“Never stop learning and learn about all aspects of business. In art, the artist himself/herself is the product, and we must keep learning to make ourselves better at selling ourselves.”
Founder of PaperPlane and a multidisciplinary artist, Kartikey Sharma’s journey as a professional artist began in 2014 during his engineering studies, shortly after surviving cancer for the first time. It was that very experience that pushed him to live and create his life on his own terms.
His first public project, Clean and Paint Pune, involved cleaning and painting approximately one hundred walls across the city, all done purely out of passion. Even when he was diagnosed again with cancer in 2016, he did not let it stop him from creating. If anything, he believes it made up his mind even more to never give up on art.
Today, Kartikey’s specialisation lies in large-scale murals and public art.
What’s so special about Kartikey is that, whether he is working on a vast public wall or a small canvas, he treats each piece with care and turns it into something tangible that invites hope.
Why Settle?
The pain point that Kartikey observed is that many clients today who want a 20,000 square foot m ural end up dealing with architects or scattered freelancers, which causes delays and inconsistent quality.
PaperPlane fixes that by offering a single, accountable partner who owns the whole process. It is an organised fine art services company that helps businesses commission large-scale art with confidence.
For now, they create Murals, Sculptures, VFX, CGI, and AR experiences and manage each project from first sketch to final reveal with zero hassle.
Fly High with PaperPlane
Art saved Kartikey long before it became his career. As a child, he painted every Sunday to escape. In college, he sold work to earn pocket money. When life grew hard and he had nowhere else to go, painting restaurant walls kept him going.
Facing cancer twice only strengthened that bond. For him, creativity was never optional. It was the way he stayed hopeful.
Eventually, he noticed that the world of public art felt chaotic and informal. Clients did not know how to commission serious work, and talented artists had no reliable path to big projects.
Kartikey decided to fix the gap, and he learned the unglamorous parts of business registration, accounts, and permits. He treated trust as a product that he needed to build methodically. He adds,
“Artists often lose out because they avoid administration, but I saw it as the backbone for growth. That’s how Paper Plane was born. We take pride not only in the quality of our murals but also in offering clients the same professionalism, flawless paperwork, and smooth workflows they’d expect from any top-tier company.”
PaperPlane makes fine art simple to commission and reliable to deliver. Clients get work that is tailored to their taste and brief, not an off-the-shelf mural. Behind every canvas is a split system that most studios ignore. Artists focus purely on making, while a dedicated operations team handles the organisational, operational, and administrative sides. That division keeps creativity clean and delivery flawless.
While catering to the clients, Kartikey is also building opportunities for artists. He further says,
“On the other side, fine art graduates struggle to find meaningful careers and often end up in odd jobs. We provide them with a safe, structured workplace where they can earn a living by practicing their craft, just like engineers at Infosys or Wipro.”
Rocky Road
The biggest challenge so far was bringing industry-standard discipline into an artistic workplace. The team led by example and put simple systems in place so creativity could thrive without chaos. This included moving non-creative tasks off the artists’ plates by hiring specialists for operations, accounts, and permits.
Kartikey says that reaching the right clients meant learning marketing the hard way. Focused digital storytelling, targeted outreach, and strong case studies proved far more effective than pitches alone.
Celebrating Feats
“My biggest personal achievement, I consider, is a happy married life despite my medical challenges and unorthodox line of work. My wife Rhea and our cat, Daku, are a dream come true, which just a decade ago seemed absolutely impossible, knowing the path I had chosen for myself.”
One of Kartikey’s major milestones includes painting what is billed as India’s largest mural, a 24,000 square foot work at the Dynamatics Aerospace campus in Bangalore. With the encouragement of Udayant Malhoutra (CEO & Managing Director Dynamatic Technologies Limited), he turned that mural into an AR experience and is now in line for the Guinness World Record for the largest AR mural.
His other achievements include transforming an underpass and flyovers for Max Estates in Noida and Delhi, creating a 20-foot Squid Game doll for Netflix, and completing a 17,000 square foot mural for Panchshil in Pune. Internationally, they also painted over 20,000 square feet of murals in Nigeria for Manish Mundra, founder of Drishyam Films. His other commissions include brands such as Hyundai, CRED, Pepsi, Benetton, Bajaj, Reliance, Oppo, and United Colours of Benetton, and JW Marriott.
Moreover, apart from India, his murals are seen on walls at Sri Lanka, Nigeria, San Francisco, and soon Dubai. His canvas work is collected internationally and hangs in a gallery on Billionaires’ Row in New York, including a piece in the collection of Caroline Rupert.
Another feat includes painting the city of Prayagraj, covering 200,000 square feet for the Maha Kumbh. The project that tested their project management at scale and changed the rhythm of a city.
A New Dawn
PaperPlane will expand westward, starting with the USA and the UAE, and take commissioned fine art services to a global stage.
They will pair Indian artists with the systems and resources they need to win large commissions abroad. The aim is not export for its own sake but to create steady work and fair pay for creators. Kartikey asserts,
“In the long run, our goal is to become the Infosys or TCS of the fine arts, an institution where graduating artists know exactly where to apply for a sustainable, secure, and creatively fulfilling career.”
The Takeaways
One of the lessons Kartikey has learned is that challenges are part of the journey. He explains,
“Had I chosen a ‘safer’ job after engineering, I would have faced similar problems. But I would have been miserable and unable to give it my whole heart. In art, I’ve faced struggles too, but at least I’m building a life around something I truly love.”
He also feels that grit is non-negotiable for being a successful entrepreneur. As he signs off, he says,
“By grit, I mean having a long-term relentless, slow, and steady practice of doing what you love doing despite wins or losses. Just keep at it no matter what.”
