CigArtInk Paints a Different Picture

A self-portrait of painter turned photographer Kimball Hall, owner of CigarArtInk.

Alejandro Benes
Posted: October 19, 2011

“I was smoking at the [Malibu] Cigar Lounge,” explained Kimball Hall, “and I would take pictures and I wanted to make them different.”

Different is what Kimball Hall has made the headshot, the portrait, commemorating the art of smoking a cigar. He started with the visitors to the cigar lounge and hung them in the store. Go to his newly-launched website, www.cigartink.com, to realize that a picture is worth a thousand puffs.

Hall, a painter turned photographer, takes your picture with a digital camera, then puts it into his computer and begins to work his magic. Basically, Hall is painting the image on Adobe Photoshop.

They come out a little bit like cartoons and a little bit like those investment house commercials in which the clients talk about not getting good service from their brokers. In this case, however, all the subjects are smoking cigars.

“They’re still basically photos,” Hall assured, “but there’s a human touch.”

Hall says it takes him about three hours to create a simple portrait. If you’d like one, you can send him a digital image and, for around $350, you'll be shipped an 8- by 10-inch print of your custom illustration. Additional prints are available (check site for details).

I like mine a lot. He took years off of me.

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