Meet Nishka, A Wall Mural Artist Carving Her Way Into Entrepreneurial World

By Ruchi Sharma

Who doesn't love beautiful artwork? Be it a painting, a showpiece, a flower arrangement or any creative work on display, a piece of art is not only beautiful to look at but the hard work and thought behind it makes it truly special. Just watching the wonderful creative artists spinning their magic over a simple plain paper is so soothing to eyes (the countless Instagram channels we follow just for this totally make it true!).

Being an artist may seem like an easy profession but that’s definitely not the case at all. Artists are super creative and their creativity is what brings plain canvases to life. An art is not limited to only canvas, anything that involves creativity is an art! And when it comes to wall mural art, those beautiful picturesque walls just leave us in awe at the marvellous work. Be it simple or complicated, just looking at those magnificent works of art is soothing to eyes.

And this time we got super lucky to converse with an exceptional artist, who not only is into making wall murals but makes digital illustrations, customised invites and a lot more. Meet Nishka Mehta, who is an experienced artist now venturing into her own business called ‘Art Beats’. Here’s presenting the amazing conversation we had with her, we are sure you will be just as inspired as we were and enjoy watching her beautiful artworks too!

1. Hi Nishka! Welcome to Girls Buzz! We would love to know more about you and of course your entrepreneurial venture ‘artbeatpaintings’!

I’m 29 years old, and started art beat 9 years ago! I studied my bachelors in business management from Christ University and have always loved art! I started art beat with an aim of selling hand painted products and paintings. My aim was to sell art that is affordable and can be used on a day to day basis. With this in mind I started selling hand painted magnets, coasters and other utility products. Later, I moved onto making wall murals as well for corporates, residences, restaurants, cafes and any other space :)

Art beat also does Customised wedding invites, illustrations and custom orders as well.

2. ‘Artbeatpaintings’ is such a unique yet touching name, any mystery behind it? 

A friend of mine suggested I call my business Art Beat ! I really loved the ring to it, and decided to name my business Art beat :) 

3. We are really curious, what made you choose such an unconventional path? Is there a story behind how it all began? 

I was in college [Christ university, Bangalore] and didn’t get placed in any of the jobs on campus. I had a month to pass, and since I was bored - I decided to make about 20 odd paintings! We didnt know what to do with so many paintings at home, so I decided to sell them at a flea market. I also made 4 small frames with funny quotes on them for the flea market. None of my paintings sold that day, however, some of the small frames did. So I decided to open a facebook page by the name of Art Beat and to my luck - all my paintings sold there within 2 weeks! :) 

There was no looking back after that. I started selling a lot more handpainted products like pen drives, clocks, fridge magnets, coasters, key holders, etc. I later moved onto painting walls, which is now the biggest part of my business.

4. First assignment is so important yet precious. Which was your first official project?

My first assignment was a small A3 size painting for a friend, for which I charged Rs.1000/-. This was 9 years ago. My first wall was for a place called the Tuck shop, and I did it for free :)

5. Wall Murals look so gorgeous but we are sure there is a lot of hard work behind it. Would you like to briefly take us through its process?

Yes! It’s a long process, and takes time to reach the final stages. It usually starts with conceptualising which involves creating a mood board and understanding my clients likes and dislikes. It then further moves to choosing one particular concept and creating a design digitally based on the actual measurements of the space. Once the colour palette and design is final, the same is executed onto the wall, which starts with a drawing and  moves into adding the colours. There are times when a wall takes even 3 months to finalise! 

6. We saw you take up some diverse beautiful projects, right from those amazing ice cream sticks wall to those gorgeous kids rooms! What material do you generally use? Have you ever tried some more different materials like spray paints?

The ice cream sticks for Lakeview Milkbar , in Bangalore were extremely good fun to use! I used over 1700 sticks to make the logo of Lakeview milkbar. The idea was to also show the logo in a fun and unique way. I’ve otherwise used engineering equipment for The Engineer store in Bangalore, and have also used string and thread on a wall. I have never used spray paints, but would love to try it out! 

7. The art forms related to mural art are so diverse like photography, painted scenery, abstract and a lot more! Which is your favourite one? 

I absolutely love anything as long as im trying something new and challenging myself. I like to do new kinds of projects were I can be creative! 

8. You are a digital illustrator too right? Now that’s tech combined with art! Is there a specific genre you work on?

I am someone that loves colour, so all my digital art too has a lot of bright colours. I usually make wedding invites, portraits or custom projects digitally. Otherwise, I use it to conceptualise my walls. 

9. We saw on your website that art beat’s is into a variety of aesthetically beautiful crafts. Please elaborate more about it!

I also sell hand painted products like message holders, jewellery holders, and some painted frames. I’m trying to get back into the product space since that is something I had stopped a couple of years into business. 

10. Experience speaks for itself, and we would love to know with nearly a decade gone by what has changed for you? 

I have become more systemised in my process’. I follow a certain method for every wall of mine, and that has helped me make my process a lot quicker.
I’ve also become a little more understanding about the fact that in my field of work its very tough to have a fixed routine. I’ve become more content and patient with what im doing and the slow growth makes me happy :) 

11. One myth you often come across that is related to your profession which you would like to bust.

That you can’t survive on the money you earn from Art & painting! 

A lot of people treat it as a side business, however, it can take up a lot more time than just that! 

12. We saw on your profile that you take art workshops too. Now that’s a blessing for enthusiastic beginners. Please tell us more about it.

Paint Bar is another business of mine that began in 2017. We host sip and paint workshops where anyone can paint. We provide all the materials for you to create and take home a beautiful painting while an artist guides you through the painting step-by-step. All you have to do is show up and have fun!

We’re a small team that strongly believes in one thing: Anyone can paint.

13. If you were to choose any one memorable project that has been most close to your heart and satisfying career wise, which one would it be?

The most recent ones have to be Lakeview milkbar since I tried something new there, followed by The pink purple nature wall I made for a clients residence. I hold the OnePlus India’s mural closest to my heart since that really changed my path and took me to where I am today! Nothing beats a challenge so my biggest wall sized 67 feet at Wipro SEZ’s office is something I’ll always remember too. My biggest canvas at Radisson Blu, Bangalore sized 23 feet wide was also great fun :) 

It’s tough to choose just one unfortunately.  

14. Would you like to send out any message to fellow ladies who aspire to come in a similar profession as yours or take up an unconventional profession?

Just start, don’t think it through too much! Everything takes it course and you will reach where you’re supposed to. Do more of what you like, but that doesn’t mean you avoid doing what you don’t like. In any business, you have to have a balance of both and learn to enjoy it :)

15. Now, this one we would love to know, what’s next? Where do we see Nishka and ‘Art Beat’ a few years down the line?

Let’s hope I touch my 100th wall soon :) 

I really hope to expand my hand painted products like before. I still feel that very few people sell handpainted products. It’s usually painted and turned into prints. However, I want to get back to what I originally started with. 

More work, more challenging projects and more fun - hopefully! 

Now that was one truly beautiful and inspiring talk we had! Don’t you agree? 

You can follow Nishka on her Instagram ID by the name of @artbeatpaintings for watching all those lovely reels and pics of her artworks! You can also reach out to her or look at her various beautiful creative projects on her website.

We also got a chance to do a wonderful live session with Nishka, if you missed it, you can watch it here.