Mark Dikrud with one of his designs. Picture by UB Photos

Shillong, Sept. 1: A grocer-turned-graphic designer is giving a devilish touch to boring bikes, filling the mean machines with images of skulls and fire.

Much of Mark Dikrud’s work is inspired by the 2007 Nicholas Cage film, Ghost Rider, where the superhero rides a bike that comes alive with a blaze and a skull in the headlight.

Scores of youths in Shillong, who claim their middle name to be “spunk”, are now queuing up at Dikrud’s door for some “cool” designs on their bikes.

The self-taught graphic designer, who not so long ago worked in a grocery shop, now owns a “workshop” that he calls MD Motografix — a little room filled with the smell of paint and heat. MD is the abbreviation for Mark Dikrud.

Since most bikes come in boring single colours, there is a high demand for designs of flames, skulls and other indigenous motifs on the bikes, whether or not inspired by Ghost Rider, said the 33-year-old artist.

Four years ago, Dikrud, gave up his job at grocery shop at Jingkieng, Nongthymmai, to start something creative in his small room.

The man who had also worked at a vehicle servicing station in Shillong, bought an airbrush and welding materials for Rs 20,000 and began painting graphic designs on bikes. So far, he has worked on at least 20 bikes, charging Rs 5,000 each. It takes 15 days to complete the designs on a single bike.

Now bikers from Guwahti and Arunachal Pradesh also flock to his residence for some metal art.

Besides bikes, Dikrud has also tried his hand at guitars, tables and glass materials.

Though he has no formal training in art, Dikrud is doing well enough to draw clients from other parts of the region but still refuses to work on a large commercial scale.

“I don’t want to go big, as I still think this is an expression of my creativity. But I wish to change the workplace from home to any shop by the roadside where other vehicles can have space to park,” Dikrud said.

He is also being offered cars and larger vehicles to try his designs on, but the artist can accommodate only two cars at a time in his workshop.

Besides, with no helper around, the work of cleaning the vehicles is a tedious one.