Next up meet the awesome artist Amy Balch who has painted up an incredible British bull dog inspired Bell Bullitt helmet for our VC X BELL HELMETS custom series!
With a background in fashion design, the mega talented Amy Balch has a penchant for being inspired by her four legged friends (can you tell?!) and with a commissions calendar that’s packed to the brim for 2021 we we’re so stoked when this said YES to painting up a gloss white BELL bullitt helmet for this years project!
Check out the amazing Amy (and her gorgeous furry friends) and her work over on Instagram here and check out her awesome Bell helmet design and how she put it together below!
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AND DON’T FORGET!…
All 4 of the Bell custom painted helmets are up for grabs at this years sold out Camp VC event where we’ll be raffling them off! So make sure you grab a ticket onsite to be in with a chance to bag one!!!
Hey Amy! Where are you from originally and where do you live now?
I’m from Devon and now live in Somerset.
What first got you into painting?
I was always super creative as a kid, and did a lot of drawing at university - but when I was working and living in Zurich, in 2016, I’d use my spare time to paint friends and families dogs.
Did you study fine art?
Not since school - I have a degree in fashion design.
How would you describe your style of work?
Stylistic and fluid animal artworks in acrylic paint and ink.
Where do you most get your inspiration from?
Dogs, fashion illustrators and great photography that I can’t resist painting from.
What do you love the most about having such a hands on job?
I love creating and painting is like therapy to me. I would be SO bored and unhappy in an office or with a job doing the same thing every day - the variety of subjects I’m commissioned to paint and the flexibility of being self employed is refreshing and keeps me on my toes.
What object would you love the opportunity to paint that you haven’t painted before?
A surf or skateboard.
What has been your favourite project you’ve worked on and why?
This is the first project I’ve done that hasn’t been on a flat canvas so it’s been really interesting to try out - but my favorite thing to create are large scale pieces that allow me to be free and gestural with my paints and ink.
How does your life inspire your work?
I’m literally surrounded by dogs on the reg. I have a background in the dog show world and have 3 dogs of my own - so it was probably inevitable that they would end up being my primary muses! If I’m not painting I’m guaranteed to be outside, with a dog, scouring the Devon or Dorset coastline.
Tell us all about your awesome Bell Bullitt helmet design!
I’ve been looking for an excuse to paint a bulldog for some time and was there a better opportunity?! #restingdoghead is a hashtag I use for my work on social media - and the colour palette is my signature.
What materials did you use to create the helmet?
1shot enamel paints, tracing paper, pencils, masking tape, brushes. Powered by tea and snacks.
What was the process you used to paint the helmet?
I used a tracing paper stencil for the bulldog and writing, painted in 1shot enamel paints - I could paint in the same way I normally do although the enamels are sticky much quicker. I used a masking tape to mark out the flag. Plenty of white spirit for washing my hands and work top.
How long did it take you to create?
About 12 hours.
