This artist engraves entire cars by hand, including an F-250 called ‘Aluminati’

Artist Hank Robinson creates custom engravings on cars.
He got the idea to use a car as his canvas when Ford came out with an all aluminum F-150 in 2016.
Since then he’s engraved two entire cars including the rims, suspension system, and other parts.

Following is a transcript of the video.

This artist engraves entire cars by hand.

Narrator: These intricate engravings are created by Hank Robinson. He’s the owner and operator of Hanro Studios, which focuses on creating one-of-a-kind engravings for its clients. Hank is one of very few engravers who works on cars. He’ll engrave anything from wheels and bumpers to tailgates and fuel tanks.

Hank Robinson: So, I started engraving in 2011 doing a lot of different aftermarket parts, wheels, intakes, anything to do with the automotive world. And in 2015, Ford came out with the all-aluminum body F-150, And in 2015, Ford came out with the all-aluminum body F-150, and I just knew that was going to be the endgame for me. I just knew I had to do a huge rolling canvas.

Narrator: But Hank did more than just engrave a car. He purchased a Ford F-250 and made a masterpiece called "Aluminati."

Hank Robinson: I wanted the most badass truck with a mobile engraving station so I could roll up and just live engrave anywhere that I go. So, I really wanted to display and showcase all the different types and styles of engravings that you can do on a vehicle, as well as the different aftermarket parts. So, we have engraving on the body, the bumpers, the wheels, the reservoirs, the entire suspension, and a couple interior components. So, I’m able to use that now as a rolling business card. I attend a lot of shows and do live demos, and it’s really just a great conversation piece. My first large-scale engraving was a 2016 F-150 named "Freedom Blues." Freedom Blues is a tribute to those who served with those who sacrificed. Being a veteran myself, I wanted to pay homage to my era of warfighters. So, with just under 900 total engraving hours, I was able to depict our experiences at wartime, and it was an awesome experience. I got to finish live engraving at SEMA 2016, which was the first time I got to showcase my engravings on a large platform in front of large audiences.

Narrator: Hank’s attention to detail is what sets his work apart from the rest. It’s even allowed him to work with celebrity clients. So, I have a wide variety of clientele.

Hank Robinson: Anybody from my neighbor to different veteran organizations, charitable organizations, companies big and small. I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with athletes and musicians such as the Dirty Heads. I did a couple pieces for Five Finger Death Punch, Tech N9ne. I’ve been featured on West Coast Customs doing some really cool engraving on Kid Rock’s Cadillac. My process varies for each project. First, I work one-on-one with the client to kind of get the ideas and get a feel for who they are. Once I have all the information, I’ll sketch out a design. Once the design’s finalized, I will use a carbon pen stencil and get my base outlines and just make sure everything’s to scale and in proportion. Once that’s done, it’s time to engrave. I really try to strive and provide engraving for anybody in any aspect of life. I don’t really want it to be just automotive or just one single solid category. I want to do absolutely everything.