Award Winning Artist Paul Willetts of
SouthSide Custom Airbrushing is a Master at his craft
and personifies Professional Airbrushing at it’s FINEST

1st Place Winner for Best Custom Paint and
Best of Class at the 2007 Autorama Extreme.

 Hi, my name is Paul. I’m the owner and artist for SouthSide Custom Airbrushing. I’ve been airbrushing since 1994.  I’ve painted on just about anything you can think of.  You name it… I can paint it, from cell phones to cars.

      I grew up in the downriver area. I went to High School in Gibraltar. I started my illustrious working career at McDonalds in Trenton. After 4 years of flipping the best burgers in the world and one year in college at Hank High (Henry Ford Community College) I joined the Army. Well, I wasn’t a spoiled rich kid and I needed the money for school. While in the army I learned how to cook for 2,000 people at one time, went to culinary art school, decorated a lot of cakes for all the important people, earned a few awards for culinary excellence, jumped out a few airplanes, and most importantly I learned how not to keel over and die after running with bronchitis.

After I served my time in the Armed Forces, I worked for various nice eating establishments as a Chef or line cook. I’ve worked in a couple bakeries decorating birthday to wedding cakes. I’ve worked as a rent a cop, a roofer, and whatever else I could find to pay the bills. Being an adult kind of sucked.

 Then one day I wondered into the Gibraltar Trade Center back in 1994. I showed Ron from “The Upper Half” some pictures from my portfolio. He hired me on the spot. I started practicing and by the next weekend I was painting shirts for the customers.

 I worked for him for about 6 months and quit. I started working for another Airbrush business, in the Trade Center. I worked there part time for years. I went back to school in 1998 to finish and get my degree. I worked full time at a few different companies doing Graphic Design work, got laid off and started working full time Airbrushing for a friend of mine. I got married, had a couple a kids, bla,bla,bla,bla,bla .

 Later in 2003 I bought the business from him called it Majestic Air. Things have gone really well for years. I have been doing a lot of helmets, mostly motorcycle and goalie helmets. I changed the name to Southside Custom Airbrushing, because I thought since we were living on the Southside of Detroit

Now, I am the Greatest! At least the best in Michigan (That’s what the sign says.), don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Thank you, thank you very much, thank you Deeeetroit, Michigan, the home of rock and roll….thank you, thank you for coming…

 I’d like to say thanks to the Perani’s Hockey World for sending a lot of business. 

 Special thanks to Drew and Mike for thanking me!!

View Larger Map