First up in our VC X BELL Helmets project is the awesome artist and sign painter, Alex May Hughes!
You might have already seen some of Alex’s amazing work floating around Instagram…It’s pretty hard to miss!
Having established herself as a tour de force in the sign painting world Alex first studied at The London College of Communications, graduating in 2012, and went on to complete an apprenticeship as a sign painter before going it alone… and she’s never looked back.
Alex’s amazing work, which features everything from beautiful gold leaf and pearl inlay typography to the cast of the Simpsons, is rooted in the traditional skill of sign painting and glass gliding but with a modern twist with her art pieces selling out in seconds when they become available.
Meet Alex, follow her on instagram @alexmayhughes and check out her kick ass fighter pilot inspired custom painted BELL MOTO-3 below!
AND DON’T FORGET!…
You can buy a raffle ticket HERE to be in with a chance to win this awesome helmet in our draw on the 21st October on the VC INSTAGRAM stories!
Where are you from originally and where do you live now?
London, still London.
What first got you into sign writing and glass gilding?
I studied at London College of Communication (graphic design and typography) and did a lot of screen printing – I did a project about sign painting and wanted to learn more once I graduated. I got an apprenticeship under a sign painter and sort of took it from there. Once I found out about the glass and gold leaf side of sign painting it’s all I wanted to do and I’ve really focused on that for the last 6 years.
What do you love the most about having such a hands on job?
I love getting my hands dirty and I find it really gratifying painting and gilding all day, I’ve never been someone that’s comfortable starting at a computer screen all day.
Where do you most get your inspiration from?
All over the place, the colours and materials in nature are where I draw most of my inspiration from; I work a lot with mother of pearl and butterfly wings etc.
You seem to work a lot in gold leaf. Is it a tough material to learn to use?
Like with anything it takes time and patience, and a certain amount of confidence because of how delicate it is.
Also working on glass must be nerve wracking!
Working with glass is great, it’s more versatile than people think, it can be pretty forgiving too (aside from when it breaks).
How would you describe your style of work?
Bright and modern in style, using old techniques and materials.
It’s no secret that you’re an avid fanatic of The Simpsons with them featuring in a lot of your work! Who’s your favourite character?
The million pound question! It changes all the time, at the moment I think its Mr Burns.
What has been your favourite recent project you’ve worked on and why?
Painting this helmet was a lot of fun. I usually say yes to painting something if its unusual or I’ve never done it before – It was challenging and that’s always rewarding if it works out!
How does your life inspire your work?
I’m always keeping an eye out for old signs or pub mirrors/glass around London or when I’m travelling. It’s something I’m constantly on the hunt for so I can draw inspiration from it and tie it into my work.
Tell us all about your awesome Bell Moto 3 helmet design!
I’m a sucker for fluorescent paint and looking at other helmets it was something I knew I wanted to include. I’d also been the RAF museum recently and saw fighter pilots’ helmets that used the lightning bolts so it’s sort of in homage to that (and the fighter planes face/spikey teeth) .
What materials did you use to create the helmet?
Oil based enamel paint, spray paint and 23ct gold leaf.
What was the process you used to paint the helmet?
I planned out the different sections and taped up elements that needed to be spray painted. Once that was out of the way I got on with hand painting the rest and finally applied the gold leaf in layers, shaped them and then added a clear coat to protect.
How long did it take you to create?
With design and painting it was around 8 hours.
