view the artworks of both may head to their social media pages; irasdean (Facebook and Instagram), afqhamidon (Instagram).
Rosli Mansor
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